Having spotted a Barber's Shop only a hundred yards or so from the Boulder Dam Hotel, Bernie headed there after breakfast for a trim. After the ministrations of the Turkish Barber, it was a very quick, very standard going over with the No.2 comb!! With Bernie's grooming taken care of we made our way down Highway 93 to Hoover Dam. When we checked in yesterday afternoon we discovered that the new Mike O’Callaghan – Pat Tillman Memorial Bridge (Colorado River Bridge) includes a pedestrian walkway so we were keen to check that out. In fact, we had been told that if we wanted to see anything, we would have to get out and walk because the concrete sidings on the bridge actually prevent you from seeing anything as you drive across. After walking to the mid-point ... read more

We started out this morning with the top down - there's no point having the convertible if we don't feel the wind in our hair (or, in Bernie's case, over the scalp!) sometimes. It has been so very, very hot though that we have been wimping out and driving with the top up and the A/C on HIGH. We drove all the way back through Kingman and then headed for McConnico on Historic Route 66. From there we picked up the Oatman Highway and drove through Cool Springs across the drainage of Sacramento Wash, which is bone dry at the moment, before starting to climb the Black Mountains up to Sitgreave's Pass. We didn't see any wild burros or bighorn sheep, but we did find Shaffer's Fish Bowl Springs, a man-made basin that collects water from ... read more

Ho, hum ... another day, another crater, but this morning we set out to visit a volcanic crater at Sunset Crater National Monument which is located within the Coconino National Forest just 15 miles from Flagstaff. Our annual passes saved us the US$5.00/person entry fee. You used to be able to hike to the rim of Sunset Crater, but that path has been closed to protect the fragile environment of the cone. However, you are able to hike to the rim of nearby Lennox Crater so, once again, undeterred by the extreme heat, altitude, etc we set off. It was a steep and difficult climb over loose, volcanic ash. Very much a case of two steps forward, half a step back! I don't know how I found the breath to talk as I climbed but, as ... read more

After our big day yesterday we started a bit later this morning not venturing down to breakfast until 9.00am. Once we did head off it was east into town to photograph the giant muffler-man cowboy at John's Used Cars at the corner of Coal and 5th Streets!! As we left Gallup we zigzagged to the north and south of Interstate 40 as we made our way through Defiance and Manuelito where the road climbs and clings to the sheer side of Devil's Cliff. As we rounded the cliff where boulders balanced precariously above us (with just a mesh fence to hold back any potential rockslide) we were treated to a grand panorama towards Arizona that took in Route 66, the railroad and the dry bed of the Rio Puerco squeezed between the rugged mesas. After the ... read more

After three very pleasant days in and around Santa Fe and three lovely nights at the El Rey Inn it was time to get back on the road and head for Albuquerque. Since we arrived in Santa Fe I have been saying to Bernie that I read something about an Emerald Trail that we should do in/around Santa Fe or Albuquerque, but I couldn't find the references in our guide books again and searching for 'Emerald Trail' on Google was unsuccessful. The El Rey was on Cerrillos Road (Historic Route 66) which became NM Highway 14 as it headed out of town. Well, it turns out that NM Highway 14 is the 'Turquoise Trail Scenic Byway'!! D'oh - I had remembered it as more green than greenish-blue. So we drove to Albuquerque by way of the ... read more