Gallup to BarstowJun 9, 2012
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| Awoke to clear skies and mid 60’s. Quick “hot breakfast” (pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage etc.) included! On the road by 7:45. Very pretty morning with the sun on the mesas that I am sure were over a 100 miles away. We didn’t stop at the Petrified Forest National Park or the meteorite site given our long drive today. As we approached Flagstaff the terrain changed to pine tree covered hills along with very gusty winds. Driving has given us time to question information that we may have once known but forgotten. The Continental Divide separates the flow of water into the Pacific or Atlantic Oceans. Construction of Route 66 began in 1926 and was the main route for many to explore the west. Was 2,400 miles long starting in northern Illinois and ending in LA.. Towns along the route prospered greatly. In 1985 it was “decommissioned” with the construction of interstates leaving many towns along the route desolate. We have learned that Pepper’s “anti anxiety” pills do not work. (I can’t imagine what we would have happened if we had tried to crate him for a plane ride home.) He is now standing all day which is fine other than when he tries to sit in the cab. Apparently other dogs like “cab riding” as Bob is receiving cyber rally emails on solutions all of which we are seriously considering before September. I even tired try motion sickness pills today. Wish we could figure out what we did right for the first 5 weeks! He is so strong that I can barely push him back. Finally, I put on his chest harness with short leash and sat in the rear captain chair with the leash leveraged around the door handle. He then started crawling all over me! We decided to push on to Barstow which meant it was a 560 mile day. The Mojave Desert provides a whole new dimension to ”desolate”. There really isn’t much scrub but just dry dirt. Barstow is suffering with blocks of shops and restaurants closed. Staying in a Best Western Plus which is nice. Hot but nice, dry breeze. The gym had a good bike so I exercised for a bit. Not much choice for dinner but decided on another steak house which is near. Went to the Idle Spurs Steak House via the long way to Old Hwy 58. Nice sunset scenery on the desert but not a direct route. The restaurant décor was early 1950’s. We sat down and they provided a bowl of raw cauliflower and peppers. When we asked for the wine menu, the waitress asked if we really wanted a bottle! Dinner came with salad and baked potato. I had baked jumbo shrimp and Bob had a 16 ounce prime rib, their specialty. Pretty funky! 2008 Clos de Bois merlot. Tomorrow we have a relatively short drive (250 miles) to Three Rivers to visit the Pinkhams. |
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