As we headed out of town, we found ourselves drawn back just one more time to shop a little, see the capitol, and take one last look at the architecture of this unique place, Santa Fe.
The 16 miles across gravel roads dissuaded us from the Chaco National Historic Park (maybe sometime in a rental car!) and we headed for the western border and the town of Gallup -- another "get your kicks on Route 66" place. One of the best preserved areas of the Route with many old signs, hotels, and other memorabilia still in tact in a beautiful surrounding of red hills and mesas.
We planned to camp, but the campgrounds were pretty dismal, and the call of a historic old hotel named the El Rancho, from the early Route 66 days intrigued us. One of our favorite guidebooks, Road Trip USA, called it "lovingly restored". It had been a real hot spot for Hollywood stars in town for the many Western movies shot here during the 40's and 50's. Each room is named after a star who stayed here -- we're in the Alan Ladd room -- and wonderful SW art adorns the walls of the generous rooms.
After enjoying some of the old time sights around town, we headed for a National Monument that spans 5 different periods of Indian history, dating back to 2500 BC. The Canyon de Chelley (Shay) is filled with fairly well preserved artifacts from the Anasazi, Hopi and Navajo occupations of the Canyon. Even though this is a part of the National Park system, Navajo's still own property and occupy farms in the canyon. It is almost as spectacular as the Grand Canyon - yet much more accessible. We drove one of the rim drives, and hiked down into the canyon (it's not the going down, it is the coming back up -- 600 vertical feet in a 1/2 mile of switchbacks!). The next day we took a Jeep tour into the canyon -- right through the river, along the sand bars, and right up next to these wonderful petroglyphs, pictographs and ruins of their homes and other buildings. A wonderful 1/2 day experience.
We needed gas coming out of the town of Chinle, but the price was $1.64 a gallon. We decided we could get to the Interstate, and hopefully better prices. The freeway brought $1.74!! Phil dug his heels in and said we're not paying it! "We still have almost 1/4 tank -- let's keep going." A few miles later, we had to turn off to the Petrified Forest NP. We decided to just get a little bit of gas, if the price is still so high. One gas station at the exit -- and it is within the National Park complex -- looks bad. Low and behold -- they are having a Route 66 rollback sale in honor of the 75th anniversary of the highway! $1.39!!! We scored bigtime on this tank!! We get the biggest amusement out of the smallest things -- we need to get off the road!
We can tell we are getting closer to home -- more license plates from Oregon and Washington. Today on the Jeep tour with 9 other couples, 2 of the nine are from Oregon! Tigard and West Linn!! Nice people who have second homes in the Tucson area and are still down here. In fact, one couple used to live in Charbonneau. Then at dinner, we're sitting right next to another couple from Tigard! Sure is nice to talk to people who know the places we know!! Oh, and while we were at the $1.39 gas station, a couple from Coos Bay was asking about our vehicle -- they may be interested in buying it from us -- we were sure to get their name and phone number!!
The Petrified Forest NP was a nice 1/2 day type park. It also incorporates the Painted Desert -- much like the Badlands of Teddy Roosevelt and the Badlands NP's. The Petrified forest was interesting in that the wood, as it was being petrified 250 million years ago, was infused with silica particles that turned to crystal, so the colors and textures are unique and beautiful. The sad thing about this park is that it is disappearing in people's pockets at the rate of 1 ton a month! Even though there are stiff fines, signs everywhere, and park ranger pleadings, the loss continues. A couple of years ago, the rangers placed some invisibly marked rocks near an accessible path, and within one week 20% of them were gone! Amazing. You look at pictures of how it used to be and how it is today, and it is really sad. And you can buy rocks outside the park that have been harvested legally in other areas, but still the loss continues. What is wrong with people!!
Another unexpected situation has sprung upon us. My Mom has been diagnosed with Breast Cancer at age 81. She is going in for a double Mastectomy, after several weeks of debating the options available to her, so we will be going home for about 10 days to get her through that, and get additional care arranged. We will fly home from Phoenix on April 28 and continue our trip the 10th of May. We are runing a couple of weeks ahead of schedule, so we should still be home by our anticipated mid June timeframe. It would be better if we could stay home, but we are determined to finish what we have started, and Mom is very supportive of us doing that. So, we will have a short interruption to the Great American Adventure -- but things do happen over which we have no control. And it will be nice to see the Grandkids and their Mommies and Daddies!!
Today we are headed towards Tucson over the scenic road through such places as Show Low (named after a card game there -- what else!), Globe and Superior. The scenery was just spectacular, particulary down through the Salt River Canyon -- very Sedona-like, but through a deep canyon of red river rock.
We didn't make it all the way to Tucson, stopping short in a tiny town called Florence. AAA only lists 2 motels -- and we could find no others! The first one looked a little scary, so we went in search of the other one quite aways out of town, but what a find! 6 B&B style rooms, all named, around a lovely courtyard with lots of trees, a fountain and cactus gardens. Breakfast, of course, available on the patio, and soft music discreetly enhancing the background. A lovely pool and spa a few steps away, and a steak house just down the highway where we had the best steak of the trip for about $10-$12 -- a fillet mignon! We could easily have stayed here longer. You just never know what waits around the next corner.
On our way to Tucson (after they practically had to kick us out of Rancho Sonora to get us moving!) we stopped in Oracle to see the Biosphere II. I didn't realize they no longer had people living in there, but it had been taken over by Columbia University and turned into a huge research laboraotry. It was still quite interesting, and much of the "Biospherian" days are still evident.
After a quick stop in Tucson, we headed for Tombstone. They have done a nice job with that town, keeping much of the old west alive there. Boardwalks, old time saloons with "characters", both real and paid, and a hand out for each historic building in town. This is one place they should get together and have a "master ticket" that covers everything, instead of $2-$3 each time you turn around. Besides the famous gunfight at the OK Corral, and much Geranimo lore, they also have the world's largest Rose Bush, complete with offical Guiness World's record certification. It is a tiny, very fragrant flower and the rambler covers an huge arbor behind a building (another $3 to see it!). The rose dates back to the 1800's, and the flower's petals blow all over town, spreading the fragrance well beyond it's yard.
Evening found us a lovely campground on the way back to Tucson, complete with lake, clubhouse, pool and spa, and nice grounds. Our first camping since Florida! It was really nice to cook again, and just putter around in the Van.
Tucson has become one of our potential sites for a winter home, and so we decided to do a little looking at houses on this Sunday afternoon. We spent a couple of hours at a Charbonneau type of development called Quail Creek near the town of Green Valley, south of Tucson. Saw some things we liked, will probably come back this winter and look a little more. We are also going to visit some people we met at Canyon de Chelley who live in Saddlebrooke, a sister community to this one, north of Tucson.