© 2025 Mike Hetu
Before moving, I compared the costs and amenities of extended stay hotels against Airbnbs. In the end, I chose Extended Stay America. On-site laundry, a full-size fridge and freezer, a stovetop, my own space and shockingly cheaper.
A vignette to make it feel like home:
And some Christmas decor:
I lucked out with my room. Top floor, end unit and this view from my window:
Prior to the four-day journey, I packed my belongings into my car and a U-Haul U-Box. U-Haul handled the pickup and move of that box from Michigan to Arizona.
After moving out of my apartment in Kentwood, I drove to my parents’ home in Livonia and stayed in the guest room for a couple days. My dad was driving to Arizona with me.
Day 1: Livonia, MI to Indianapolis, IN to St. Louis, MO. My car was stuffed and I still needed room for my dad and his luggage. I had to leave a few things behind, including my snake plant. We departed around 8:15 a.m.
Day 2: St. Louis, MO to Tulsa, OK to Oklahoma City, OK. Missouri was dreary, grey and hilly. Oklahoma had sun and cats.
Day 3: Oklahoma City, OK to Amarillo, TX to Roswell, NM. Texas was sunny, cloudless and flat. Rural New Mexico had charming towns, but Google said it well: “Not many entertainment options. Very select restaurants of average quality.”
Day 4: Roswell, NM to Las Cruces, NM to Tucson, AZ. Roswell was better than I expected. Las Cruces was nice. We arrived in Tucson around 7:00 p.m.
Beyond weather and scenery, these instances/connections/more-than-coincidences sold me on Tucson.
1. American Eat Co. played hipster music, half of which I already had on Apple Music and Spotify playlists.
2. “Chemicals” by SG Lewis, one of my favorite songs, played at Hotel McCoy’s pool.
3. I dined and drank at Locale and Wildflower. Bartenders at both restaurants were my doppelgängers.
4. Flight delays and cancellations kept me in Tucson for two extra days. The city didn't want me to leave.
5. A few days before my trip, HSN mentioned Tucson’s annual Gem, Mineral and Fossil Showcase.
6. The blue bird on the cactus pot I bought at B&B Cactus Farm matched my Grandma Rita’s blue bird ornament. I didn’t make the connection until I placed them side by side.
7. After my trip, a regular customer at D&W wore multiple retro Arizona graphic tees on multiple occasions.
8. After my trip, I discovered “Dark Side” by Wake the Wild feat. Naiim — and the album art featured saguaro cacti.
9. After my trip, I realized that the illustrations on a hand towel at my parents’ house were of prickly pear cacti. (Previously, I thought they were coral and flowers.)
I’d been wanting to move for a while. Grand Rapids bored me and I was sick of snow, ice and being cold. After Winter 2020, I vowed to be out of Michigan before the next winter. My plans were to travel to new-to-me cities in Spring and Summer 2020, pick a place to call home and relocate in Autumn 2020. In March 2020, the world shut down and my plans were thwarted.
In January 2021, a customer at D&W encouraged me to travel. Take a break, get out of Michigan, see someplace new. After that encouragement, I decided to visit my friend Devin in Yuma, Arizona in late March/early April 2021. Yuma was a strange city, but the weather was awesome. I began entertaining the idea of living in Arizona. Hetus had lived in the Phoenix area since I was a little kid. But if I moved to Arizona, I wanted someplace that I could claim as my own.
Everyone in Michigan warned me how hot Arizona got in the summer. If I was going to live there, I realized it’d be wise to experience the heat beforehand. So I returned to Devin and Yuma in late June/early July 2021, this time adding on a side trip to Tucson (my dad’s suggestion). The 113° was bearable, although I knew it’d get hotter as the summer progressed.
My 2020 plan was unfolding, just one year later.