It's Good To Be Back Home Again!

This last day of our grand tour started in Northwestern Pennsylvania and ended in Mt Holly, NJ, for a "welcome home dinner" (not technically our home, but close enough). Cheryl drove the middle third of our trip, the pretty part, the north to south part as we followed first the Juniata River, then the Susquehanna from State College to Harrisburg. As usual on this journey, there were lots and lots of construction sites along the way.

The end of our day, however, was the most memorable moment. As we pulled up to the home of our son & daughter-in-law, our smiling granddaughter, Amalia, waved a checkered flag from the front porch. We had arrived! Our 29 days of living out of a suitcase had come to an end.

Now that we're back, we took the time to do a little math. Here's a way to understand how vast our country actually is.....what it means to drive through all that nothing. The area of Texas is 268,820 square miles, equivalent to more than 172 million acres. As of July, 2011 the entire population of the USA was 311,591,917. So....every single man, woman and child living in the US could move to their own half acre of Texas, and Texas would have room left over! The rest of the country would be empty!

Our trip is now a compilation of memories. One thing about driving a Corvette: no room for souvenirs. The experiences and several hundred photos are all there is. We have had such an awesome trip and met so many interesting people along the way. Both our Corvette and/or the NJ license plates were the start of conversations all over the country as people were amazed that we had driven that far in that small car. 

It was truly a once in a lifetime experience!

We're Getting Closer

Wednesday we left Indiana and headed back into familiar territory. We've never actually been to this particular part of northwestern PA, but Pennsylvania, where our day ended, is technically "home turf", since we both grew up in Bucks County, PA. 

Our first two hours of driving were off the interstate. We were surprised to see Amish and Mennonites in Indiana, since we've known these people generically as "Pennsylvania Dutch". Our first hint was a sign for a Mennonite school. When did you last see wash hanging on the line? Apparently Wednesday is wash day in Indiana, since we saw laundry hanging in back yards all along US Rt. 20 as we headed east. One childhood memory we shared was the unforgettable smell of sheets dried outdoors.

In the space of about 45 minutes we passed three burned out - to the ground! - homes. Ironically, a sign stated that the same section of highway 20 had been "adopted" by the local firefighters. Maybe if they spent less time picking up litter....

We decided to skip Cleveland and the "Rock and Roll Hall of Fame" (too much to see for a quick stop; maybe another road trip?) and Enrico Biscotti in Pittsburgh (a favorite from prior visits; the best biscotti ever!). On our second pass we photographed the "Welcome to Pennsylvania" sign on Rt 80 (camera trouble) and prepared for landing in Slippery Rock, PA. We ended our day with dinner at the kitschy North Country Brewery.

We drove 375.7 miles today and saw 4 Corvettes.

Hey....Look What We Found

Tuesday and we're on our way to an overnight stop in Indiana....but first we decide to take a trip to Chicago for a late lunch. Chicago had been on our original itinerary but when we added a day to go to Jackson Hole the hotel in Chicago wasn't able to accommodate us a day later.
 

On our way we realized that we could pick up a small piece of Route 66 from Joliet to Chicago so...."let's do it". There really wasn't much left of the old road but we did find a few places still cashing in on the Route 66 nostalgia.
 

We had never seen Lake Michigan before and were amazed at the size. It seemed a little strange to us to see people in bathing suits sitting on the "beach" in the shadow of all the skyscrapers. Navy Pier was very cool.....the kind of place you could go to with friends for a nice dinner or just stop and get drinks and people watch. There were several different types of boat cruises available but we opted for lunch at Margaritaville (we didn't even know it was there until we got there) and then a ride on the giant ferris wheel. It was a little disappointing in that it only takes you around once. But the view was amazing. We met a guy wearing a Phillies hat who was surprised that we didn't know that the Phillies were in Chicago. He was there to see the game. The traffic getting out of Chicago was typical of most large cities. After a few frustrating moments we were on our way and said "goodbye" to another city.


We crossed the Mississippi River today and re-entered the eastern time zone. We drove 370.6 miles today and saw 0 Corvettes.

Boy It Sure Is Flat Out Here

Monday our day began and ended by waterfalls. We started our day in Sioux Falls, IA, by driving to the Falls Park and viewing the beautiful Big Sioux River Falls.

 

Next we took off for Iowa. The drive was so different from what we've experienced on most of our trip. Lots and lots of rolling hills in the beginning of the day followed by nothing but flat fields of what we suspect is corn later in the day. We could see forever and yet see nothing at all. Judging by all of the contrails we really are in the "fly over states".

Lunch was at the Midwest Deli and Grill in Holstein, IA. We went to Holstein because of a sign advertising "pirates". It turns out the pirates were the local high school mascot and are no more due to a recent merger with another area school. The "philly cheesesteak was really good....would have been great if they had Philadelphia style rolls. A hamburger bun just doesn't make it.

Dinner was (belated Mother's Day dinner) at the Iowa River Power Company. We had a fantastic dinner by the Iowa River. The view was spectacular. Too bad this place isn't closer to home. The owner noticed our car and talked to us for quite awhile about his 3 Corvettes. A '69, '70, & '72. We encouraged him to join in the next Caravan to Bowling Green, 2014. Maybe we'll meet up with him again.

We drove 396.9 miles today and saw 3 Corvettes.

Happy Mothers' Day

Sunday  (Mothers' Day) started with calls from our boys. Living "on the road" really impacts how you celebrate holidays. Instead of enjoying the traditional Mothers' Day brunch, we took off after a hearty breakfast of coffee and granola bars. Today we'd share a nice light lunch and a special dinner. 

Our first destination was the "Badlands" of South Dakota. 244,000 acres of severely eroded volcanic clay that separate the high plains from the low. Imagine several hundred square miles of drippy sand castles. This area is a "grand canyon" of clay, about 500,000 years old. Like the Painted Desert, the Badlands change every time it rains. They lose about an inch of material a year. In another half million years, about when the Crazy Horse Monument is finished, they'll be gone. The Visitor's Center offered lunch: Mothers' Day special buffet featuring Prime Rib. No thanks.

The rest of South Dakota is pretty flat. We had noticed that Wyoming was greener than Utah. The Sage Brush slowly replaced by patches of grass. In SD the grass seems to take over. I'm reminded of how Eskimos have different names for different kinds of snow. When all you see is miles of nothing, you begin to notice different kinds of nothing. South Dakota  is a lot of nothing.

We purposely skipped Wall Drug. 100 miles of hype is more than we can bear. We did stop for a late lunch to find that we had crossed into the Central Time Zone - lost an hour and were just in time for an early dinner. The Mothers' Day Special was Prime Rib. No thanks.

Just like in Kentucky, three weeks ago, it was hard to find anything open on a Sunday night. By the time we got to Sioux Falls, our choices were burgers or pizza. We could walk to the pizza place and they served adult beverages. Luckily for Cheryl, Mothers' Day will happen again next year.

Today we saw 1 mid-year Corvette and drove 438.7 miles

A Landmark Day

Before getting into Saturday's travels, I'd like to thank our federal government and the state of Wyoming for building such beautiful highways for our singular use. Driving from Casper first to Devil's Tower, then Mt. Rushmore we could not believe the amount of time we spent without another living soul in sight. We definitely saw more cows than cars, and assuming there were people in the cars, more deer and antelope (they appeared to be eating, the playing must come later) than people.

Looking for the first glimpse of Devil's Tower was a lot like trying to be first to see the ferris wheel on the road to Great Adventure. Cheryl saw it first from 17 miles away. The monolith rises 1,300 feet above the Belle Fourche River. You've all seen this phenomenon as a major player in "Close Encounters of the Third Kind". Seeing it live is like the difference between listening to "Margaritaville" on the stereo and singing along with Jimmy Buffett at a concert. I'm running out of adjectives to describe the incredible natural wonders we've seen on this trip.

The one special difference about Mt. Rushmore is that humans made it. That alone adds to the wonder. As beautiful and awe inspiring as it is, it was not as big (yeah, it's huge, but you see it from far away) as I had expected. It is however just as incredible a landmark to see "live". Rushmore is gorgeous at night. The nightly lighting ceremony (lasers and music) starts tomorrow. We're a day early again.

 

The sculpture of Crazy Horse will be WAY bigger than Rushmore, but has a long way to go. Maybe a spot our great-grandkids won't want to miss. This is not a criticism, but they could have told us the statue was barely taking shape before hyping us into going to see it.

During our drive we detoured into the Black Hills (singing Rocky Raccoo-oon) to see the Wild West town of Deadwood, SD and the actual spot where Wild Bill Hickock was murdered. We passed the historic Salt Creek Oil Fields (in WY) and even noticed a section of Hwy 14 that had been "adopted" by Leather & Lace Adult Gifts. I wanted to turn back to document this last spot with a photo, but Cheryl vetoed. Not all landmarks are as exciting as the others.

We saw 4 Corvettes today including one late 50's model that was out enjoying a ride on a beautiful day in Wyoming and we drove 390.5 miles.

Two, Two, Two Trips In One....

Friday's trip was almost like two trips. We started by going back to Grand Teton Park to re-create Ansel Adams' iconic Snake River photo in the morning light. That way the sun would shine on the mountains, not from behind them. The Tetons were even more spectacular in the morning sun.

From the park we headed east through the mountains high enough to drive through snow. The road was dry, but the plowed piles still lined the road. The temperature dropped to 34 degrees. Twenty minutes later, we watched people walk around in short sleeves as our car's outside thermometer read 52 degrees. The road was wide as it rose and dipped trough the mountains. We followed Lava Creek then Wind River down the eastern side of the range. The landcape turned gradually drier with fewer tall pines and more smaller bushes.

We stopped for lunch at the Cowboy Cafe in Dubois (dew-boys) WY. Their specialty - Buffalo burgers! Dubois' population  is 971 according to the signs, with a busy three block downtown and a good sized "suburban" commercial zone that included two lumber yards. Obviously, Dubois depends on the surrounding ranches and resorts for a living.

Just east of town is several miles of "badlands" that rival the Painted Desert. From there the drying of the landscape increased. Soon we were in the second half of our trip. We drove arrow straight through at least 150 miles of high desert to Casper, WY. Cheryl was driving when we encountered our first curve in the road and I was jealous!

Since we were on a state road and not the interstate, we drove through several small towns including one with the published population of 10 (ten!). The one redeeming point of interest was "Devil's Half Acre". Actually 300+ acres of grotesquely eroded rock that looked so other worldly that it was used to film the sci-fi movie "Starship Troopers". It is said that Indians used the canyon as a trap for Buffalo, driving herds over the edge and collecting the carcasses at the bottom.

We arrived in Casper mid afternoon with plenty of time for laundry, (perhaps the last loads we'll need to do on the road) a work out and would have gone for a swim if the pool had not been closed for repairs. Dinner was at the "World Famous Wonder Bar", where at least until the mid 1940's you could ride your horse right up to the bar. Everybody seemed to be having a good time, some things are the same all over the USA. My guess, judging from their fluorescent sun burns, is that the "cowboys" spend their day wrangling TPS Reports, not heifers. 

We were heartily welcomed at the Casper Elks' Lodge. These guys were really having fun! And truly amazed to hear our tale of the road. "What brings you to Casper?" was followed by "You DROVE here?!" It was BOGO night at the bar. Josh bought us a round, when I ordered another, it was free. I had never tried Pendleton's Whiskey, so a "taste" was free, so was Cheryl's "Colorado Bulldog" (It may have been called something else, but to the best of our slightly fuzzy recollection of last night, we're going with Bulldog). We saw less of Casper than we did of some other towns, but what we saw we really enjoyed.

We drove 282 miles today and saw 3 Corvettes.

Detour! (Oh Give Me A Home)

Thursday we decided to divert from our previously scheduled plan and take the drive to Jackson Hole, Wyoming, and Grand Teton National Park. Are we ever glad we did! The drive from Salt Lake City was beautiful. Lots of mountains, valleys, beautiful view upon beautiful view. It appears to us that every one owns some sort of animals; either cattle, sheep, horses - really one house even had 2 turkeys, some geese, sheep, goats and a puppy. (It's an unwritten law in Wyoming) We stopped along the way at the post office in Smoot, WY (population 100). Our destination for today is Jackson Hole, WY. And the bonus is that we got to drive through Grand Teton Nation Park. Mere words cannot possibly explain the beauty of this place. The snow covered mountains were spectacular. 

The view from Jackson Dam/Reservoir was breathtaking!! We stood in the place where Ansel Adams took his famous photograph of the Snake River and tried to duplicate it. On our way we saw antelope in a field and then a moose on the side of the road. (Did a u-turn for the photo op; fortunately it was still there) 

 

Later in the day we passed 4 bison that were just grazing almost within arms reach of the car. (actually there was a bicycle path between us and them)
 

Jackson Hole is a really cute "western" town with wooden sidewalks and arches made from elk antlers on each of the 4 corners of the town square. After a delicious dinner at Genevieve's we decided to go to the Cowboy Bar where we sat on saddles instead of bar stools and the menu included buffalo or elk burgers. The bar is covered with 624 real silver dollars.
This detour has added a day to our trip but it was so worth it. We may never pass this way again.....
Today we saw 1 Corvette and drove 352.4 miles.

You Shoulda Tol' Me!

Part of today, Wednesday, is about people with roots in the east. It's also about some things totally western. While I was drying our car in the hotel lot after a quick car wash, a man approached having noticed our Jersey tags. Turns out he was born and raised in Riverside, Burlington County. He and his wife of 50 years were on the road from Oregon to Salt Lake City (our common destination) to celebrate their anniversary with family. He could not believe that we had started our business in the city of his youth.

 

On the road again I set the cruise control at 75, pointed our nose east and headed for SLC. We convinced ourselves that the high desert of Nevada was slightly different from the desert of Arizona or New Mexico. We stopped at the NV/UT state line town of Wendover for lunch. We no sooner crossed the border than we entered the Bonneville Salt Flats. How did we not know we would do this? How could this be a surprise? We clearly spent way to much time planning our westward trek following Rt. 66, and not nearly enough time looking at our trip home. The salt flats were amazing in a sensory deprivation kind of way. There was nothing to see. Nothing. No trees, no grass, no rocks. Anything that protruded above the surface looked as though it floated on a waveless sea. The apparition of water kept receding, replaced by more flat hard salty sand. We learned later that this was the same topography that doomed the Donner Party. They expected to cross the flats in three days, but took three weeks, heading into the mountains too late to avoid being trapped by snow.

When we finally saw the Great Salt Lake, I had to convince my self the water was real. Mirages are not blue. Salt Lake is blue. In SLC we met with an old college friend, the only kind I have. Our friend and his wife took us to Park City, UT, a nearby ski resort in the winter, for dinner and gave us the "fifty cent tour" of Salt Lake City. The city is beautiful, and they are clearly proud of the place they call home. More than 75% of the inhabitants of Utah, live in or around SLC. Today, Wednesday, was one of our most full, and longest days on the road.

We changed time zones today...now in Mountain Time. We saw 1 Corvette and drove 364.3 miles.

Homeward Bound

Tuesday morning we headed east. At first it was a little disconcerting because we have been following signs west for so many of our driving days. We want to make it to Reno, NV early enough today to visit the National Automobile Museum so we're taking Route 80. Once we passed Sacramento the drive became even more beautiful. There were mountains everywhere with tall pine trees covering them. Snow was still visible on the tops. As we climbed higher and higher the outside temperature dropped from about 88 to 69 and we were close enough to the snow that we could have gotten out of the car and made a snowball. Very strange! Elevation 7227. Getting a little hungry and saw a sign for the Red River Inn so we got off at the next exit. It was beautiful there! A few homes along the S. Yuba River complete with small waterfall, large rocks, snow...it looked like the perfect spot to get out of the car and enjoy the scenery. But, it was closed, having been recently sold. It was very disappointing, but at least we got some beautiful photos.
 

Reno, NV is "the biggest little town in the world". It is pretty much what you would expect.....casinos everywhere and shabby little neighborhoods surrounding them. The National Automobile Museum was amazing. It's a collection of cars owned by William Harrah. Yep, the same Harrah as the casinos. Each car in the collection was totally restored to it's original beauty. There were some vehicles previously owned by celebrities and some had been used in films. Very impressive!
 

Now on to Winnemucca where we'll spend the night. It's a little green spot in the middle of the "high dessert". The mountains seem to surround you as you drive out of Reno heading northeast. The views were beautiful. What is there to do in Winnemucca you ask? Well, there is a casino just about everywhere you look.
We only saw 1 other Corvette today and drove 357.2 miles.

On The Road Again

Monday morning, our first day back on the road, had another inauspicious beginning. We had a car cover drop shipped to Matt & Saana so we could leave our car covered in the garage around the corner. The el-cheapo lock that came with the cover was useless, so we bought another. Good thing. When we went for the car Monday morning, it looked as though someone had attempted to take the cover by buggering with the lock. Our keys would not work. An hour of hack sawing later, we had the lock off, the cover stowed and were ready to leave. Unfortunately, we had overstayed the time between paying and leaving so the kind, intelligent gentlemen who ran the garage insisted on another 2 bucks. Talk about adding insult to injury! 

 

On this trip we have learned to take setbacks with a grain of salt, as they say, so we laughed it off and got on our way. Leaving San Francisco for Napa the GPS managed to direct us to some of the highest hills in town. My guess is the inventor of the automatic transmission was from SF.

We've driven over the Golden Gate and into wine country before, but the trip is always beautiful. Rolling hills covered with rows of vines, small picturesque towns, wineries fashioned after European castles and Tuscan villas.

We tasted wine from Jacuzzi (yes, the hot tub family), Cline (same family), Adobe Road, Sebastiani and Buena Vista. This last winery was founded in 1857 by a Hungarian Count who brought cuttings from Europe to try growing grapes in the US. The tasting room is in the building built with the limestone excavated while their "cellar" was hand dug 100' into the hillside. We don't have much room in the car so deciding which bottles to bring home was not easy. There are a few in the trunk and a few in the care of UPS. We saw 3 Corvettes today and traveled 68.3 miles.

Wow! Did You See That?

Thursday we drove up CA 1 also known as The Pacific Coast Highway or PCH. This is the road where the word "viewgasm" was coined. This is the road our car was built for. (It's not the cars fault that we got passed again by a mini-van!) 


We've driven part of this road before, the easy part, south from Monterey to Big Sur and back up. This time we drove the coast all the way from Morro Bay to San Francisco. In places the road is steep and always curvy as it twists and dips over the ocean. Sheer rock on one side, breathtaking water views on the other. We really can't tell you how thrilling a ride this is. Anyone who has driven the PCH will tell you the same. I will say this...It's the most fun I've had in an automobile since high school! 

We passed up the tour of Hearst Castle, settling for a long range photo instead so we'd have more time for lunch at Nepenthe in Big Sur. The food is very good, but no bargain. We figure at least half of what they charge is for the view. On our last visit ('97) we ate above the fog, catching the ocean in patches. This time the fog poured over the mountains above us, but burned off before hitting the road level. 
You can't easily stop or turn around on this road, so we regrettably missed photographing the skate boarders we encountered. They took us completely by surprise. We're glad we also missed running them over. I was surprised, not shocked to see bicyclers, it is California after all, but skate boards? By the time we processed that people were actually skating down the mountain, we were past them. If these guys live long enough to reproduce, they may prove Darwin wrong. 


Now we're with Matt & Saana in San Francisco for a long weekend. The car is covered and resting in a garage. If we need to go out we plan to walk. Monday morning, when they go back to work, we have a day in wine country then head east toward home.
We drove 268.4 miles today and saw 10 Corvettes.

Welcome to La La Land

Wednesday was a day of contrasts. We started by driving an hour across the Mojave desert and through the Morongo Valley. Flat, sparse, dry, lonely. Mid morning we picked up I-10 toward LA and were suddenly immersed in the kind of traffic we see during rush hour on the Jersey Turnpike. Four lanes each direction, bumper to bumper at 80 miles an hour. We saw more cars today than we did on the rest of our trip. Seriously, some times even on I-40 we  could drive for several miles and not see another vehicle. 

The landscape turned into bumper to bumper commercial strips and big box stores. We stopped in San Bernardino to pick up a short piece of Rt. 66 and visit the "unofficial" Rt. 66 McDonald's Museum. It's the location of the first ever McDonald's (pre Ray Kroc). They must have one each of every kid's premium they ever gave away.

Off the interstates again we drove US 101, and watched the traffic thin as we headed north. Now the landscape is rolling hills and mountains, one of which we drove over, but now instead of the dry rocky crags of AZ or NM, the hills are covered in lush green. Grassland, forests, and eventually miles of grape vines.

We made farm market day in the admittedly tourist trap town of Solvang, CA. Think Alpine village but the signs for wooden shoes and Belgian chocolate are all in English. We purchased hand made, free range pasta; local organic cheeses and breads and artisan sun dried black olives to bring with us to Matthew & Saana's home in San Francisco. We discovered that the Hitching Post restaurant featured in the movie "Sideways" was only two miles from Solvang so we picked up some wine too.

We drove 358.7 miles today and saw 9 Corvettes! Our day ended on our hotel (they call it a "Spa retreat") room deck in the hot tub with a bottle of Champagne. Ahhhh....

California Here We Come

Tuesday we finally make it to the Golden State. We have lots to see before we get there. There is a long stretch of Route 66...the longest in the state of Arizona from just west of Flagstaff all the way to the border of California....about 85 miles. Along the way we saw many old Burma Shave signs. 

We cruised through small towns like Seligman, (where we stopped at the Snow Cap for a hamburger without ham and a cheeseburger with cheese) Peach Springs and Oatman where the donkeys roam the streets freely and even go in and out of the stores. If we had imagined that driving to Oatman would be the hair raising; white knuckle trip up and down and over the mountains that it was, we may have gone a different way. When they say the speed limit on the hairpin curves is 15 mph they mean it! 

 

Then we drove over the Mojave Desert where the temperature was 93 degrees and the roads were straight as arrows. The speed limit there was 65 or 70 mph and it was a real rollercoaster ride. Finally we reached our destination for the night. 29 Palms Inn where we're sleeping tonight in an adobe hut. This place is adorable. There is also a great restaurant here and a pool with music every night. We met a nice young couple from New York who are living in LA. They have their own business and we shared some of our insights and had some laughs. Maybe in 20 years they'll be sitting on our side of the room giving advice to another young couple. We drove 386.2 miles today and saw 0 Corvettes.

Up, Up & Away

Up and out bright and early for our helicopter ride over the Grand Canyon. Best money we ever spent was the extra $$ to be in the front seats. There are no words to adequately explain the experience of soaring over the Grand Canyon. (Insert your favorite adjective here.) It was a beautiful day for a flight....no clouds....no turbulence....just perfect. 

We met a retired couple who have sold their business, home, everything and bought an RV that they travel in around the country full time. They stay in different locations until they get tired of that place and then move on. Sounds interesting....but where do they keep their stuff?

Today was also a day to relax and rejuvenate. We're here for 2 nights and need this time. At first we considered a short hike along one of the rim trails but after our walk back to the hotel (uphill) from lunch decided that was enough hiking for us flat-landers. We did a little driving around the park with the top down (thanks to the luggage being in the hotel) and watched another Grand Canyon sunset. This time from the hotel porch overlooking the Canyon. Today we only drove 23 miles (the car is breathing a sigh of relief) and saw 2 Corvettes.

We Learned a New Word

Sunday, we woke up in a wigwam in Holbrook, AZ; went to bed in a 100+ year old timber lodge, El Tovar, at the Grand Canyon. In between we saw increasingly spectacular landscape. First the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest, Arizona's own "badlands". We had to make a stop in Winslow so we could "stand on a corner in Winslow Arizona". There was a 4 mile stretch of Route 66 which they really made the most of. A beautiful old hotel that has been restored, LaPosada, turned out to be a great choice for a lunch break. 

We decided to take a detour to Sedona before heading to the Grand Canyon. What a pleasant surprise when we drove into Oak Creek Canyon. We dropped almost 2,000 feet on a two lane, hairpin road before reaching Sedona. The drive was awesome! We can't believe a place as magnificient as Oak Creek Canyon is not more widely known. We're so glad we "stumbled upon it". A friend of our son, Mark, told us we would experience viewgasms as we headed west. You know you're having a viewgasm when you yell...."Oh wow, look at that!"  

We made it to the eastern end of the Grand Canyon in time to experience a beautiful sunset and happily settled into what will be our home for 2 nights. We saw 4 Corvettes today and drove 365.8 miles....that bed sure is looking good!

The Long & Winding Road

Leaving Alburquerque we made a stop in the "Old Town". There were some neat old buildings and a beautiful church that has been there since 1706. 

Now we're headed for Holbrook but make a turn south to Acoma Pueblo (sky village). A native American pueblo built high on a mesa. It reminds us of the walled cities sitting high on hills in Italy. The views along the way were spectacular.

Our next turn-off was to El Malapias to see the lava flows and volcanos. But, we didn't know until we drove many miles out of our way that in order to see them we would need to do a couple mile hike. Nevermind!

Route 53 loop described in our guidebook as a beautiful ride through the countryside was way longer than we thought. Luckily we  found a gas station at the Zuni Indian reservation or we wouldn't have made it back to Route 40/66.

Next we stopped for the night in Holbrook AZ where we are spending the night in a Wigwam. We couldn't stop laughing when we saw the place. The sound of the train passing by every 15 minutes or so finally lulled us to sleep. We shared the parking lot with lots of old cars. Walked to the Butterfield Stagecoach Co. for dinner. It was great food....the restaurant....like the town was pretty empty.
We did see 3 Corvettes today and drove another 283.7 miles.