Road trippin' cont.

900ish miles later, we spent our first night in Gallup NM. Being the kind-hearted, thoughtful tour guide that I am, I let everyone sleep until 6:00 and after our "free" breakfast, we were headed west again. First stop, the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. Now, for those of you who think forest and envision thick stands of glorious trees with canopies so thick it is perpetually dusk on the forest floor...get a clue! This is Arizona.


   

Sample of Petrified Tree

Let me explain, the Petrified Forest National Park is in north eastern Arizona and is certainly worth the stop. Be warned, however, it is hotter than the surface of the sun in the summer. Fortunately, it's mostly a drive through park and doesn't take you too far off of your chosen route if you are headed toward Flagstaff or the Grand Canyon.

Painted Desert

I have found, through my travels, especially through the southwest, that people will speak of the desert's own special beauty. If you visit and take the time to look, you will certainly agree. The colors are magnificent and you can not imagine the variety of plants that thrive here.

Our main attraction for the day, however, is the Grand Canyon. I remember the first time I experienced the Canyon, simply put, my feeble mind could not, (and still can not) grasp is grandeur. Let me just be clear...a river did not create the Grand Canyon, it is simply an obvious work of the hand of God.

If you have ever seen the first "Vacation" movie with Chevy Chase, you'll remember the scene of them visiting the Grand Canyon. They group together, look at it from the rim for about 7 seconds and all pile back into the car...well, we stayed a little longer than that but probably not much. Partly because it's monsoon season in the desert southwest and we got caught in one, complete with hail. You know when you are getting pelted with ice crystals in the end of July in Arizona, its time to hit the road! Next stop...California.

Yes, its still day two and we are again headed west. No stopping us now, well, except for the In-and-Out double-double protein style in Kingman. Then we arrived at our stop for the night: Casa Paredes. My home-away-from-home with my "sista from another mista" and her wonderful hubby.  Its always awesome visiting them and this was no exception, especially since "Sista" introduced me to Pomegranate Vodka...try it, you'll like it!

We are in for the night...stay tuned for more adventures of our road trippin

Lois