Wednesday, August 26, 2009

Road Trip 2009: Day 2 Las Vegas to Gallup NM

Days 1, 2, 3 008

We did manage to get to Hoover Dam on the second day. Didn’t want to take the time for a tour, so we just goggled at the immensity of it and then headed out. They are building a new bridge that is set to open in 2010 and, even now, is a thing of beauty.

Days 1, 2, 3 013

Just to prove we were really there!

Days 1, 2, 3 015

Lunch at Kingman AZ at the Roadrunner Cafe. Actually we ordered breakfast at lunchtime, something we do frequently when we’re travelling. Love those eggs and hash browns!

At Kingman we joined I-40 which would take us through the next three states. Somewhere south of Flagstaff we ran into a major hailstorm. The hail was small but there was so much of it that the road was covered at times.

Days 1, 2, 3 016

The traffic slowed down to a crawl and we exited at the next rest stop.

Summer Hailstorm

That’s when we discovered that we hadn’t brought any umbrellas. So we sat in the car hoping for the rain to stop; instead it just got stronger. When I finally decided to brave it and run for the bathroom, I was stopped by a lake-sized puddle that I couldn’t get around. So back to the car and north to Flagstaff.

Last year we stopped here at a little coffee shop (can’t remember the name but it was at the Little America exit) and it was really good. This year we managed to find the same exit but the shop was closed for some reason. However, we did find the Mojo Cafe in Winslow AZ – super coffee and free Wi-fi.

We had planned to stay the night at the Best Western in Gallup NM. We stayed there last year and really liked it. This year they were full up, as were several other motels that we tried. Finally found a small, less luxurious motel and were happy with that.

Dinner at the Ranch Kitchen where I had tamales. These New Mexico tamales were quite different from the California tamales I’m used to. The masa wrap was very thin and the filling was definitely spicier. Thank goodness for sour cream.

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