October 21 - 22, 2013 Just Couldn’t Sit Still

Monday, October 21, 2013

Since our bodies are still in the eastern time zone, we were up early, enjoyed our morning coffee and away we went  - I did laundry while Andy did some things around the motorhome.  And since we both didn’t feel like playing tourist, we decided to head west tomorrow.

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

We left this morning just as the sun rose and continued our journeys west.

Look at those red plateaus in the distance:

Love those rock striations:

We passed this horse and originally thought it was a statue (it was not):

Up and over the Continental Divide:

And into another valley:

We have been on this route many times and the scenery continues to amaze me.

Most of this route was the old Route 66 and there are so many buildings and business that are now shut down since the interstate went thru.  So sad.

I can just imagine the stories this building could tell:

WOW!

Another cool car:

For us coming from Pennsylvania, it is amazing to see so many older cars.  Even those sitting in the junk yards have no rust. 

We are now seeing more and more dry washes and buttes:

Some catchy attractions left over from the Route 66 Heyday.  Check out the Teepees:

And other statues on the rocks:

Cute!

We stopped for lunch at a rest area on the Arizona Border:

High Desert:

And SPARKLING (not just clean) Restrooms with the dinosaur to keep you company - LOL:

This is south of the Painted Desert:

More deserted buildings:

And the road goes on forever  - we are at 6000’ elevation here:

We saw a few of these along the way:

Do you remember what they were?  Last April I posted pictures and asked for help on their identity.  Here is that blog: http://thehitzels.blogspot.com/2013/04/april-8-9-2013-windy-stormy-and-back.html

One of my blog readers - DNPC - was able to tell me what they were.  From that blog:

“Well, here is what they are - “The white cone-shaped things you see are a "VORTAC" (Variable Omni-Range, Tactical Air Navigation) sites. They provide bearing/distance information for aircraft and form airway intersections or fixes. (I'm a retired air traffic controller).” How cool is that . Thanks so much DNPC. “

Love how these rocks just appear on the landscape:

Coming into the mountains and National Forests near Flagstaff:

Check out these warning signs - three different animals?  I am thinking one is elk, one is deer, and not quite sure of the other (or maybe just a variation of the elk or deer):

We stopped in Williams, Arizona at the Canyon Railway RV Park - a Passport America Park.  Once we set up we took a nice walk to the downtown area.  Williams is one of the last towns on the original Route 66 that was bypassed by the interstate.  It has kept it’s charm although a little touristy.

We stopped for supper at the Pine Country Restaurant.  We were here in October 2010 with our friends Bill and Shelly.  The food is still good and the pies are huge and look scrumptious.  (No, we refrained - )

We went through another time zone today so by 7 PM, we were done for the day.  This should our last time zone change for a while.  A funny story with those changes:  I normally feed the kitties around 5 PM.  Well they still think we are in eastern time so at 2 PM they are sitting at their bowls, meowing away..  It is going to be an interesting couple of days until they have adjusted.  Don’t know if it will be harder on me or them - LOL!

Tomorrow we continue to head west so stay tuned and enjoy today.

Stats for today:

Miles Traveled: 348 Miles

Routes Traveled:

New Mexico: I-40 Frontage Road; I-40

Arizona: I-40; Grand Canyon Blvd; Franklin Avenue; North 7th Street

October 20, 2013 Travel to Albuquerque, New Mexico

This morning we were up early and on the road before the sun rose:

And the moon set:

West Texas:

Love this photo:

We are coming out of the flatlands to the rolling hills:

Into New Mexico:

The mountain at Tucumcari - a landmark:

And on to US-40.. New Mexico decorates their bridges - Really cool:

Lots of Roadside signs - check out the word “Dead” then look at the doll’s face - Scary:

A good portion of this part of US-40 was originally Route 66.  Many of the businesses still use the roadside signs:

This is the Flying J Ranch:

There were so many trucks traveling with us - take a look:

The topography has changed - we are now above 6000’ here:

More signs for Clines Corner:

And here it is - LOL:

We are heading into the mountains:

Getting closer to Albuquerque:

We went thru another time zone change - oh my!

We ended our travels today at Enchanted Trails RV Park - west of Albuquerque, New Mexico.  It is a Passport America park and we get a discount for two days.

The last time we stayed here was after the Balloon Fiesta in 2011 - can you believe they still had us on file - .

After we set up, I headed to Wal-Mart and Andy watched football.  After traveling almost 1000 miles in three days, we are going to sit here for a few days.  The weather is beautiful so it is a great place to just hang out. 

Enjoy today.

Miles Traveled: 280 Miles

Routes Traveled:

Texas: Jefferson Street; US-54

New Mexico: US-54; US-40; I-40 Frontage Road