Long and Uneventful Day of Travel

 Sooo, Friday was a travel day...we left Albuquerque about 9 am, headed west towards Winslow, AZ.  I was sooo glad to get down off the mesa and off these high bridges!  We would be going from 5312 feet elevation, all the way down to 4850!  Yaaay, we'll be under a mile high!!

The color of the landscape began to change, as well.  There was a little more green to the ground and a little more blue to the sky, which also seemed a bit wider.

There were crazy mesas....I mean, like, really.  What's the story behind these outcroppings??

I got really excited when we saw this sign - I thought it was a moose sighting sign!  Maybe not...probably not.  Probably an elk, or maybe a caribou?

And more random outcroppings....

 Now the rocks are getting taller and more cliff-like, as opposed to boulders or piles/stacks of rocks.

And it wasn't too long before we were welcomed to Arizona.  The sign would have to do; the Welcome Center was closed!

After driving another hour, though, we finally found a truck stop, where we could fit.  We had filled up just west of Albuquerque, so we didn't need fuel.  We just wanted to stop and stretch our legs and maybe walk the dog a bit.  We had found lots of roadside service stations, but they were all too tight for us to go into.  Well, that's probably not quite accurate.  I'm sure we could get IN.  It's the getting out that could be a problem.  Anyway, we finally found a legitimate truck stop.  Parked, walked a bit, and strolled inside, to the "Indian" store.  Seems like that could be offensive, in today's clime, but that's what the sign said.  Inside, we found a bottle of Ass Kickin' as well as a bottle of Whoop Ass.

And, if anyone bought either of THOSE, there was a bottle of Dumb Ass to go along with.

This is Geronimo Trading Post.  Looks like an interesting place to visit, and we'll come back when we return to the Petrified Forest on Sunday.

All in all, it was a long day.  Somewhere along the way, we picked up an extra hour; I think it was as soon as we entered Arizona.  Driver had been asking me what time it was, about every 30 minutes or so.  He never does that!  All I really remember, is that one time, I told him it was 12:36.  And the next time he asked, it was 11 something!  ????  How in the world did THAT happen?  We ended up at teh campground, around 3:30, so that meant we had been on the road about 7 hours.  That's a pretty long day for us, and we were both glad it was over!  And also, both thankful it was so uneventful!  Next up, Standin' on the Corner!  Can't wait!