Arizona….Not just a desert.

We loved the Vermillion hills, but not the 45 degrees. We had to hide in the shade at the gas station.

What’s surprising about Arizona is how green it is. When you are driving down to the North rim of THE Canyon there are forests and meadows right up to the rim. If you have only a short time choose the south rim for sure. We spent a very sketchy night camped at the Quality Inn “campground” in Tuba city. Then we parted ways with Deb so she could run for the border before her visa expired.

We toured the South rim on the bikes and via the shuttles to hermit’s rest. Luckily we arrived after the labor -day weekend so it was not mobbed and we camped at Mather point.

Flagstaff is a nice town and Dan found the perfect hotel. First the price was an amazing deal and then across the street was Walmart, a huge Laundromat, a self car wash with air-dry wand, a jiffy lube for the oil drop, and a tripadvisor 5 star Indian restaurant. We hung out here to rest up and regroup. We rode to the Montezuma Castle thru Sedona and the Red rock Scenic byway.

We had a long drive today, but still managed a loop thru the Petrified Forrest National Park. The tail end of the hurricane made this day long windy and rainy at times. On the way to Albuquerque we took a detour thru the Zuni Nation to take in the Petrified Forrest National Park. There were some cool petroglyphs there too.

Now we are off to New Mexico for some bike service and new tires at Sandia BMW in Albuquerque.