Spent the day laying low and recharging after a late night at the pub, but we did get out to the pier for the final endpoint shot and then out for a fantastic Italian meal in Santa Monica with friends – long-time and new. A great close to a great trip out.
Tomorrow we start back to Atlanta – more miles per day planned and straight interstate driving.
Our last day on the road – started chilly, ended in some rain (“sunny California” say what?) but we have made it! Total of 2324 miles and we will now enjoy Memorial Day on the California coast before heading back to Atlanta on Tuesday.
Today we crossed the last stretch of California from Barstow through Victorville, San Bernardino, LaVerne, Pasadena, Hollywood, and Beverly Hills to Santa Monica. Got in a little late and in the rain so we will hit the pier for the official endpoint pic tomorrow. Tonight we went immediately for a margarita, some chile rellenos and then a few pints of Guinness to celebrate completing the journey.
Shorter mileage plan for today, so a little bit later start. Excellent breakfast at a fun 50s/Route 66 diner (admittedly, not hard to find in this trip – but these guys nailed it). Several stretches of pure highway driving today, as we crossed Arizona and California desert either on a very well maintained 66, or sections of I-40 that now cover it. The day took us from Kingman AZ to Oatman and Topock, then into California through Needles, Goffs, Fenner, Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Daggett and Barstow.
The highlight of the day though was definitely Oatman, and the Oatman Highway (not in that order of encounter)…the road from Kingman to Golden Shores AZ (yes, it is on the shore of open water!) winds through the Sitgreaves Pass – and by winds I mean winds…~14 miles up then down, dozens of switchbacks, 15-20mph max on most of it and no guardrails. Kristen likened it to nail biting sheep tracks we’ve driven in Wales and Ireland…nerve wracking to be sure, but the Shelby handled well and my nerves got a needed break when we arrived in to Oatman AZ. Completely a tourist-driven town – one street lined with shops full of leather goods, t-shirts, Route 66 trinkets, and littered with donkey dung. Yep – about a dozen wild donkeys roam the town looking for handouts and finding plenty. We were also there long enough for two street gunfights (staged of course).
The rest of the day was those wide open vistas after crossing the Colorado River into California – fast driving through vast desert – a good piece of it The Mohave National Preserve – into Barstow.
Pics below – as with prior days – camera can’t do much justice to the sheer magnitude of the horizon- but below you may spot: more hotel/gas station signs, a hot mama in a hot car, amazing desert scenery, ridiculous curves, a lot of ass(es), outrageous pricing, and another movie location. Pics of Barstow tomorrow, before we head out to the beach!
Another amazing day exploring our great country! Woke to 29F weather in Gallup but steadily got improved temps as we trekked across Arizona, gaining another time zone hour on the way. As usual the day continued lots of blacktop, many motel signs and other Americana, but also included a fantastic detour through a national park and an unexpected meeting with long-time friends far from home.
Today we traveled from Gallup NM into Arizona, and through: Lupton, Sanders, Holbrook, Winslow, Winona, Flagstaff, Williams, Seligman, Peach Springs, Hackberry and Kingman.
Two major highlights today – first, the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park (between Sanders and Holbrook). We spent about two hours driving and walking around this amazing park, marveling at the colors and the nearly unimaginable age of the petrified forest (are they trees? Are they rocks? They’re both!). Pictures can’t really do justice to the desert vistas, but the fossilized trees are incredible. Too many pics for the blog – check out the dedicated page above.
Second – an unexpected reunion with friends Steve & Deeana Lewis – who lived less that ten miles from us for years but we rarely saw until we are 2000 miles from home. They are in their own road trip odyssey and we just happened to cross paths in Arizona today.
Enjoy the pics…look for a semi-familiar slogan, one of the oddest motels you’ll find, beautiful desert nature among the dust, dinosaurs, ‘just a little bunny’, the unexpected meeting, and another brewery….
Another dry day driving – but temperatures definitely shifting to the cooler as we go up in elevation. Snow in Flagstaff AZ yesterday – we go through there tomorrow, hopefully it will have warmed some…
Today’s drive cut across New Mexico, starting and ending with fantastic southwestern fare – green chile sauce for me, red for K, on eggs and then enchiladas. In between we saw more neon and motels (again, not all live), some expansive vistas, trains, some history, a Madonna (NTM), downtown areas worth visiting again, a well-known river, the continental divide, and hit another microbrewery. We end the day in the Rosalind Russell room at the famous El Rancho hotel, temporary home for many stars during the 40s and 50s when filming in the area.
New Mexico towns/cities today: Tucumcari, Montoya, Cuervo, Santa Rosa, San Jose, Pecos, Santa Fe, Abuquerque, Los Lunas, Correo, Laguna, Budville, McCarty’s, Grants, Prewitt, Thoreau, Gallup.
