| Time | Odometer | Event |
| 9:32 | 33584 |
Resumed trip at Kingman
 |
Kingman (population = 12,750), at the intersection of I-40 (Los Angeles to
Albuquerque and beyond) and US-93 (Las Vegas to Phoenix), is the largest city
in Northwestern Arizona.
A town of railroads and motels, the major tourist attraction in Kingman is the
Mojave Museum, which unfoutunately was not open on Sunday morning. |
 |
|
| 9:58 | 33590 |
Leaving Kingman
Gas: 3.7 G x $1.8 / G = $6.73
After Kingman, the very well-paved Route 66 took us through some sunny desert
Indian reservations (we saw quite a number of houses, but not a single
Indian) to ... |
| 11:05 | 33653 |
The Grand Canyon Caverns
 |
Once a major tourist attraction on Route 66, the Grand Canyon Caverns was
one of the few privately owned tourist businesses which managed to
survive being bypassed by I-40.
It took 20 minutes for our lunch (cheeseburger and grilled chicken sandwiches)
to arrive, just seconds before our cavern tour started.
Since no food and drinks were allowed in the canverns, we took a few hurried
bites before following Rosita, a guide with an amazingly cute stammer
(ocassionally) and took the elevator 300 feet down into the caverns.
The caverns are huge and there are many interesting rock formations.
Unfortunately we have forgotten to bring along our camera.
After the 45-min tour we finished out half-eaten lunch before hitting
the road. |
|
| 12:41 | 33653 |
Leaving the Grand Canyon Caverns |
| 13:14 | 33687 |
Seligman
 |
At Seligman, the northward loop of Route 66 from Kingman to the
Grand Canyon Caverns rejoins I-40.
From this point onwards, Route 66 essentially run right next to I-40
for the rest of its way through Arizona.
A deliciously pretty stretching from Seligman to Williams, decorated
with red soils, brown grass, green trees and white snow (both on the ground
and on distant mouantain tops), is near but often sheltered from the adjacent
interstate freeway.
As we slowly climbed the Arizona-New Mexico plateau, it was getter somewhat
colder. |
 |
Williams is famous for being the nearest town to the South Rim of the
Grand Canyon (1 hour north of Williams).
Route 66 runs right throught the town.
As we have stayed in Williams in 1997 when we visited Grand Canyon,
we did not stopped this time. |
| 14:31 | 33761 |
Flagstaff |
| 15:22 | 33811 |
The Meteor Crater
The endlessly flat Eastern Arizona desert plateau was scarred by a huge
meteor some 50,000 years ago, leaving a crater 570 feet deep and almost
a mile across.
It is really a sight to behold, especially if you are like Emily who
greatly underestimated the size of the crater.
You cannot see the crater until you climbed up the museum/visitor center
on the edge of the crater, where suddenly this enormous hole appears
before your eyes.
Visitors are not allowed to go into the crater. which served as the
training ground for Apollo Astronauts for their lunar missions.
|
| 16:08 | 33811 |
Leaving the Meteor Crater
Gas: 5.8 G x 1.85 / G = $10.66
In Eastern Arizona, Route 66 = I-40.
(They have torn up the old road and built a modern interstate freeway in
its place.)
Very straight and fast, but not too interesting. |
| 16:39 | 33836 |
Winslow |
| 17:04 | 33859 |
Joseph City |
| 17:15 | 33870 |
Holbrook |
| 18:09 | 33926 |
Sanders |
| 18:31 | 33971 |
Leaving Arizona
Entering New Mexico |
| 19:07 | 33971 |
Gallup
We have planned to stayed the night at Gallup, the first big town
after crossing the New Mexico state line.
We were surprised how poor Gallup looked in the night.
A lot of motels (almost all buildings are motels), some of them really
cheap (less than $20 per room) but looked really dark and scary.
We were looking for the El Rancho Hotel, a famous restored 1930 hotel, but
failed to find it in the dark.
Choosing safely over economy, we finally stayed a clean place called
the Economy Inn for $30. |
