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After the exhilirating experience of the Grand Canyon, Rachel and I set off in the trusty silver car across the Navajo and Hopi Indian Reservation in Northern Arizona. The scenery and landscape was as dramatic as we have seen and seemed a continuation of the beautiful canyon we had just left. The reservations are desert plateaus with large mountains and buttes rising up on either side of the endless single lane highway we were driving along.
After a couple of hours, we got near to the first city (where we were planning to spend the night) which was called Tuba City. We were following the Sat Nav (which we then realised was set to shortest route and not quickest route) which decided to take us along, what I can only describe as a dirt track! It was supposed to be a seven mile detour but took us half an hour! During that half an hour we were worried that the suspension would break or the wheels would fall off due to the potholes, we were worried about being ambushed by the locals as there were about 4 houses and nothing else in the vicinity, and finally we were worried that
if we did break down there was no signal on the phone and we were miles from anything! Thankfully we emerged back onto the main highway and into Tuba City. Which definately wasn't a city! A petrol station and a convenience store do not constitute a city in my book!!
So after filling up with fuel and consulting the map we have in the car, we made the executive decision to head a further two hours into the desert to the capital of Navajo nation, Window Rock. The landscape and weather became a bit more bleak (the first clouds and overcast weather we have seen since we landed in Las Vegas) and the road seemed to stretch endlessly before us. There wasn't much to look at as I slept and Rachel drove (opposite to the journey to Tuba City) and we reached Window Rock, which we prayed was our bed for the night after our 5am alarm call that morning. Unfortunately, the capital of Navajo Nation was about twice the size of Tuba City, which really isn't saying much!!!
A quick crisis meeting took place where we consulted the map and the Road Trip USA book (kindly given
as a present by Julie Holloway), after which we thought we head a further hour and a half down the road to another place called Gallup. Our only concern was that with it being a Friday night, there wouldn't be any hotel or motel rooms spare! We were armed with sleeping bags and the Walmart tent though so all wouldn't have been lost.
When we arrived in Gallup we found ourselves a motel room (the tent could stay packed away for another day) and had a little drive around the town. It was basically one long drag of road with various businesses, motels and small native Indian shops selling bits and bobs. It was not a very touristy town and seemed to be a real working Indian town.
After a relaxing nights sleep, we set off through New Mexico to the larger city of Albuquerque (ABQ). On the drive we stopped at a little Indian village selling souvenirs and jewellry which was interesting to look around and after another couple of hours we arrived at our hotel in ABQ. There were loads of little rodents running around the parking lot which Rachey took a particular like too! Through
a little research on Google (the hotel staff didn't speak enough English) we discovered that they were Prairie Dogs. Rachel decided that she would try and use up the entire camera memory card taking photos of the little sweethearts, whilst I secretly prayed they wouldnt be able to burrow into our room or worse still already have a nest in there!!
Following the excitement of the rodents we went to the National Museum of Nuclear Science and History in ABQ. Just as we went in, the heavens opened and a brief thunder and rain storm raged outside whilst we browsed the exhibits and learnt the story of the first A-Bomb, the Cold War and modern uses of nuclear technology. A very interesting and informative hour (more for me than Rachel but hey, she'd had the pant wetting excitement of the Prairie Dogs earlier in the day so this evened it up!) When we went back outside the rain had subsided (we later learnt that this was the first rainfall in the area for 53 days, typical, just when we arrive!).
We made our way to ABQ Old Town which featured a lot of adobe style architecture and was
a quaint little plaza square with an old church and plenty of souvenir shops and restaurants. We browsed the shops and bought a few little bits and pieces including a Navajo Indian Wedding Vase which we are going to post back home via Fedex. Rachel and I stumbled along a shop with lots of hats, which Rachel modelled very well! Just look at the pics!
Another great little feature of the town was the cookery shops. As you may or may not know I am the new Jamie Oliver so we spent a while looking around. The shops specialised in Southwestern cooking which involves a reliance on chillies (which I also love eating and cooking with) so after purchasing a little recipe book and some very spicy Red Chili Pistachio nuts we decided to go for dinner and sample the Southwestern New Mexican cooking. What a disappointment! As you all know, I am nothing if not modest and I could have cooked better Fajitas and Quesadilllas than this restaurant! One food that I will be trying elsewhere as it has the potential to be lovely is the Chile Rolleno, which is a large Pobleno or Jalapeno Chile roasted and
stuffed with cheese and spicy meat and then fried in flour, it was ok here but there will be restaurants that do it better.
Back at the motel, we attempted to digest the greasy dinner we had just eaten and prepared ourselves for the epic England vs Germany game that was coming up the following morning at 8am. Well, just as dinner disappointed, so did the football. What a waste of a lie in!! When the massacre of Port Elizabeth had finished, we packed up the car and set off for our next destination Amarillo. Tune in next time for our blog from Peter Kay and Tony Christie's favourite American town.
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greg
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trip
just SO envious of this trip of a lifetime you are on, maybe I should just get a life..hahahaha..anyway...the American mid-west..wow....those long, straight roads, blue skies....wow..wish it was me...REALLY enjoying reading your blogs...keep it up...x