From LV thru Arizona to New Mexico

Gas stations Past:

 

Saturday’s ride thru Arizona into New Mexico:

 At the Hoover Dam area we left Nevada and were welcomed to Arizona,  we made it down to I-40 and headed East. We are about 2,000 miles from Belmont, NC.

The road ws rocky ad mountainous for about 40 miles.

 

I enjoy the desert scenes and the rocky area. I am always amazed at the mountains in the west. Many times there are no ‘foot hills’, the mountains just start up from the flat plains.

 

The derelicts are many, and are a testimony to big things in the past.

Of course it is always nice to see the desert change from scrubs to small trees.  And then soon near Flagstaff the mountains are covered with pine trees.

 

I love the rocks along the road and seeing what the engineers had to dig thru. I love the colorful layers of the west:

About the time I saw the above colorful rocks,  emergency vehicles passed us on the right and I looked ahead and saw the smoke:

The car  was still burning, it did not look as if anyone was injured. Also a small grass fire was started and the fire department arrived.

But then in a few miles we are again in a plains area, not too much desert as grasses and scrubs of all kinds. I drove 3.5 hours this AM, now JJ is our chauffer.  WE have had both good roads and Terrible roads.

 

This was the last shots in AZ welcoming us to New Mexico. In person this is absolutely beautiful. The colors just mold together.

 

Below was out first view of the first mile into New Mexico.

  I-40 runs with the Famous Route 66 much of the time. WE are over nighting in GAllop, and this is the view from our picture window:

Towns are unique out west also. Back east you see houses barns buildings between towns. Out here, when you  leave civilization, you leave it.

 Nite Shipslog     

PS I will regress for a minute:

These pictures from 2013 when we were out and could walk on the dam. And as Lisa observed it appears to be drying up, but it has remained at that level for years.

Looking over the dam.

Above is the monument to the men who worked to build this huge dam.

Tomorrow we hope to drive across New Mexico and into Texas.