GREETING ME AS I OPENED THE DOOR...ON TUES...AT THE TRAVELODGE IN GRANTS, WAS...THE BRIGHT SUNSHINE! HMMM  AFTER A QUICK BREAKFAST, THERE...OFF I WAS TO...ARIZONA.  I LOOKED ...'A LITTLE'...BETTER, AS I HAD TAKEN OFF THE...'AQUA SWEATSUIT'...I HAD WORN...SINCE MINNESOTA (I FIGURED NO ONE KNEW WHO I WAS...SO IT DIDN'T MATTER!)  REFRESHED...CLEAN...HAPPY...FULL, READY FOR THE LAST...'LEG'...OF THIS GREAT TRIP!  YES, I KNOW IT IS MUCH...'QUICKER'...TO FLY (3 1/2 HOURS VS 3 1/2 DAYS) BUT...MANY TIMES, IT'S NICE TO JUST...'SLOW DOWN A LITTLE!'  I BEGAN TO REALIZE...WITH ALL THESE PICTURES OF THIS BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY OF OURS...THE DIVERSITY OF NOT ONLY ITS PEOPLES...BUT THE ...'UNBELIEVABLE'...VARIETY OF THE LAND!  I...'LOOKED AND OBSERVED'...MORE THAN I USUALLY DO.  SOMETIMES I WOULD READ...THROUGHOUT THE TRIP...BUT THIS TIME I TOOK MORE PICTURES (REALLY?)...AND...'MARVELED'...AT NOT ONLY THE...'VASTNESS'...OF THIS LAND...BUT THE...'ABSOLUTE BEAUTY OF...'EACH'...STATE.  WE ALL LOVE OUR STATE IN WHICH WE LIVE.  WE'RE PROUD OF MANY THINGS...WITHIN EACH STATE.  EXPECTING TO SEE...MUCH MORE SNOW, ALONG THE WAY (CERTAINLY NOT DISAPPOINTED FOR THE DRIVING WAS EXCELLENT) KNOWING THAT MANY OF THESE STATES...WOULD INDEED...HAVE SNOW, VERY SOON.  WHEN I STOP AND THINK THAT MINNESOTA HAS OVER 10,000...'NATURAL'...LAKES (NOW FROZEN OVER FOR ALL THOSE DEDICATED FISHERMEN/WOMEN...TO GET THAT FISH HOUSE ON THAT SPECIAL ...'SPOT'...ON THEIR FAVORITE LAKE...HMMMMMMM?)  LET'S JUST SAY:  'WE ARE SO LUCKY...AND FORTUNATE.'  CAROLE  E  7:15