Arizona again.








































After Mesa Verde we headed for Tucson.  We didn’t make it on the first night as we hit some tourist stops along the way.  First stop was Four Corners, I think it was $8 per person to get in.  They didn’t charge the dogs which is a good thing.  It was a cool stop to say we’ve been in 4 states at once.  It’s obviously pretty touristy with a ton of little shops, but due to the season and high winds, it wasn’t too busy.  Most people are good about waiting their turn for pictures too.  


Back in the road we headed for Page AZ.  The road is desolate and the views are ok in spots.  We passed up the “Forrest Gump” Highway in monument valley as the winds and dust were pretty heavy in spots.  We made it to Page and had lunch at the Bird House which may be the best fried chicken we’ve had.  


After lunch we stopped at Horseshoe Bend to see the iconic bend in the Colorado River near the start of the Grand Canyon.  It was $10 per car to get in and there were quite a few people there.  With all the cliff side selfies and pictures for the “gram” I’m surprised more people don’t free fall to their death at this location (1,000 feet down).  People, you can get great photos without going right to the edge and balancing for a photo op.  Anyway, the stop was beautiful and a nice little walk after lunch.  It was cloudy, windy and rained a little bit on us.  I wish it was a clear day to highlight the red rock and the water. Oh well, you can’t win ‘em all.  


The drive from Page to Flagstaff started out really pretty, then proceeded through a pretty depressed region of the state.  It turned into a sad drive with numerous dead dogs, people living in shacks and road conditions worse than the Alcan.  We made it to Flag at dark and got set up at our second Cracker Barrel overnight.  It wasn’t a great stop and breakfast was pretty meh.  


We should’ve pressed on and stayed on BLM south of town.  We woke to a thunderstorm and hail with temps in the high 30’s.  As we drove south the hail got to several inches deep on the interstate with several cars and trucks in the ditch or flipped over.  We ended up stopping multiple times and finally got back on the road after we saw a few plows heading south.  I had to physically clean the windshield twice because it the hail was so thick.  The wind and hail also damaged the cover of our electric jack.  Getting into Phoenix it was still really windy and there was a dust storm.  The dust in the air and heavy wind lasted all the way to Tucson.  It’s like driving in a fog or snowstorm, it’s just a ton of dust.  It gives the air a gritty taste and you get to rub sand out of your eyes for a day after blinking.  


We’ve had a few days to recoup in Tucson and now off to the next adventure. 

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