Leaving Vegas behind

Trip Start Jul 17, 2008
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Trip End Aug 17, 2008


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Flag of United States  , New Mexico,
Wednesday, August 13, 2008

We departed Vegas at 10AM. We all feel that 2 days in Vegas gave us a great taste of what Vegas is all about.  Our drive through Nevada took us over the Hoover Dam and Lake Mead. The Hoover Dam is an amazing example of an engineering feat which has created a beautiful eco system and recreation area.  After a security check, we crossed the dam and stopped for some breathtaking views and took some photos.  The Hoover Dam and Lake Mead weren't even on our list of must-sees but we're sure glad our routing took us through this area.  After crossing the dam we were in Arizona.  The Nevada/Arizona border area is a mountainous desert mix with an earth-like tone.  Before we got to Flagstaff the area became lush and green-and we actually drove through rain. This was the first rain we have experienced since traveling through Michigan close to a month ago.  We would have loved to include the Grand Canyon in this trip but it would have been another 100 miles to the canyon and therefore another full day Driving through Arizona
Driving through Arizona
 . We did pass the turnoff for the highway that leads to the canyon. The roads in Arizona were the best we've traveled on and the rest stops were the cleanest and most modern, even air conditioned.    We crossed into New Mexico around 5PM. The time zone changed so we lost an hour. We drove for approximately 70 miles with little or no population until we hit Albuquerque.  The terrain in New Mexico is also very mountainous and very lush.
We drove through Albuquerque at night but were amazed by the size of the city.  The city is located in a valley so it was especially neat to come over a mountain bluff and immediately had a view of the entire city.  We drove for 10 hours today and with the time change we are looking forward to a good nights sleep. We are staying in Moriarty which is a suburb of Albuquerque.
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