May 9, 2013 - Painted Desert & Petrified Forest NP, AZ

Today we made a VERY long drive from Page to Holbrook, AZ. We try to stay at campgrounds that have good reviews, and with our travel itinerary it just-so-happened that we were going to have a long travel day with above-average mileage. BUT, in Page we discovered that due to a rockslide on US RT 89, we were going to have to take a detour that would add 50 miles and 90 minutes to our trip. We planned a 3.5hr, 216 mile trip, but ended up with a 5hr, 265 mile trip. But it was scenic and we made some extra stops. We had to go through the Hopi...

Apr 8, 2013 - Day 4 Tucumcari, New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona

Tucumcari, New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona 420 Miles - Total Miles 1,160 It was a long ride between towns today with views of mainly rock and scrub trees. The towns were quite interesting but most were over 50 miles apart. We had a great lunch at the "Route 66 Diner" in Albequerque New Mexico and our bill was even paid by a couple who we had asked to take our picture. In Cubera we drove around town several times trying to find the apartment where Ernest Hemingway had stayed while writing some of the "Old Man and the Sea". We use "town"...

Oct 27, 2012 - Holbrook, Arizona

We stopped at the KOA in Holbrook, Arizona for the night. We stopped here as well on our way home from Georgia this May. I think we even got the same spot we had then. This is a nice park with cable and wifi. They have a "All You Can Eat" pancake breakfast for $1.99 so we will take advantage of this while we are here. The weather has started to improve. Today we had temps in the mid 60s and tomorrow will be better. Love the Southwest...... Tomorrow we head to Williams, Arizona where we will spend three nights at the Grand Canyon Railway RV...

Oct 13, 2012 - Painted Desert and Petrified Forest

I left the balloon fiesta after 12 days and headed to the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert near Holbrook AZ. It was only about 240 miles but seemed like a thousand. This was one of the windiest days I have driven in. There were actually tumbling tumble weeds all over the highway. Driving the RV in wind is quite exciting… you never know where it is going next. At one point I was driving though heavy swirling rain/wimpy hale (slush) and could hear what sounded like a train coming. Boy was I glad when it turned out to be a real train...

Oct 13, 2012 - Stone Wood

We drove through the National park today which included the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. People told me that the gift shop was the most interesting part but I really enjoyed everything. It's a 28 mile loop through the park. The landscape from the highway all looks the same. Desert , scrub brush, with mesas in the distance but when you drive across the land and approach a mesas it 's a picture of color, and textures and depths that make you want to fill up your camera card. The petrified Forrest was a sample of what happened 2...

Oct 12, 2012 - Wind,dust,hail & rainbows

This morning while we waited for the pump truck, I talked to the couple across the way from us. They had 7 boys ages 8 to 10, all from the foster care program. The first thing they did was apologise if the boys had been to loud.my response was the sound of happy children is never too loud. They had pogo sticks and were very good on them. I asked if they were staying for the second weekend of balloon festival and she said everything we can see and do from the campground. Each couple was given 10 tickets to enter the balloon park at $8 a...

Oct 8, 2012 - "Standin’ on the corner…"

We got a much earlier start on the road this morning, but only drove about 80 miles again. We headed out to Meteor Crater this morning to see the “first proven, best preserved meteor impact site on earth”. The crater was formed about 50,000 years ago when a meteorite traveling 26,000 mph struck the ground creating an explosion equivalent to a 20 megaton atomic bomb. The result was a crater measuring over 4,000 ft in diameter and over 700 ft. deep. Debris from the strike rained down over an area of several miles from ground zero. The crater...

Oct 3, 2012 - Into the rising sun

Today was moving day, travelling east to Holbrook for an overnight stay. Sadly, when we turned onto I-40 it was the last time we'll drive any direction but east until we get home. It is hard to believe we've been on the road nearly two months already but the end is in sight. I try to put up the blinders to that reality. Just outside Flagstaff we ran into a really big smoker of a forest fire. One of those electronic info boards along the highway said it was a controlled burn but not from the looks of it to me. We drove through the smoke for...

Oct 1, 2012 - Painted Desert & Navajo Nation

We made it a short driving day on Sunday to have time to revisit the Painted Desert. We took our time and really enjoyed our day. Weather was perfect in the 80’s and a nice breeze. Today we explored the Navajo Reservation. We started at Window Rock, the Capital of the Navajo Nation. To get there we drove about 50 miles north of I40. Much of the drive was through open range where you had to watch out for range cattle, sheep and horses. The cattle seemed to stay out of town, but the horses wandering around town (and on the highways) was a...

Oct 1, 2012 - Day 94

Today we drove into downtown Holbrook so Marge could stop at a Wells Fargo Bank. We then drove down Highway 180 to the Petrified Forest National Park, about 20 miles southeast of Holbrook. Both in town and along route 180 we encounted statues of dinosaurs, but we are not sure why, unless it represents the era that the petrified logs were living trees. There were 2 gift shops prior to the park entrance that had petrified wood and geodes for sale as well as other souvenier items. Their petrified products are stated to come from private...

Sep 30, 2012 - Day 93

Today was another housekeeping day. I politely asked and received permission to wash the coach. The first time since our first visit to TOK. Didn't do a great job, but at least got a lot of the upper layers of dirt off. Probably won't get a chance to wash it again until we get home. Weather has been great.

Sep 29, 2012 - Day 92

We left Needles and California this morning to continue our easterly trek, this time to stop in Holbrook, AZ for a couple of days. We passed near Lake Havasu City and through Kingman, Flagstaff and Winslow on our trip. I could not believe the number of semi's on the road today, especially going our way. Actually, I didn't take notice of the westerly traffic, so I can't really comment on it. There were also multiple trains, most loaded with containers, going in both directions. We'll be spending the next couple of nights at the...