Then, a short distance west of town, this sign hit my funny bone:
The mountains behind it it turns out are over 12 miles away. I'll say it's limited.
Breathtaking beauty abounds with every new turn.
And a special thank you to these three beautiful ladies who took excellent care of us today at Ortega's Indian Market, where they explained that the Continental Divide runs right through their store. Stop in and say hi when you're in the area. Great store!
While we were inside completing our purchase, these guys pulled up out front. They are all retired Air Force, Army and Coast Guard. They do a ride together somewhere every year. They call themselves the Mild Hogs. Gentlemen, great meeting you and visiting with you today. Continue your safe travels, enjoy the Grand Canyon, and perhaps we'll see you on your way back home. Thank you for your service!
New Mexico is just such a beautiful State. We took dozens of photos but selected just a mere sampling.
We stopped at a local park called Red Rocks Park and they do have an amphitheater.
We arrived in Gallup, NM and checked into our fine accommodations for the night at el Capitan.
We unpacked and then drove a short distance to Window Rock Navajo Tribal Park. This is a beautiful park that is a memorial to the Code Talkers of World War II. We met the son of one of the Code Talkers. What an honor. Thank you Mr. Smith, and thank you to all Navajo Code Talkers for your service!
Bricks are embedded in the concrete surrounding the statue above. This is a brick for the father of the gentleman we visited with.
On the way back to our motel, we passed by Hotel el Rancho as we were turning back to Route 66. This is an historic hotel on Route 66 and the sign out front says, "Home of the Movie Stars". Their website says it was home to movie stars in the 30s and 40s. We shall dine there this evening. The items on the menu are named after movie stars who have eaten here, like the Ronald Reagan burger with a side of jelly beans.
A few days ago, we met some people from England. They were commenting on how beautiful the United States is. They are traveling all of Route 66 as do so many foreigners we have met. They were wondering why so many Americans travel to England and even Europe when there is such incredible beauty right here in our own back yard. I tend to agree.
Speaking of America the Beautiful, yesterday on our way to Grants, NM, we passed by the singing road. This is a stretch of Route 66 eastbound where if you drive the 45 MPH speed limit, the bumps in the road cause your tires to vibrate and the tune? Of course, America the Beautiful. We knew about this ahead of time and scouted out the exact location. We had to do a U-turn to travel the bumps. We could hear the tune but unfortunately, it did not pick up on the recording. They have also removed the sign advertising the singing road. I'm guessing they got tired of people doing U-turns. Here's a link if you would like to hear for yourself.
Till tomorrow!
Hey you two! You've come a long way since we saw you at Henry's Rabbit Ranch! We're back from Texas and seeing our son graduate from Air Force Basic. He's in Mississippi now for tech school. Arizona is going to be a real treat for you as there are TONS of things to see. The Painted Desert is a wonderful trip as is Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff and of course Seligman (make sure you can see Angel...his shop was closed when we were there).
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