RoadRunners 2012

The workshop was great fun - our space was HUGE in the San Francisco Friend's School, held in their meeting room while the students were on spring break.

One of my gals painting a mugshot ....

One of my demos - a portrait of Vince Fazio, the arts director of Sedona Arts Center. Vince assists me during my workshops.

The Sunset District where we stayed in San Francisco.

A ride through the Napa Valley before we headed south.

Wind turbines in Tehachapi....

Entering the desert in Nevada....

Brett walking Zac & Joey in the desert.....

The backside of Hoover Dam in Arizona.

The canyons of Utah.

Spring in the Rockies of Colorado.

The beauty of Nebraska.

Along the Grant Wood Byway in Iowa.

We drove 6,300 miles total. My favorite part of the road trip was on the Lincoln Highway (30) thru Nebraska and Iowa - so serene, little towns along the way and spectacular landscapes.

Our trip included a flat tire in Oklahoma, a speeding ticket in Texas, a major car repair in San Francisco, a warning ticket in Nebraska and we managed to lock 3 sets of keys in the car in Iowa.

I'd do it all again in a heartbeat.

Crossing the Mighty Mississippi felt like the official start to heading west.

On Day 2, Joey had a little meltdown in the back, we took a quick stop off the highway to calm him down and adjust - this was a sweet, windy road at the exit, somewhere in east Oklahoma. About a minute after we got back on the highway, we got a flat tire and made it to another pull-off, changed it, made it to another little town to repair the tire and eventually were on our way to Oklahoma City for the night.

Day 3 - we stopped in Amarillo for a harness to keep Joey calm and happy, shortly after getting on the road, the Texas Police nabbed me for speeding 8 miles over the speed limit. I wanted to take a picture of him, but was afraid to ask. Didn't want to press my luck.

The boring landscape of Texas turned into fabulous scenery in New Mexico.

After spending the night in Santa Rosa, driving thru moonscapes in New Mexico and eastern Arizona, we were eager to get to Sedona - only to meet up with a long line of stuck traffic around the Petrified Forest area. Just when we were planning a detour, it started to move again.

This was the problem....

Everything seemed to get better after that - a beautiful approach to Flagstaff, Arizona, then south to Sedona for a couple night's rest. A scary, windy ride along 89A - I almost lost my head.
Not going back to Flagstaff that way again. Yikes.

Woke up to this the next morning....

Zac & Joey in Sedona, meeting new friends - their first experience in a dog park,
they did amazing well.

Breathtaking view from the Airport Mesa before sunset.

Next morning, a less-traumatic ride back to Flagstaff, then westward again.

Wind turbines on the way to Tehacaphi, California - where we stopped for the night.

Finally to the Pacific Coast Highway - stunning landscapes, awesome. Our plan to ride up Hwy 1 was detoured due to a rock slide and highway closure - so back to 101, then north.

Which was beautiful....

Because it was Zac & Joey's 1st birthday, and we were tired of Best Westerns, we treated ourselves to the Cypress Inn in Carmel - turned out to be the same birthday as Doris Day, who is part owner of this wonderful, dog-friendly place.