We made our shortest drive today (322 miles)
from Albuquerque NM to Flagstaff AZ. Jodi had
the foresight to look at the weather report, which read "blizzard conditions" for northern New Mexico and Arizona. For safety reasons we decided that we needed to get to Flagstaff as soon as possible, and because of this we were unable to do any sightseeing in Albuquerque this morning. However, on the way to Flagstaff (before the snow hit the fan) we made a stop at the Petrified Forest National Park. To our surprise the drive through the park was amazingly scenic, but like my Cousin Brad said there's a reason why the land in the parks has been set aside.
The entire drive was extremely windy today, keeping the car in between the lines was hard work. We were amused of all of the tumble weeds rolling across the interstate throughout the drive. The heavy snow didn't begin until we were about 10 miles outside of Flagstaff. When we pulled into Flagstaff we quickly realized we would be stuck in the hotel for the rest of the day/night. There was 8-12" of snow on the ground and the roads already with another 10" or so on the way; but don't worry Tim made sure we were prepared by picking up two 6-packs before we even checked in at the Hotel. Luckily there are plenty of restaurants, gas stations and stores within walking distance of the hotel, so we have everything we need except for an opportunity to explore Flagstaff, Sedona and the Grand Canyon.
We are hoping we're able to get out of here and make the planned trip to the California coast tomorrow, but for now we're sipping on the 6-packs and making the most of being snowed in.
We are to the point now that we need to post the rest of the pictures of our journey in an album, to see these photos visit this link: http://picasaweb.google.com/TimMillerDPT
What a day! I'm glad you got to see the petrified forest. I'm sure the likelihood of you being there again sometime is much lower than being back in Albuquerque. So, you spent your day well. And, trust me, 10 years from now, you'll remember those 6-packs more than 80% of the rest of this trip.
ReplyDeleteAnd, at least you have the Internet while you're snowed in. When I was your age, we had two cups and a string. And we liked it! (And we walked 2 miles to school, uphill both ways.)
We're still snowed in, all roads closed for 100 miles in every direction from Flagstaff. We're not sure when we are going to be able to safely get out of here.
ReplyDeleteIt's very nice to be snowed in with internet access, and in a warm hotel room. I don't think we could have managed to cups and a string. Or at least we wouldn't know when the roads were planning to re-open.
Ok, now I have the update. Yannos and I were listening to the news in the car on the way home from Philly and I got worried about you guys!
ReplyDelete