Great Weather, Time Travel, and National Parks

What a beautiful morning today!  Cold, yes, but clear and no wind.  The sky was blue and cloudless.  A great way to start the day!  It perked us up a bit.

About 10:30 we crossed our first milestone of the day - the Continental Divide!  Forty five minutes later we crossed our other milestone when we drove into Arizona and switched to Arizona Time which instantly turned 11:15 into 10:15!  A little Time Travel???? Whatever - it was nice to gain the hour!  

Northwestern  New Mexico was beautiful this morning! The reds and greens of the "finger" mesas  were so pretty. We were at about 6,000 feet in elevation until we crossed the "Divide" when we dropped down to around 5,000 feet. We stayed at that elevation most of the day!  The landscape changed as we got closer to and then into Arizona.  The color disappeared and so did most of the vegetation.  Brown and flat with little vegetation.  The sad part of the drive was driving through so much of the Navaho and Hopi reservations and seeing all those poor little towns with derelict looking homes and businesses.  The only thing that looked prosperous were the couple of large casinos.  

About the time we were approaching the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert National Parks we were hungry according to Stomach Time. (Our stomachs didn't know what the crazy clocks said, nor did they care.  It was time to eat.)   I hadn't asked Roger to stop for the parks so I could see them - he has done so much driving -  and get my stamps for my parks "passport" book.  Being such a nice guy, he volunteered to stop if he didn't have to drive a long way out of the way.  As it turns out the park visitor center is right off I-40!  Yay!  Two more parks off the bucket list.

They had RV parking, a doggie area for Maggie, and a very nice picnic area next to the visitor's center.  I asked about using it and having Maggie with us at the tables  as most National Parks are not particularly dog friendly.  Lo and behold dogs were not only permitted in the picnic area, but they had a doggie drinking fountain!  Now, last week I was telling Roger that I was starting to crave french fries.  Next to the visitor center is a gift shop and snack bar/restaurant next door.  As I was settling in with the dog and lunch sacks he disappeared.  He surprised me and bought me an order of french fries!  They were pretty good, too! What a super guy!!  It was a very nice lunch in comparison to our regular rest stop lunches - nice ambiance and fries!  

Because the roads through the park are narrow and curvy and there's no place for the behemoth we tow to park, we opted not to drive through the park. There were a few specimens of the trees in the picnic area so we got a small sampling  of what was out there.  The visitor center had a nice display with the history of the area.  It was a nice treat, today, and I got three stamps for my book:  Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, and Historic Route 66.  

The wind came up this afternoon, but it wasn't as bad as the last few days but enough to let you know it was there.  Slight (only about 20mph) headwind, but mostly coming from the side. Then we started climbing again on our way into Flagstaff which is close to 7,000 feet.  

This KOA is more like a campground than an RV park. It's got narrow roads, small sites, and lots of trees to work around.  I've been told already we aren't ever stopping here again!   It was probably built long before large RVs.  We've got a nice site, but it wasn't easy to get to!  This KOA is probably a destination, unlike the others we've visited recently, which were stopover spots and designed for getting in and getting out easily with your RV.   There is a lot to do in this area at the base of Arizona's highest mountain.  Hiking, biking, camping, and outdoor activities. etc. (As we climbed up to Flagstaff I was reminded of the roads into Mammoth, CA)  Sedona is only 40 miles south, the Grand Canyon is about 70 miles northwest, and the Meteor Crater is 50 miles or so east of here.  The main route south (I-17) meets I-40 here and so there are a lot of people passing through.  It's cool tonight with light winds but the sound of the wind in the pines is a comforting sound - like in the Sierras.  

Tomorrow our destination is Las Vegas, NV!  Well, Nellis, AFB in North Las Vegas.  We will stay two nights as we will have just finished three full days of driving.  It's a very nice "FamCamp", as the Air Force calls their RV parks.  It is a usual stop for us on our way home and we can rest a bit for the long drive up thru Nevada.  

So, our milestones for tomorrow will include another TWOFER! Crossing the Colorado River via the new long span bridge that was constructed to eliminate the need to drive over Hoover Dam (Homeland Security has made crossing the bridge in anything but a car impossible) and entering our home state at the same time!