Journaling: Grand Canyon to Phoenix**

Friday we drove south to Williams where we rejoined I-40 to Flagstaff.  But on the way we stopped at a roadside petting zoo and walked through a pen containing a mob of deer.  And we were mobbed! They licked us, snuffled us, and chewed on our clothing.  Really quite funny.  At Flagstaff we headed south through Oak Creek Canyon, shunning the interstate I-17 which has been completed to Phoenix since my last visit to the area.  Oak Creek Canyon is not to be missed even if one is driving an RV.  Over the summit and on the downward leg through the canyon we stopped at an upscale resort and had lunch in a very nice restaurant.  We later stopped in Cottonwood for a brief while, thence back to the interstate to Black Canyon City where we camped.

 Black Canyon City is surrounded by Sonoran hills on which the saguaros are standing like so many robbers apprehended in the act, their hands held high.  The campground  is a wonder in itself complete with public meeting room, lounge, swimming pool, and hot tub.  Wonderful flora surrounds the entire area.  For the Palisaders and other RVers among you this is a site for consideration.  The owner is an affable gentleman.  He offered us a nice discounted rate if we would return in January and February, putting his offer in writing.  There are other parks in the village, but they don't measure up to this one in amenities or attractiveness.  The location is about thirty miles from Phoenix, more or less.  We didn't spend nearly enough time here, and January and February seem like a good time to be in Not Indiana.

Ten o'clock Saturday afternoon we left BCC and drove into Glendale where we parked in the drive at the lovely home of my old college friend Wes and his lovely wife Carol.  Wes and I both arrived on campus at Seattle Pacific, he from Arizona and I from Colorado, about the same time in nineteen-something-or-other back when dirt was young and so were we.  We immediately had something in common as I'm quite sure we were the only two who showed up in ten-gallon hats.  (There were a couple of Texans there, though, so maybe my memory is not completely accurate.)  Anyway we lived in the same dorm during our sophomore year, we both majored in philosophy and we rented a basement cubby-hole style apartment together one quarter.  We even split an off-campus evening job for a while.  We have stayed in touch over the years, but our visits together have been rare since I moved to Indiana.

The next few days were spent reminiscing and enjoying the hosts' hospitality.  Jo and I did a tour through Sun City and Sun City West and also went through a few model homes in a new Del Webb community called Corte Bella.  We didn't buy.  Perhaps we should have.