On the Road Again!

We had a little lay in, ten minutes to be exact. And then packed the car but not before a walk around the motel car park to take pix of the old (and often rusted) cars that are parked outside each one. And then we were off....

Day 9 - OMG! We checked out of the apartment and set off for breakfast at Denny's and then we were off.  Of course we had a chance to have a final run on the 101 before exiting onto the 87 to Winslow via Payson. Of course we had to stop and stand on the corner.... From here we went to the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest. Amazingly we got lucky and got in free. The 27 mile loop is very interesting and scenic. The Indians that lived here used to paint on the rocks and these are preserved here in the desert. In the other half of the park are the rocks formed of trees from millions of years ago. And then to Holbrook for a night at the Wigwam Motel. The interior is a bit spartan but very comfortable.  Some of it does look straight out of the 1950's. We headed off out looking for dinner and found on the corner opposite Joe & Aggie's a small group of Hopi Indians dancing in a free show.  We took a few photos and joined the "plate competition" to win a cake but we...

The last hotel booking fell into place when my brother, Neill, booked us into the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook whilst he was staying there on his R66 trip. Coincidentally, before I emailed him, he had posted this card to us. According to Google maps, Scottsdale to Holbrook is 174 miles, but we will plan things to see en route. Such as the petrified forest and I'll be scouring the Rough Guide as well.

The problem with planning a trip some seven months before you go is that you start to build in more and more, make changes and discard some things.... My plan is to spend the second week "On the Road" with two night stops in Williams AZ for the Grand Canyon Railway and again at Lake Havasu to chill out before flying home are sealed in concrete. But that leaves a couple of other nights. Photo by Neill DeVall ( http://dmd66.blogspot.co.uk/ ) My brother recently stayed in the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook AZ and although he sait it was quite noisy due to the trains that pass in the night, I decided the experience isn't to be missed. He booked us in for the first night after we leave the timeshare in Scottsdale, so that's one overnight ticked off. We'll take earplugs! A bit of re-jigging and I have created another night to allow us to drive north of I40/R66 to the Navajo lands to Monument Valley. The loop from Holbrook via Kayenta to Flagstaff needs an overnight up there. ...