This 24-day trip in 2019 coincides with my first time at the Great Fair (now called the Fountain Festival of Fine Arts & Crafts) in Fountain Hills, Arizona, where I sell Remember Wrigley Field note cards and canvas prints from archival photographs circa 1900 to 1940 – plus a few of my own creations. It’s a hobby business I have had since 2013 and a source of revenue since my self extrication from (ha!) “Do no evil” Google’s Motorola Mobility and the corporate world in September 2012.
For this trip, I rented a Dodge Caravan – my first minivan! – from a small airport-only outfit called Airport Van Rental, or AVR. The rate was insane! Just $673.68 (plus a refundable deposit). This is probably why they no longer have a branch at O’Hare. In fact, they only operate in seven states.
Why a minivan? I wanted to have enough room to sleep inside should I get stuck somewhere or if I simply wanted to save some money. I wanted that option. Well, that was a fail, because I packed so much stuff to sell that there was no room at the Minivan Inn. Oh well. Here’s the route and some of what I saw. For more details, check out the individual blog posts.
THE ROUTE:
- Chicago
- Florissant, Missouri
- Hot Springs, Arkansas: Hot Springs National Park, Historic Hot Springs Baseball Trail
- Dallas
- Roswell, New Mexico: International UFO Museum and Research Center
- Show Low, Arizona: Trapped in 24 inches of snow in a 30-hour snowstorm! Stay at the Days Inn Show Low with other trapped travelers
- Fountain Hills, Arizona: Stayed at the We-Ko-Pa Resort during the festival; Visit Taliesin West; Wrigley Mansion; Arizona Biltmore and lots of Spring Training baseball (Scottsdale for Giants, Goodyear for Reds, Mesa for Cubs)
- Tempe, Arizona: Stayed at a very affordable (for high season) and well-located Red Lion Inn & Suites (since converted to Post 1429
- Marfa, Texas: Donald Judd Foundation
- Big Bend National Park, Texas: Big Bend National Park
- Dallas
- Chicago