Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 28)

This entry is part 28 of 30 in the series Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah

April 28, 2024

Coast-to-coast: San Francisco to Savannah (Part 28)

By Simon J. Lau

Since we’ve been driving west, we’ve been gaining an hour every few days. Now we’re back on Pacific Standard Time, although our bodies still think we’re on Central, if not Eastern, time. That meant Bruno woke me up at 5 a.m. expecting breakfast and a walk. I obliged, and we took it as an opportunity to wander around Holbrook. At that hour the streets were empty, and it felt like we had the whole town to ourselves.

Last night, I almost ate at a Chinese restaurant called Mandarin Beauty. The name alone made me laugh, even though the Yelp reviews weren’t great. In the end, I talked myself out of it. There was a non-zero chance I’d end up sick, and that just wasn’t a risk I was willing to take when we’re so close to home.

Today’s drive was relatively short. Since we woke up early and couldn’t check in until 3 p.m., we used the time to stop in a few towns along the way. First up was Flagstaff, a mountain town. A former coworker once told me that when he lived in Tucson, he’d sometimes escape the heat by making the four-hour drive north to Flagstaff. Having been to Tucson in the summer myself, I can confirm it’s hot. However, I don’t think I’d drive four hours just to cool off. Turning on the AC seems like the easier option.

Separately, over the last four weeks, I’ve been drinking mediocre coffee, usually from the hotel lobby in the morning or from McCafe during the day. Today, I treated myself to a cup of good coffee at a reputable cafe in Downtown Flagstaff. I couldn’t believe how much better well-made coffee tastes now. I doubt that this cafe was particularly exceptional, but rather, I suspect my taste buds have been deprived of good coffee for so long that something slightly better now tastes amazing.

Later, we stopped in Williams, known as the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon.” Jean, the boys, and I stayed here in 2022 when we visited the Grand Canyon. It’s a really cute town and one of the few Route 66 communities that still feels alive and thriving.

This is where we stayed. The building was once a commercial laundromat, later converted into a short-term rental. Our unit was a massive studio, easily the largest Airbnb we’ve ever rented.

One of the best features was the garage door. Since I had my motorcycle and collapsible carrier with me, I could roll everything inside at night and keep it secure. I liked this setup so much that I’ve already told Jean I’d love something similar in our next home. I’ve even seen comparable spaces in San Francisco. This was hands down my favorite Airbnb.

Despite a number of pit stops, we still made it to Kingman by 2 p.m. Since this was our last night on the road before the long drive home, I wanted to finish with something memorable for dinner. I found a spot called Rickety Cricket, which won me over with its happy hour menu. Though its mascot, a guy riding a Norton motorcycle, helped convince me too.

There’s a concept in psychology called the peak-end rule, which says people judge an experience mostly by its most intense moments and its ending. I don’t control when the peaks happen, but I can shape how this ends. Tonight, that meant sitting with Bruno on a big open patio, enjoying flatbread pizza and a beer. The weather was a little toasty, but in the shade it felt perfect. As a bonus, the happy hour made it even better: $4 for a 23 oz beer and $10 flatbread. What a deal!

Finally, our route from Holbrook to Kingman (237 miles or 381 km).