Amarillo for the night. Not exactly a highlight of any trip but a good chance to get off the road. For the last hour heading into Amarillo last night it was pretty icy. Not fun for Bob. Not fun for the Toaster. Both did great and we anticipated a much better start this morning.
Unfortunately, that was not to be. For the first hour or so heading out of Amarillo we were on total ice. Again, both Bob & the Toaster did great and we were soon on drier pavement with snow flying off of the Toaster in all directions!
It was a great trip and as always, so good to be home.
Thoughts on our very first ever in thirty three years road trip……….
First and foremost I am glad we can fly at will.
Second, this road trip was awesome. We saw things that we just would not have the opportunity to see had we flown.
The country, from the ground, travelling from city to city is gorgeous. Filled with wonderful people, all with stories and some who want to share them. The scenery we saw, the small towns we stopped in, the food we ate – all contributed to a very unique experience and a wonderful time.
Wonder how flights are looking to Europe…………
His perspective
In Arizona and New Mexico if it looked like snow, it was snow. In Texas if it looked like snow, it was ice. We hit, actually slid, the road after scraping the Toaster’s windows and filling him up. With as many times as we’ve seen Amarillo on the news for travel messes due to snow, I had thought they would clear the interstate and ramps. I mean, it only looked like 2-3”!
Wrong.
I-40 in Amarillo was 1 lane instead of what looked to be wide enough for 3. US287, the road we take to DFW, was 1 or 0 lanes. At one time I was down to 25, with the car sliding side to side, gripping, sliding, gripping, sliding, almost as frequently as you say the words. The roads cleared up about an hour out of Amarillo and it was smooth sailing from then on. The last of the snow flew off the Toaster (aerodynamic brick that it is) about 2 hours later.
We knew we were in Texas when we passed the “Chicken Express” semi with the word “Fish” in large letters on the back.
This is an amazing and beautiful country. It looks a lot different than from 40K feet and is well worth the view. Plains, deserts, forests, canyons, thriving towns, dying and deserted towns. And we saw just a fraction of what this country has to offer.
Some inane facts:
2530.4 miles door to door
In the last 3 days, we passed at least a couple of dozen snow plows. One was going in our direction. One.
The IPOD ended with Stairway to Heaven. A very nice finale to a great American road trip.
Thank God we got home in time for figure skating!
Gallup got several inches of snow overnight. The morning news listed school closings across the state. Result: we chickened out, canceled Santa Fe and decided to head east toward home, of course following the storm that had snowed on Flagstaff yesterday and Gallup last night.
I-40 in the Gallup area was not in nice shape. However the snow did fill in some of the potholes in the right lane, the only lane that was “passable”. Speeds fluctuated between 25 to 45 for the hundred miles or so to Continental Divide. We passed some instances of cars off the side of the road and an SUV on its top in the median (surprise). All in all though, we moved pretty good, with the road opening up to 2 lanes east of the Continental Divide. We had a mix of rain, sleet, light snow and heavy snow the rest of the day. I-40 went “south” again near Tucumcari, then opened up again, to close back down again to 1 lane west of Amarillo. I followed a tanker truck for quite a while west of Amarillo as he was making good time. Until he decided to pass traffic. The left lane had no ruts or tire marks and was solid snow. The cloud of snow he threw up when he hit the left lane brought me almost to a complete stop. Couldn’t see past the windshield.
The Toaster handled things well. It started to slide a couple of times in the slush with strong crosswinds, so I chickened out yet again and we stopped for the night in Amarillo.
Tomorrow, home
Her perspective
I was really looking forward to seeing downtown Gallup, NM before we headed to Santa Fe this morning. All of that changed when we looked outside our hotel room this morning in Gallup.....snow overnight and still snowing. A LOT!
Knowing that we can fly to Santa Fe in the future, we decided to cut our trip short and head home. Under the best weather conditions, the drive from Gallup to Keller is one long day.
We left Gallup around 9:00 a.m. – I-40 was one lane on and off all the way to Albuquerque. And the snow followed us. Once we got to Albuquerque the snow started and stopped, rain started and stopped, wind picked up, clouds looked pretty ominous.
After we got through Albuquerque the snow picked up again and followed us all the way to our last (unplanned) stop on this road trip, Amarillo, Texas.
Not sure what the weather will be in the morning but we are hoping to head home!
I think I’ve seen all the snow I want to see for this winter – I am ready for spring!
Her perspective Very early Sunday morning I thought I heard snow plows on the street outside of our hotel room. When we got up, Flagstaff had received a couple of inches of snow. A quick check on the weather heading to Gallup and we were off. Once we were on the main road, the roads were clear and we made our way toward Gallup. We drove into the Navajo Nation an area I would love to go back and explore again. With time constraints and the drive to Gallup several hours away we had to keep moving. Canyon de Chelly was our big stop. On the advice of the ranger we took the south rim drive. The trails looked like they would be a beautiful place to wander. Unfortunately it was incredibly cold and windy. There are seven different lookout points. We made it to three of them before heading on. The canyon looks like a smaller version of the Grand Canyon. Gorgeous rocks, beautiful colors with the ravens soaring above the canyon. Very beautiful! Along the way, at lookouts we met a few artists selling their wares. They were very interesting to talk to and who could resist buying a little something? We wanted to get to Hubbell Trading Post before it closed at 5:00 p.m. What we forgot is that the state of Arizona does not change time with the rest of the country but the Navajo Nation does. So, when we got to Hubbell, we thought we had 45 minutes to see it. Instead, they had closed 15 minutes previously. Oh well, can’t do everything! On to Gallup where we checked in to our hotel. Off for a quick dinner at Cracker Barrel. I’m not a huge fan of Cracker Barrel but love their gift shop and of course if you are on the road, I think you HAVE TO eat there at least once.
His perspective We woke to the sounds of snow plows. It seems in Flagstaff that people put a snow plow on the front of their pick-up and go around plowing parking lots. Although the Toaster was white with snow, there only seemed to be about 3-4” on the ground. Today was another low distance day, just as far as Gallup, although we took a lengthy northern detour to Navajo Nation. We drove through high deserts, valleys, on mesas and through forests in rain and light snow. I believe in 6 hours of driving, I passed 3 cars and was passed once. We drove north from I-40 toward a place called Second Mesa. Along the way we stopped at Homolovi Ruins State Park….which closed today due to state budget problems. We did see a few ruin remnants and a sign warning of quick sand. Off to Second Mesa, which had a Texaco sign….but alas no gas station or pumps. Next was Canyon de Chelly National Monument (pronounced De Shay). A beautiful red rock canyon, still inhabited by the Navajo. Windy, cold, with the colors of the canyon changing constantly with the clouds and sun. We did not spend enough time at Canyon de Chelly to do it justice, it is a truly beautiful place. But we wanted to go to the Hubbell Trading Post, also a National Monument and advertised as the oldest active trading post in the country. Hubbell closed at 5, so we hit the road and we got there about 4:15. This would provide plenty of time to stock up on more things to stuff into the mobile pottery barn. However, Navajo Nation follows daylight savings time, the only place in Arizona that does so. Therefore it was 5:15 when we got to Hubbell. Maybe another time. Checked into the hotel and got a bite to eat. Thank God we got back to the room in time for you guessed it……….figure skating and ice dancing! There is evidently no way to escape it.
The guys in the hotel recommended a couple of different places for breakfast. Macy’s coffee and bakery or MartAnn’s for a Mexican style breakfast. Both were in old downtown, although Flagstaff is not really that old, mid to late 1800’s methinks, and created by the Santa Fe RR.
We opted for the full breakfast at MartAnne’s. It’s as if we had been transported to the ‘30’s or the ‘60’s. Great old vinyl kitchen chairs from the ‘50’s, black and white linoleum tile floors. One cook, Ann, the owner. I am sure “Her perspective” will handle the breakfast fare.
While waiting for breakfast, I commented to Nancy that all that was needed to complete the mood was a little bit of Dylan or some CSNY. Shortly, “Knockin’ on Heaven’s Door” started playing. At the same time a pre-’67 VW drove past the window as the snow was coming down. It couldn’t have been any better!
After breakfast it was a short drive east to Walnut Canyon National Monument. We knew Walnut Canyon was there, but had no idea why. The answer, was cliff dwellings that dated back approximately 800 yrs. Some of the Hopi lived there then, making walls under the ledges to form their homes. Air for the fires entered in a small doorway and the smoke vented from a separate small hole in the wall above the door. There should be a pic on Flickr. We walked the “strenuous” trail, 185’ down and back up. We spent about 2 hours there. A beautiful place with the snow falling.
As we had time to kill and weather is supposed to be coming from the west, we continued east to Meteor Crater. The literature there said a meteor approximately 150’ across landed impacted in the desert about 50,000 years ago. The crater is approximately 4000’ across, and 600’ deep. It was cold and windy standing on the rim of the crater. The meteor itself has never been found. Just some fragments.
Next stop, Two Guns. Two Guns consists of a relatively modern deserted gas station, a wooden shack and an abandoned “Kamp” ground. And that was it for Two Guns. A modern day ghost town.
Back to Flagstaff to walk around town. We parked at the Visitor Center, which was also the old train and current Amtrak station. We didn’t take much of a walk as it started snowing pretty hard, and wet. We stopped at the other breakfast suggestion, Macy’s coffee house for a hot drink and croissant. Another great place, packed, and a throwback to an earlier time.
Flagstaff is a great town. A mountain town? A Western town? A taste of earlier eras? Small town, college town? Bend, Oregon? All of the above? It’s a great place. Come see it.
Weather permitting, tomorrow we head east. Hopefully to Navajo Country and maybe ending up in Gallup.
Her perspective –
Flagstaff….. What a cool city! A little like Austin, Texas or Sausalito, California. We have had the BEST time exploring this city. The people are awesome, the shops, restaurants, and scenery are all great. I highly recommend putting this city on your ‘to do’ list.
Our day began at MartAnne’s Café on the recommendation of a hotel employee. Great advice! A fantastic family owned hole in the wall diner on San Francisco Street. This restaurant has been in business for over forty years. The food (we had the chilaquiles with red and green chili sauce, rice, beans, hash browns, eggs, cheese, onions and maybe the kitchen sink thrown in too) was incredible. A huge portion of food that I put a good dent into before giving up on.
In need of a walk, Walnut Canyon National Monument was the perfect next stop.
After a quick stop at the visitor’s center we set off on the Island Trail. The trail takes you through cliff dwellings where the Sinagua people lived more than 700 years ago. The scenery is spectacular and even more beautiful because it was lightly snowing during our walk. The trail descends 185 vertical feet into the canyon and returns the same way. Good way to work off that big breakfast!
A quick stop in the museum and then a walk on the Rim Trail. With 2 canyon overlooks this was a much easier trail and we were back in about a half hour.
Tomorrow as we head toward Gallup via the Navajo Nation we are anticipating a long day. With that in mind, we decided to head east to get a few stops out of the way today. First up, a drive by Twin Arrows. A former trading post, the only thing left now are the two red and yellow arrows prominently sticking out of the ground. Just a quick look, didn’t even stop.
Next on the list, Meteor Crater. The crater which was formed about 50,000 years ago resulted in a formation that is about 4,000 feet wide and over 500 feet deep We took the self guided tour out to the observation area…….and yup, there it was…..a big hole. The scenery around us from the observation area was beautiful. We could see across the open spaces to the painted dessert, over to Flagstaff with very low snow clouds hanging over it.
Two Guns, a ghost town just east of Flagstaff was a quick stop. Located on private property all that remains is a shell of an old gas station and a big ‘Kamp’ sign.
Back in Flagstaff, we stopped at the historic AmTrak station. Built in 1926 by Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe the depot is now a visitor’s center. The train comes through Flagstaff twice a day. People were waiting for the next departure when we were there.
From the train station we wandered up the street to check out the shops. That’s when the snow started. It was coming down pretty hard when we decided to head back to Macy’s European Coffeehouse, Bakery and Vegetarian Restaurant for some hot coffee. This was another recommendation from my Route 66 book. A local coffeehouse filled with an eclectic crowd, it turned into a great find. Great thought provoking photography taken by the owner lined the walls. A good chocolate croissant and hot chocolate were the perfect snack for me.
The snow has let up and skies have cleared as I write this.
We are planning to head out in the morning. I cannot say enough about how much I have enjoyed Flagstaff. Awesome city!
Interesting that both his and hers perspectives contain numbers and his numbers always seem to be higher.
Her perspective Time to leave the magnificent Grand Canyon. Much cooler and cloudier today with cold wind and snow in the forecast. Probably a good time to be heading out. We made our way back to Valle, Arizona where we again contemplated for the second time (and then purchased) a gorgeous piece of pottery. It will be on display on our mantel upon our return home. The colors and design of the pottery we have seen on this trip has really spoken to us. Such beautiful designs and colors! I keep picturing a trip home from Germany years ago. My carryon bags were filled to the top. We were in bulk head in First Class. No room for carryon and sticking out of my bag (& totally embarrassing Bob) was a large pitcher that to this day resides in our living room. It is a piece I love. The Toaster is happily accommodating our purchases. And as Bob pointed out, I’m still sitting in First Class. Back to Flagstaff and to the Hilton Garden Inn for a few days. Upon check in, we were greeted by Ben at the front desk. He said, ‘You’re from Keller’. Ben, it turns out is from Denton. He was very happy to visit with people from home. He gave us some ideas for our visit to Flagstaff and told us he was on duty in the morning. We will be sure to check in with him. As there is snow predicted for tomorrow and we got here early enough, we headed out immediately for Sedona. The road to Sedona is breathtakingly beautiful. The red rocks, the snow, the pine trees, the temporary river running alongside and down from the road. The houses nestled back into the trees and the roadside shops and motels all made this a charming trip. Ben’s aunt has a shop in Sedona. We wandered around the downtown shopping area. Again, the pottery (this time in Aunt Becky’s shop) called to us and another piece ended up in the Toaster. This one will be in the kitchen, in case you’re wondering! A guitarist and a flautist were playing outside. We stopped to listen for a few minutes before deciding we needed their CD. Back in Flagstaff, my Route 66 book directed us to a ‘must stop’ diner called Miz Zip’s. Opened in 1954 this diner looks like little has changed since then. On display above us, a Bob’s Big Boy doll and a Bob’s Big Boy bobble head (who knew). The wait staff seemed to know all the people as they walked in. By the time we left, Miz Zip’s was jumping with people. Back to the hotel in time to watch the Olympics. Tomorrow we will head out to Walnut Canyon National Park…….or, build a snowman in the Hilton’s parking lot. Depends on the weather!
His perspective Another “short program” day. “Short program” being an ardent hope that the Olympics are through with figure skating. I did a triple axle, double lutz, quadruple sow cow coming out of the Grand Canyon this morning. The real short program was driving the less than 100 miles from the Grand Canyon to Flagstaff. A brief stop at a store where we had seen a piece of Navajo pottery on the way up to the Canyon. Of course, since we stopped, we bought it. The Toaster is becoming a mobile Pottery Barn this trip. We checked into our hotel early. You’re from Keller, exclaimed Ben the front desk clerk from Denton! Ben was more than helpful, mapping out suggested sights and sending us to his aunt’s gift shop in Sedona. We drove the 20 miles to Sedona, through forests and red rock canyons. A stroll through the foo foo village, until I heard a flute. For some reason I am enamored with the flute, I think it stems from Celtic music and the Irish whistle. A couple of local musicians were playing guitar and flute on the sidewalk. We now know that the Toaster CD player works. From Sedona it was off to Ms. Zips, a vintage 1954 Route 66 diner. Not that I needed it, but the burger, fries and malt were pretty tasty.
An early evening to catch up on modern necessities, i.e. updating this blog, editing pix, paying bills on line. My, how times have changed. And I’ve got 3 days of newspapers to read. Although they are USA Today, aka News McNuggets, so all 3 papers should be in the trash in 10 minutes at the outside. But times have not changed enough….Nancy has the TV on, and God help me, it’s figure skating again!!!!! We’re up to “K” on the IPOD. Time for y’all to start placing your bets as to whether we get back to “A” by the time we get home. I’ve got $20 on “no”.
This post is for Thursday's festivities.....getting caught up
His perspective
This edition may be short and sweet. We drove the south rim from end to end. A whopping 28 or so miles in a mere 7+ hours. We took the west road to its end at Hermit’s Nest and the East road to the park entrance at the Watch Tower.
28 miles in 7 hours….the Toaster may be up to 35 mpg by now.
Met some nice people along the way, including a couple of Cape Towners. That’s 3 South Africans in the western US….not bad. Even Wilson came out today to see the sights with us and posed for a couple of pictures.
As to what we saw….OOA. Out of Adjectives. Kinda like South Africa, pix are nice, but they tell just a fraction of the experience. A split second snapshot in time. They don’t tell about the sound of the wind, the ravens chasing each other and swooping over our heads. They can somewhat share the beauty of the canyon, the Colorado River and rapids from a mile above and the distant Painted Desert changing by the minute as the light changes, or a cloud floats by. But you have to experience it.
Actually, at this moment, the pix don’t tell a story at all because I haven’t uploaded any in a couple of days. I have yesterday’s edited, and will work on today’s 4gb (about 400 for the day) tonight and tomorrow.
OOA
Tomorrow, Saturday, we’re planning on heading to Flagstaff, a short drive south, for a couple of nights. Then to Navajo Nation and eventually to Santa Fe. Or, all of that may change tomorrow. We shall see.
Today’s observation….strictly a “his” observation, but maybe helpful to Brian & Jessie, Ryan, Jill & Frank……
The trip’s not a bust if the flight is full. Blasphemous!
Her perspective –
The South Rim of the Grand Canyon looks like such a little area on the map! We had a quick breakfast on Thursday morning and then took off to drive the rim. Stopping at every view point, some with short walks on trails, most with just look out points. The trip took us well over seven hours. The Canyon was ever changing as we drove along. Bright blue skies, some puffy white clouds and a little breeze accompanied us most of the day. There were big black birds (ravens?) soaring across the canyon and hikers down inside it.
The Colorado River appeared on and off, occasionally with rapids visible.
The ravens soared in pairs over the canyon, landing on bluffs or trees where we could see others already perched.
There were people at every stop – some chatted about the majesty and beauty we were all experiencing. With others we just exchanged the ‘where are you from and will you take our picture and do you want us to take yours?’
It was a ‘pleasure’ to speak with a couple from South Africa. Another couple ‘getting out of Dodge’ during the Olympics……natives of Whistler, B.C. told us how much they love visiting this country. A few people were travelling with dogs and there were several families travelling together.Plenty of room for everyone to maneuver in and out for pictures and views.
We wound our way through the south rim ending up at the Desert View Watchtower on the eastern end of the south rim. Built by architect Mary Coulter(who built the La Posada hotel in Winslow), its purpose was to encompass the widest possible view of the Grand Canyon. We walked up the winding staircase, stopping at each of the four levels until we got to the top. From the top we could see across to the Painted Dessert. Beautiful!
Based on advice from a friend, I made dinner reservations last night at the El Tovar Lodge restaurant. Great advice Cher! We had a great table by the window at the back of the room. The room was decorated in a lodge motif with Native American artwork throughout. Very nice setting. Very nice dinner.
We took laptops with us, and after our dessert of Irish coffee we settled into the lobby where wifi was available to at least check our email. Back to the room to watch the Olympics and sleep.
This update is for Wednesday’s adventures. Thursday and pix I guess will be posted sometime.
Her perspective – I could not motivate myself to write in the lobby of the La Posada last night. This is the only place a wireless network was available. A nice hot bath and the Olympics were more my priority. I have not read ‘his perspective’ from last night but I assume it has most of the adjectives I would use to describe our five or more hours in the Petrified Forest/Painted Desert. One of the most beautiful places I have ever had the good fortune to visit. What a country – so diverse…..so amazing. We have commented many times on the conversations we have had very recently with friends in Europe who have not visited America. When they think about coming here they mention they will ‘pop in’ to visit us. Of course they do not realize how large this country is….and to a certain extent neither do we. The diversity, the size, the open spaces are all amazing to me. I was excited to be able to stay at La Posada last night. It was one of my ‘finds’ in our newly acquired places to stay on Route 66 book. The hotel had interesting artwork, sculptures, furniture and a cool ‘trading post’ to visit. The Turquoise Room where we ate dinner (also recommended in another book on places to eat on Route 66) was a nice dinner. I even enjoyed myself after the hostess commented on my ‘Texas’ accent. We checked out of the La Posada at the crack of mid morning in search of at least coffee. A quick drive through Winslow did not produce coffee. A stop at the Flying J truck stop for gas & coffee (OK I think that’s what you call what I poured into the cup) was the best we could do. Back on I-40 for a few miles we saw some sign for food. The Mojo Café looked promising. A local coffee shop with good coffee and wifi. My Flying J coffee went into the trash & we sat down to enjoy our coffee & check in with real life before heading out. Back on I-40 with Flagstaff about an hour away, the Grand Canyon signs started appearing. I can’t believe how excited I was to see the Grand Canyon. The Grand Canyon would have to wait just a bit longer because in Valle, Arizona at a gas stop, we happened to look across the street. The holy grail of aviation appeared before our eyes. A Constellation – THE airplane. I mean c’mon who wouldn’t want to see it, to walk in it, to see the museum and all of the airplanes. To explore the pieces & parts behind the hangar. Talk about a find! OK, I’m kind of being sarcastic but for Bob it was great and I know how much he enjoys it. And since OK I do enjoy it a little bit…..just don’t tell him because I still can’t tell a 777 from a 727 and that’s just sad. From Valle we headed straight to the Grand Canyon. We followed a tour bus for a few miles in the park. At one point he slowed down and we realized he was probably pointing out the canyon to his passengers. It was my first glimpse – it just took my breath away. Nostalgic, because I really remember being here when I was a kid. Enormous, beautiful colors, incredibly big. For the next couple of nights we are at Thunderbird Lodge, a South Rim hotel. Our room has a view of the canyon. The temperatures are perfect – in the low 50’s. We took a walk around the area we are staying, wandered into a lodge restaurant for dinner and then back out for a walk at sunset. The shadows on the canyon were gorgeous. As the sun went down, the temperatures dropped quickly and the wind picked up. One of the nicest things about visiting this time of year is the lack of people. Don’t get me wrong, there are plenty……but the cashier at a shop told me in the summer there are three times the people. Don’t think I want to visit then. As the postcard says, ‘having a great time, wish you were here.’
His perspective The Grand Canyon is today’s goal. No planned stops other than for gas. Our 1st unplanned stop was Winslow Airport. I had wanted to stop there, if I could find it, as TWA used Winslow as a stop for their Ford Tri-Motors and DC-3s flying from New York to Los Angeles in the ‘20’s, ‘30’s and early ‘40’s. My Mom flew this route while working as a TWA Air Hostess. The original adobe terminal was still present, along with an old hangar, with a logo for TAT, Transcontinental Air Transport, on the front. Lindbergh flew the 1st TAT flight into Winslow in 1929. TAT became TWA in the early ‘30’s. I’ll have to check with Mom and see if she remembers ever flying through Winslow. Our next unplanned stop was to get some real coffee at a small place called Mojo’s in Winslow. This followed a stop for gas and Nancy got a cup of coffee at the local Flying J Truck Stop. Truck stop coffee explains the need to find Mojo’s. It was then off to Flagstaff and then Highway 180 to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. About 20 miles south of the park entrance, Highway 180 became Highway 64. At the intersection, Nancy noticed an airplane museum and asked if I wanted to go. It looked like an old quonset hut and I declined. But, when I looked left at the intersection, I noticed the distinctive triple tails of a Lockheed Constellation. There was no way I could pass up an opportunity to see a legendary and rare “Connie”. I mean this was the airplane my Dad and Mom flew across the Atlantic, she until they married, he until jets displaced the Connie. The airplane I had been weaned on as a child. This one belonged to Gen. Douglas McArthur and was named Bataan. Made in Burbank, it’s still flyable and I was able to go inside. Also present was a Western Airlines Convair 240, a Pacific Airlines Martin 404, a WW2 B-26, ME-109, an early Mig fighter, some old cars and a 1930’s vintage Eastern Airlines Stinson. All flyable, except the 1931 Packard, the 1940 Ford and the ’65 Buick Skylark. We arrived at the Thunderbird Lodge at the South Rim in mid-afternoon. All the lodges are located in Grand Canyon Village. Our room looks over the Grand Canyon. We settled in, walked the path along the rim from lodge to lodge. The views are spectacular. We had an early dinner, and did the walk again at sunset. The Canyon is incredibly beautiful with patches of snow on the higher surfaces. The pinks and shadows changing as the sun began to set. I believe this is one of the 7(?) wonders of the world (no internet, so I can’t check!). If it isn’t, it should be. Tomorrow, we’ll drive the 28(?) miles of road along the South Rim. About the same distance as we drove in the Painted Desert and that took us more than 6 hours. It’s a good thing we’re here at this time of year. Private cars are only allowed on the South Rim road till March 1. After that, it’s accessible by foot or shuttle only. Oh…..I forgot to mention…..Click! Maybe he was shamed by my earlier mileage post. Or maybe it was passing another milestone, as he turned 13K miles today. The Toaster has redeemed himself with respect to gas mileage. He turned in 27 this morning and 29 this afternoon. The better figures are after the Painted Desert stop, where we drove from vista point to vista point at no more than 35mph for 6 hours. Turning it on and off countless times. Go figure.
Entertainment updates. The IPOD was silenced yesterday, while we tuned in to AM talk radio. ‘Nuff said on that topic. And, it seems the shuffle routine on the IPOD is not a random shuffle. It’s alphabetical by song title. We spent most of today on the letter H, migrating into “I’ll” and “I’m” entitled songs.
Loading pics from the lobby is a pain in the butt....Will upload when we get to a place with connectivity.
