Americas Best Value Holbrook

Notre vraie aventure commence enfin, apres s'etre tape toute cette route! Hallucinant, ces arbres petrifies, temoins du passe luxuriant d'un endroit maintenant desertique et desole.

Entree gratuite dans les Parcs Nationaux en ce jour du souvenir. Nous en profitons ...

Total miles for today is 254.

I really wanted to see the lava field in El Malpais so that is where I headed first this morning. It was worth the drive. I went to the Sandstone Bluffs overlook and it was very pretty.

I looked around the puddles to see if any critters had been around. No tracks. I guess they were all washed away by the previous ...

... We also drove straight into a storm - we could see the rain falling in the distance and when it hit us it was a great moment. We could barely see as we drove onwards but it was a great rush. The day wound down with a beautiful purple/yellow sunset as we arrived in the 'city' of Winslow at about 7 (we started driving at about 11.30...Winslow should have been about a 3.5 hour drive ha ...

... and away from the DeLuxe by 7am we took I/S 40 to the juction of 89 south to Prescott and then 89A north to Jerome by about 9am. Amazing little town, built on the side of a cliff, gold and copper in the late 1800's saw the population at 15,000, now 500. But we had a nice breakfast at the Flat Iron Cafe, and moved on down the valley to Clarkedale to meet Papa Dave n Rebel. We might have stayed the night with them ...

... changed to another grey or white landscape without the grasses and shrubs adding their particular hues it certainly was different. Before we crossed highway 40, we came across a small site dedicated to Route 66, with an old car and set in concrete the front bumper bar of a car of the era, being with the big chrome bumper of the flashy type produced in the 50/60's when the route gained the infamous status. A line of telegraph poles assisted to set the scene. We ...

... Everywhere we stopped outside the park had petrified wood all over the ground. The highlight of the day was arriving in Holbrook, AZ and getting a room at the famous Wigwam Motel. It was $50 for the night and the room was a blast. Anyone traveling Route 66 should try to spend a night in this unique motel. I have the feeling that my nephews Matt and John are going to want to travel Route 66 after they see all the pictures from places that inspired characters and places in the movie Cars.

... the one we had to pay $12 for last night). It was very, very basic. No toilets (good old porta-potti) or showers but nice clean pitches, picnic tables and rubbish bins and fantastic views across the desert of the park. And a brilliant storm off in the distance to watch as the sun went down.

Distance travelled: 140 miles

Total distance travelled: 2256 miles

Days on road: 24

States visited: 3

National Parks visited: 3

... I had this feeling that I couldn't leave this place without returning to the Rock Shop and a sample of Smithsonite. So once the trailer was ready to be hooked up to the truck I headed into town. At the Rock Shop I am greeted by Stella's 23 year old daughter. She is very beautiful. Has the face of an angel. I had briefly seen her the other day I was here as she had been doing stuff outside. I indicate that I had been in a couple days previously and ...

... the worlds biggest ********ters. The Grand Canyon is the worlds biggest canyon, and I believe them. It`s bloody massive. It really is big. I don`t think there is a word that will describe how large it is. No matter what structures man is able to build, they will never compete with the feats of mother nature. If you could only go see one natural wonder of the world, I would say, go there. It really is worth it.