The Final Leg(s)

OK... I confess that we are home already, but I've got orders that no dinner until I finish up the blog for this trip.  And I'M GETTIN' HUNGRY.

So anyway...

On Sunday the 2nd, We got up early (you really buy that?) to head over to the Grand Canyon South Rim only to check the South Rim weather and find a below freezing forecast for that night. No dice on that!

While sitting outside drinking coffee and figuring what to do next, I had company.

I hear they eat rattlesnakes.
Must be true 'cause there weren't any around.
Beep Beep!

The new plan was to start the march for home but only if I promised NOT to try to do all 1,300 miles in one day.  So next stop is Homolovi State Park AZ with an unexcavated Anasazi Pueblo site and a campground with showers.

"View" from our campsite.
That's the ruins on the horizon.
(Don't know why the residents left??)

But they left trash all over the place.

On Tuesday, basically following US Rt 66 (but on I-40 most of the time), we headed for Petrified Forest Nat'l Park via Winslow AZ.

(I've already made all the hackneyed "There I was standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona ..." and not being able to attract a "flat-bed Ford" cliche's to most of the people I know so I won't bore anyone with that again.)

However...  we also passed through Holbrook AZ on Rt 66 where I briefly toyed with the concept of settling down to a simpler life here in the desert.

??????

You'd be surprised at how many '57 Chevy's there were in town.

Gathering my senses, we moved on to the Park where we found a nice hike into the middle of nowhere (as usual).

There's "trees" out here SOMEWHERE!

Patience...
(I know they would look nice in your garden...but NO!)

Actually there are LOTS of petrified trees in the park. I was just being anti-social and refused to go to popular areas where they were.  My bad.

We made Albuquerque by Tuesday night and stayed at a motel.  It was that or overnight at the Dancing Eagles Casino parking lot with all the silver haired ladies and truck drivers.  We did that once in Florida and the Albuquerque hotel option was worth it.  (Plus they had Cinni-bunns at the free breakfast.)

Wednesday, the horse (me) was headin' for the barn, however, the rider said I could drive all the way to Chicago if I wanted, but she was going in back to sleep for the rest of the trip.  So... we stayed in in a City Park in El Reno OK that night.

But not without a short stop for some last minute petroglyphs.

An eclectic mix...

Rise and Shine!  Only 800 more miles!!    We made it all the way to Springfield IL, (including St Louis at rush hour), before I had to shut down my hearing aids and find a campground. Shessshh - What a grump.

So Friday we did the last couple of hundred miles and arrived home, still in love, (I think).

Good Night from Downers Grove

Brad & Val

6,733.7 Miles.  But who's counting.