I sat by this pond on evening hoping to see wildlife come to drink. I may have been too noisy.
I’m back in Cottonwood for a few days. I really enjoyed the two weeks I spent in Payson, but I felt it was time for a change. That’s the nice thing about living with wheels. When you want a new view or neighborhood, just pack up and find a new place to stay.
Remembering the family lost in the flash flood. Only two miles from my camp.
Payson was almost perfect in temperature. The nights were a little cool sometimes but the days were usually great motorcycle riding weather. I rode several back roads around town and near Star Valley to places I have stayed before, mostly to check on cell signal with my new carrier, and also to see how many had found my secret campsites.
I was only five miles from Walmart so it was quick for supplies, and I found a water spigot just three miles from my camp.
When Richard and Dianna took me to explore new places to camp we ruled out the spot I ended up staying because the road looked to rocky to drive my rig on. When I arrived later I decided to check the road again. I got out and walked back to a beautiful secluded site beyond the bad section of road. As I looked the road over I realized that straddling a couple ruts and dodging a couple rocks would get me back with no problems. It was easy as pie!
McDonalds waitress.
I stopped at McDonalds for lunch today on my drive to Cottonwood. They had several workers there helping people use the kiosk to order. She offered to go through it with me so I said OK. It’s a little different than I thought, because you order, then take a GPS device with a number on it, and they bring the food to your table. I don’t see how this will be more efficient because now they have to have workers bring the food to your table. It seems like all the retired people there felt the girl running the food was their waitress, and they would ask for extra supplies which they could have picked up at the condiments counter. It seemed like it took longer to get my food, too.
The trip from Payson to Camp Verde always makes me think of my hike on the AT. You start at the bottom of the Rim, drive 2000′ up to the top, then come back down the same side to the same elevation. There should be a road that goes straight across. The AT was like that in places, too, making us climb the mountain and come back down the same side. We would always exclaim, “Come On!!!”
There are a couple people here in the Cottonwood area that I know. I may look them up tomorrow.
I think they use the same people who clean the dining room to deliver food. Eventually, as folks get more comfortable with ordering from a kiosk, it will become more efficient. Panera (Paradise Bakery) has been doing it this way for about a year. I suppose someday, we will be back to the 40s style automats, where you put your money in and pull your food out from behind a little door. Then they will just need back room people.
Hope the weather is nice there in Cottonwood for you!
Right Donna. I think what will happen eventually is that you will get a buzzer to tell you when your food is ready. Then you will go up and get it at the counter. I think they are using helpers to get people comfortable with using kiosks. Then they will turn it into more self serve. The kiosks will eventually replace the people at the registers taking orders.
Thanks for the FB comment about Cottonwood. Bummer. Have you found Sedona and Camp Verde still open? I haven’t heard about those spots yet. Fingers Crossed.
Hi Barb – I tried to text you but maybe it didn’t go through. I’m going over to Cherry Creek today. John is there so I will find out what places are closed around here. We both agreed that closing Thousand Trails will make other places more crowded.
It has the advantage of clearing out the crowds that stand around the counter waiting for their order to be ready.