Backlog: Moving Cross-Country Day 4 (the Home Stretch)

I quickly decided that Flagstaff is probably my favorite city that I've been to throughout this road trip. Even as I write this several days after moving to Glendale, I still love Flagstaff. Perhaps that is because it is like Minnesota in a way. It's normally about 30 degrees cooler than the valley, and there are pine trees everywhere. It has that "up north" feel that Minnesotans love. Many of us choose to vacation in what we call "up north", which is basically any place north of central Minnesota, all the way up to the Canadian border. One of my favorite places in Minnesota is Duluth, which is along lake Superior, about three hours north of my hometown. Flagstaff reminded me of Duluth, and I said several times that I would move to Flagstaff in a heartbeat.

Gorgeous view from the hotel

Because we were about a day ahead of time, we had time to really relax around the hotel before setting off for Glendale. This gave us time to have breakfast. I had some yogurt and several cups of coffee, because I knew it would be a long day of driving, and then moving into my apartment. My dad and I walked the dogs and talked about all the changes that were happening at home and in Arizona. Despite enjoying the walk with my dad, I could feel anxiety building inside me.

We washed the blanket that Sonja had soiled, then headed off towards Glendale. The drive through northern Arizona was breathtaking. My dad admired the canyons and mountains, and commented on all the pine trees. I was hoping to see an elk, but that didn't happen (dang!) The roads were curved and hilly, so I didn't take any photos- safety first!

We stopped at a rest stop between Flagstaff and Sedona, where I was able to walk for a bit and take some photos of the landscape. I saw some kind of coyote creature, as well as a tarantula, which was thankfully deceased.

What have I gotten myself into?

This guy was about the size of my palm. haha WAS...

Panoramic view from the rest stop

I had permission to receive my apartment keys a day early, so we picked up my brother in Scottsdale and headed to my complex in Glendale. After a few hiccups with electric and down payment, I finally walked into my apartment for the first time. I completed the walk-through via video and started to unpack the basic necessities. I didn't take any photos because we were so busy, but I will be sure to post some as soon as I am finished establishing myself here.

After a dinner of pizza, we went to bed to await another day of unpacking and shopping.

After four days of driving, I was home...kind of.