it's Saturday..... I know that seems odd to say out loud but I haven't been tracking days of the week. Signs of a bloody fantastic vacation !!!!
So...... last night we ordered in and had pasta, salad and fried ravioli. We rested up by watching " Walk the Line" with Joaquin doing a fine job representing Johnny Cash all whilst our media was downloading and we chatted about our plans for the weekend!
As we left Super 8 Motel in Gallup, NM this morning there was a chill in the air. A 48 degrees start, so an extra layer was required as well as the heated grips set to HIGH. An hour on the road and we pulled in at a diner called Chambers, Arizona for some breakfast and lots of coffee. We also had a timezone change so we are now in PST time. Pacific Standard time
I had a moment..... you know when you lose something just for that 5 seconds and panic comes all over you. Well I had misplaced my wallet during breakfast. Of course come the time to go to the cashier and pay the 5 seconds of panic started...... my green card, my NY State license is all in my wallet..... oh shit what have I done with it........ after about 5 minutes of both Kris and I looking through our stuff and me retracing steps my wallet was found in my rabbit pouch - the gigantic pocket on the back of the jacket - how on earth ......... well you never know, do you !
Then with the bikes fully loaded and our energy levels high we hit the road heading towards the Petrified Forest National Park. The Petrified Forest National Park is a US national park in Navajo and Apache counties in north eastern Arizona. Named for its large deposits of petrified wood and covering about 230 square miles with semi desert shrub as well as eroded and colorful rock.
We entered from the US Historic Route 66 and rode through the national park (approximately 28 miles) stopping for photo and video opportunities (a selection of the photos are included in this blog). At the entrance to the park is a visitor centre and a 20mins movie which is free to visitors.
Due to the elevation it was now getting colder with each hour that passed.
From the Petrified Forest we then drove west through towns of Sun Valley, Holbrook and in to Winslow, Arizona. We had to make a stop here and have the photo opportunity of " Standing on the corner " Winslow, Arizona.....
It was funny and made me chuckle that a memorabilia shop opposite the corner plays " Take it Easy " by the Eagles non stop ! that would drive me round the twist !
This particular spot was popular with motorcyclists with each of the cross sections of the road leading to the corner populated with bikes. A huge tourist attraction.
With the photo opportunity done and the tune in our heads we headed out and onto Winona and then Flagstaff before reaching our destination for the next two nights of Williams, Grand Canyon, Arizona. Imagine this - riding the interstate, either side of you is desert and up ahead snow topped mountains of the San Francisco peaks,
Truly a magical day - the scenery has been breathtaking, the satNav has only had a couple of " hissing fits" and the company and the ride has been top notch. Tonight we have a dinner date with Rod at the Steakhouse across the street ........ a notable place for those staying in Williams, AZ.
Until tomorrow where we are not riding but being proper tourists for the day.
For those that have seen the trailer - thank you very much for the feedback.
The intention is to do a full movie of the trip using all the video footage taken daily later as I do need to edit a lot of the footage.
Total mileage = 261
Total Trip Mileage = 2748
FJ ODO = 5971