It’s time to get back to state capitols! After moseying around California for a while, I was ready to head east, starting with Phoenix, Arizona. The drive there was pretty unremarkable, with the rolling hills of coastal California being replaced with dry deserts and cactus (big ones!).
One benefit of heading east is cheap gas! Gas in California was reaching $5/gal, whereas the instant I got into Arizona I was able to get gas for less than $3/gal. Plus, the gas station has this wild touchscreen that was huge, and admittedly much nicer than the grimy buttons at most gas stations.
I stopped at a rest area to use the bathroom and refill my water bottles and saw this sign which really emphasized that I was in the desert!
I got to the Arizona state capitol building at around 4:30 pm, stepped out of the car, and immediately regretted it. I checked the temperature and was aghast to find it was 32 degrees outside and I was basically melting alive.
I had to make this quick, so I found someone to take my photo (which I’m not too hopeful turned out very well, he didn’t put much effort into it) and hopped back in the car. I decided to get a motel for the night and picked basically the cheapest thing I could find. I picked up some pizza and went to check in at the motel.
The motel wasn’t too bad, a little old but nothing too remarkable. That was until I was about to go to bed and found a BUG by the sink. I don’t know what kind of bug it was, but it was fast and had antennae, so I didn’t like it. I guess I should have expected that from a cheap motel, even though the woman at the desk specifically said “bug-free”. Oh well.
Before bed, I suddenly remembered I know someone who lives in Phoenix, so I got in touch with them and we planned to get breakfast in the morning.