Today was another sunny day, so I went for a 25 minute 2-1/2 mile bike ride ride around Valley Verde Thousand Trails (see screenshots below).
After lunch, I went up and played Penny Po-ke-no again with the ladies. While I was up playing Po-ke-no, Mel went to fill the truck with gas because we had been thinking about leaving today due to the big gusty wind storm that was on its way into the area. Just as we were finishing up the game, Mel came up to the clubhouse and said that we were leaving as soon as I got back to the trailer as he had already hitched up the trailer.
Today we traveled from Verde Valley Thousand Trails in Cottonwood, Arizona to the USA RV Park in Gallup,New Mexico for an overnight. We left at 2:40 p.m. and it was 79 degrees, which would drop to 63 degrees in the afternoon due to the wind and the cold front that came in.
First, we passed by Camp Verde that was founded in 1865 and had an elevation of 3,160 feet.
Flagstaff, Arizona is now 50 miles away.
Flagstaff, Arizona is now 41 miles away. As we continue our upward climb, we have now reached an elevation of 5,000 feet (see below).
Flagstaff, Arizona is now 34 miles away. And, we have now reached an elevation of 6,000 feet (see below).
Flagstaff is now 17 miles away. The awesome white mountain range in northeastern Arizona that we are now seeing, stretches from the Mogollon Rim in the east to New Mexico in the west, and past Arizona's second highest peak, Mount Baldy. Humphreys Peak is the pinnacle and the highest point in the state. If you can make it to its summit, which tops out at 12,633 feet, you've conquered all there is to conquer — from a hiking perspective, anyway.
Humphreys Peak is shown in several pictures above and below. It is just so beautiful!!!
Flagstaff is now 6 miles away.
We have reached the city limits of Flagstaff, which has an elevation of 7,000 feet. Route 66 follows on some of our journey along I-40, which parallels the old Route 66 in many places. We see exits to Route 66 marked in many locales.
Historic Route 66 runs directly through Flagstaff with Flagstaff being the city with the highest elevation on the historic Mother Road. Today, 14.2 miles of Route 66 remain in Flagstaff.
Flagstaff is a city in Arizona, surrounded by mountains, desert and ponderosa pine forests. It’s a gateway to the San Francisco Peaks, home to Arizona’s tallest mountain (Humphreys Peak). Nearby, Wupatki National Monument has Native American pueblo sites, and Walnut Canyon National Monument is dotted with their cliff dwellings.
Flagstaff has a population of 76,831. Originally settled by the pre-Columbian native Sinagua people, the area of Flagstaff has fertile land from volcanic ash after eruptions in the 11th century. It was first settled as the present-day city in 1876. Local businessmen lobbied for Route 66 to pass through the city, which it did, turning the local industry from lumber to tourism and developing downtown Flagstaff.
In 1930, Pluto was discovered from Flagstaff. The city developed further through to the end of the 1960s, with various observatories also used to choose Moon landing sites for the Apollo missions. Through the 1970s and 1980s, downtown fell into disrepair, but was revitalized with a major cultural heritage project in the 1990s.
We continued to follow I-40 East toward Albuquerque.
Albuquerque is now 320 miles away.
Albuquerque is now 299 miles away. It is amazing how the landscape has changed today -- from desert to forested areas and then back to the desert.
And the landscape is relatively flat now. We are now passing the Meteor Crater National Landmark.
We have now entered the Winslow city limits that has a population of 9,005. It is located approximately 57 miles southeast of Flagstaff, and 240 miles west of Albuquerque, New Mexico in Navajo County.
Winslow, Arizona is along Route 66. Winslow thrived when Highway 66 was the main road connecting Chicago to California. The highway was known as The Main Street of America, The Will Rogers Highway, or The Mother Road from the 1920s to the mid-80s.
But in 1984 and after the completion of US Interstate 40 in Arizona, the old Hwy 66 was no longer necessary for road tripping tourists. We have been through Winslow several times.
And, you’ve no doubt heard the Eagles hit song "Take it Easy," right? I bet you've also probably whistled this tune known the world over. Below are the lyrics:
Well, I'm a runnin' down the road, tryin' to loosen my load,
I've got seven women on my mind:
four that wanna own me, two that wanna stone me,
one says she's a friend of mine.
Take it easy, take it easy,
don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy.
Lighten up while you still can, don't even try to understand,
just find a place to make your stand and take it easy.
But most of all, I bet you remember the second verse from the song, "Take It Easy" that made Winslow, Arizona famous:
Well, I’m a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see.
It’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin’ down to take a look at me.
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me
We may lose, and we may win
Though we will never be here again
So open up, I'm climbin' in
So take it easy.
Albuquerque is now 260 miles away.
Albuquerque is now 242 miles away.
It is now 21 miles to the Petrified Forest National Park and 229 miles to Albuquerque.
We are now 193 miles from Albuquerque.
We are now 167 miles from Albuquerque and we are beginning to see the beautiful red rock bluffs in New Mexico.
The picture below shows a train running along the red rock bluffs.
We have just entered the state of New Mexico and we have now lost an hour due to the time change.
Albuquerque is now 152 miles away.
As it is starting to get late, the sky has a pretty pink tone in it (see below).
We are now very close to Gallup, New Mexico as we can begin to see the welcome sign below.
Gallup is a small city in New Mexico on the historic Route 66. To the east, red sandstone cliffs dominate Red Rock Park, home to Anasazi archaeological sites from around 300 A.D. Here, Red Rock Museum focuses on Anasazi heritage, with displays of pottery and silver. In the city, Gallup Cultural Center has Native American crafts and cultural exhibits.
Gallup has a population of 21,899. A substantial percentage of its population is Native American, with residents from the Navajo, Hopi, and Zuni tribes. Gallup is known as the "Heart of Indian Country" because it is on the edge of the Navajo reservation and is home to members of many other tribes.
Gallup was founded in 1881 as a railhead for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad. The city was named after David Gallup, a paymaster for the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad.
It is now 7:45 p.m. and we are just arriving at the USA RV Park in Gallup, New Mexico.
The sun was just setting as we drove in to the campground in Gallup. What a beautiful site!
We drove in and got checked in for one night on site #16 for $44.00, with our Good Sam discount.
We then got set up in the dark -- which is something we always try to avoid, but this couldn't be helped.
We got a little something to eat, and then relaxed before we went to bed. Tomorrow, we will be back to where we started from almost a year ago in Matheson, Colorado.
Until then, sweet dreams!
Shirley & Mel
What a great adventure. Loved having the lyrics as I sang the song. Red Rock mointains are beautiful. What a nice adventure. 👌
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