The Grand Canyon

We got up really early this morning so that we can beat the thunder storms to the Grand Canyon.

The Grand Canyon is so impressive - photos or words will not do it justice - you have to go see it! We wandered along the South Rim Trail, taking in the views and watching the tourists :)

We then drove along Desert View Drive and looped back onto the I40 via Flagstaff. We finished the day in a tiny place called Williams.

Mileage = 228.4 miles

Flagstaff

After a spot of blogging we were back on the road. The monotony of driving along the I40 was alleviated by a detour through the Petrified Forest National Park.

Tourism American style! You didn't have to leave your car :) It is a bizarre landscape - kinda like a Martian landscape.

We then headed for Flagstaff and another funky hotel - just in the nick of time as well! A huge thunderstorm erupted shortly after we arrived, so we holed up in the hotel bar with Fred Breedlove III (what a name!) and a colourful bunch of Americans.

Mileage = 221.6 miles

To the Sky City & beyond.......

Travelling West along the I40 was becoming a little mundane, so we decided to take in more of the sights.

First stop was Acoma Pueblo - known as the Sky City because it is perched on top of a huge lump of rock! It was a quality place, but the tour took far too long & they charged us $10 just to take photos.

Next stop on our scenic loop was the Bandera Volcano & the Ice Cave - the volcano was disappointing, but the Ice Cave was cool! (No pun intended!?!) The temperature in the cave never gets above 31 degrees F, so it was a welcome change to the blistering heat of New Mexico.

We then drove into El Malpais National Park - meaning "bad lands" in Spanish, we are in proper cowboy country now!!

Whilst in the park, we visited the El Morro National Monument. It is a huge sandstone outcrop that travellers since the 1200's have carved inscriptions into.

Further along Highway 53 was Zuni Pueblo, but by the time we got there it was closed!

So off to our hotel......

And what a hotel!! It's where all the famous people stay when they are making cowboy films. The likes of Ronald Reagan, Katherine Hepburn, Kirk Douglas & more recently Kevin Costner have all stayed there. How swanky!?

Mileage = 225.2 miles

New Mexico

After filling up on a Breakfast Burrito & doing a bit of cowboy shopping, we left Amarillo on the I40. Shortly after leaving the city we came across a bizarre sight - a Cadillac Ranch (the world's only!). Ten Cadillacs buried nose down in a field!?

After that we entered New Mexico & Mountain Time (which gained us an hour). But there's nothing here!!! The land stretches out & disappears into a haze - it does look like proper cowboy country tho :)

We drove along the I40, & where possible, we took the old Route 66 to our final destination of Albuquerque.

After settling into our motel, we walked around the Historic Old Town, had a mexican & a few beers.

Mileage = 332.5 miles