With Holbrook, Arizona in our rear view mirror, we again set out west toward Flagstaff. Interstate 40, a wonderful interstate highway heads mostly in a straight line. It wasn't long on the highway when we began to see a huge mountain directly ahead of us. At first it was very small on the horizon and as we headed west it gradually got bigger and bigger. Humphrey's Peak, Arizona's highest point, is snow capped and rises a little over 6,000 feet above the surrounding landscape or 12, 635 feet above sea level. 
 At Flagstaff, we headed south on Interstate 17 . We knew we were at about 7,000 feet and looked forward to getting to a lower elevation and warmer temperatures. The wind and cold had taken its toll on us and we were ready to again be comfortable.
 As we crossed the 3,000 foot elevation line we saw our first Sonoran Cactus. At first they were sparse then gradually increased to where they were everywhere.
 On the way south we stopped briefly at Lake Pleasant for a look around, then headed into Phoenix. Surprise, Arizona is in the northwest corner of the huge Phoenix area and we accepted an invitation to spend the night with a Muscatine High School friend from 47+ years ago - Cheryl Gilmore Kobel and her husband Mike. Bertha (our GPS...remember?) skillfully guided us closely to the Kobel's. Cheryl had sent a couple of texts giving directions, lunch was ready, but evidently we were out of cell phone range and didn't get them until we had arrived. After hugs and handshakes we settled in during the hot Phoenix sun, warmed up, showered, had a couple of glasses of wine and a wonderful lunch. We sat out on their porch in the shade and talked for hours. Chi-Chi although did not take to Cheryl and Mike's dog -Pitty and keeps her distance always wanting attention, but wary of everything else.
 Cheryl and Mike have a beautiful home, are so gracious and downright wonderful hosts  
 Dolly found a large bead shop in Tempe that is on the agenda for today. The shop is in Tempe, about an hour from Surprise and the Kobel's hacienda.
 Sorry about the lack of photos in today's blog, we were either in a hurry to get here or had settled in and got carried away with chatting about our lives, kids, trips etc.