We'd been in the car four hours, winding through the coastal mountains on country roads leading to the interstate. It's been one exhausting day with many quick last-minute decisions, but as we pass the exit for Phoenix, we realize we've made it to our original destination all along.
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| It's hard to imagine that this waterfall exists only in the wintertime. |
Two months ago, Matt and I booked plane tickets to Phoenix, hoping for five days of desert sunshine running and obnoxious new tan lines. We got up early on the day of our flight, ran, packed lunches, and secured our house sitter. All we had left was to check that our flight was on time and settle into that airplane seat for a snooze.
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| I got hosed on my run that morning. What got me through the sideways downpour was the thought of the desert sunshine. |
When we realized our flight was not only delayed but cancelled altogether due to the weather in San Francisco, the only place our airport flights go, Matt got on the phone. He tried to rebook our mileage award flights, but the next availability wasn't for another twenty-four hours, cutting our already short trip down by an entire day.
We decided to skip it altogether and stay home. Just as Matt was ready to call work and tell them he'd be available, I proposed another idea: snow. We looked at a few places: Tahoe and Mt. Shasta, but eventually settled on the Rogue Valley, which would coincidentally include the small town of Phoenix, Oregon.
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| My long run route even took me to the outskirts of Phoenix. It wasn't sunny or particularly warm but I loved that it had a total of two stoplights. |
When making last-minute changes, it really is easiest to go with the familiar. We swapped out tank tops and shorts for ski pants and down jackets. We loaded the car with skis, snowshoes, and all the requisite winter travel gear (shovel, chains, camp stove), and not two hours after we got off the phone with our airline were we packed up and on the road.
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| On the off season, we can afford the swanky hotel! Yay! |
That night, instead of settling into Isaiah's guest bed, we were snuggled on the couch next to the gas fireplace. So far, it was turning into a pretty solid Plan B if you ask me.
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| I even found a use for the hotel room iron! Don't worry, I was careful not to clog the steam holes with wax and ruin the next person's dress shirt or pants. |
5 comments:
I'd rather be in the mountains and snow than the desert any day! I hope you'll be sharing more photos and stories from your trip.
I always wonder if anyone even uses the iron. Have you ever stayed at Callahans outside of Ashland? Not as great for running although about 1/4 mile from the PCT. I love that place. Soaking tubs, robes, and awesome milkshakes. It was great hobbling off the PCT to there.
Too funny--glad you both still got your Phoenix fix in, and that you got a chance to play in the snow. It's been lovely here in Tucson but temps are slowly inching up. We have an ultra planned for either next weekend or the following (depending upon my writing deadlines) and it looks as if the temps might climb up to the 80s. I hope my poor brain doesn't fry. P.S. Love your use of the hotel iron.
Sometimes the backup plan is the plan that was meant to be! Glad you were able to make the best of your situation!
Linda, I wanted the desert more for the sunshine than anything else. Otherwise, I agree.
Mary, I have not, but I've looked at it a few times and it's always too expensive when I check it out. Our hotel had robes and a soaking tub, but TELL ME MORE ABOUT THE MILKSHAKES!!?! One place that as amazing ice cream sundaes is the lodge at Oregon Caves! How unexpected, right?
Cinthia, I'm sad we didn't get to see you! Why don't you have a twin in Phoenix, Oregon?
Wendy, I think you're right. I certainly wasn't disappointed in our backup plan. :)
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