On the Road Again!

It’s good to be back!  Hard to believe it has been almost a year.  This year is different, we decided to spend the summer at home doing some much needed home maintenance and enjoying the homestead.   We did take a few weekend trips around the beautiful state of New Mexico.  Oh, and we did get a new 5^th Wheel.  So here continues the adventures of Jack and Janet and the Biff II. 

We started our trip heading west on I40 with the Grand Canyon North Rim in mind.  Many times have I seen the sign for the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest off I40 and for whatever reason did not have the time to stop.   Just a few hours out of Albuquerque and we made this our first stop.    Be warned they have “Ranger Ravens” everywhere so you better do what the sign says.    Definitely worth stopping if you have the time although bear in mind it will be hot in the summertime! We spent the night in nearby Holbrook.

We continued on towards Flagstaff and turned onto Highway 89 north.  We saw a sign for the Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments.   It turned out to be an unexpected surprise.  A very scenic drive that meanders north and loops back to US 89.  And if you are in the Flagstaff area it might worth spending a day hiking around some of the areas.  There is Bonito campground right in the area which looked big enough for the Biff but it is dry camping.  It did add about 30 miles onto the drive but we stopped and had picnic lunch along the way.   A group of Europeans on a motorcycle tour of the Southwest got the biggest kick out of the Biff II.   We even gave them a tour.

We decided to detour a bit and spend a few days at Lake Powell.  For my Midwestern and Eastern friends this is a man made desert lake with stark landscapes surrounded by high canyons.  In the summertime some have likened it to the shores of hell.   It is famed for renting houseboats and drifting along it's many shores and canyons.   It can be especially beautiful at sunset and at night the stars are wonderful.  Jack and I sat outside at night and watched the lake and stars.  One night we were treated to a fireworks show in the distance.  Just magical!

I suspect in the summer months the crowds would be large and even in middle September we just got the last RV site with hook-ups.   And it was pricey!  But if you are going to visit Lake Powell it is the only way to go.  Something else they do not mention when registering at the campground is the fact that you can have access to the hotel amenities including their two pools and gym.   I found out by chance at the hotel front desk when asking about Wifi access in the hotel.  So do stop and get an access card. 

We looked into renting a speed boat for the day but opted out, again very pricey.   We did take a three hour boat tour that took us through the famed Antelope Canyon (water side) and Navaho Canyon.   The Antelope slot canyon tour is on land and a separate tour.   We were going to do it as well but the crowds looked too much for us.  All this in three days! We left Monday and now we are truly off to the North Rim.