From Grand Canyon to Virginia

Sunday morning and on the road early.  Drove through a pass in the San Francisco mountains outside Flagstaff at 8046 ft.  Beautiful scenic drive ity many road crossing warning signs for deer, elk, and cattle!  Open pine forrest with little undergrowth excep yellowed aged last uer's grass.

Mt Humphrey 12,000+ feet

Just a little history.  In 1965 David and Marty drove Rt 66, now only short stretches of the road remain.

Monday, March 31:  it was a very windy drive across northern Arizona into New Mexico.  We had subtle changes in scenery from wooded to open grassland to more rocky scenes.  Flat topped hills more like mesas and buttes.  The wind pushed us around but we were somewhat distracts by listening to the NCAA tourney as Michign State's game fell apart and they lost to a lower seed.  We stopped in Grants, NM to stay overnight in a motel so we could watch the U Michigan vs Kentucky game.  Again, a team played well but Kentucky played just a little better with a three point shot in the closing seconds to make the final four.  

We sulked for a bit and then went to the only closeby restaurant, Denny's, where one of the four of us had a decent meal.  The manager gave us a discount because of the poorly cooked foods.

We are on the road by 7:00 and headed as far to the east as our bodies and minds will take us today.  Somewhere a Walmart or rest area awaits us for the night.   And we stopped in Elk City, OK in a Walmart for our overnight after 500 miles.  Tuesday we stopped in Sullivan, MO after another 500 + day.  On the road now on Wednesday just after 06:00.  We have decided to do another 500+ day to put us into Virigina on Thursday.  

We have been driving in wind.  Every day starting our trip back to the east, winds that pushes us around and increases fuel consumption.  We had some heavy rain late afternoon yesterday and last night in our Walmart campground a few heavy showers moved through with lots of wind.  

A reflection on the weather for the trip is DRY.  We had some rain in Pismo Beach, CA and then showers one night in Oakland and then nothing until yesterday.  The dry weather out us on the road with dust devils and dust storms which we had not experienced before.  Climate change.

Crossed the Mississippi at St. Louis at 07:11 on 2 April.

Louisville Kentucky downtown...with the KFC Yum! Center and the Mohamad Ali Center and Louis ille Slugger field (baseball).  

Entering Louisville.

Overnighted after another 500+ mile day in Charlston, WV in yet another Walmart parking lot.

Now Thursday, April 3, and we are headed north.  Dee and Paul on their way to Sterling and Marty and David to McLean and Arlington.   The trip is essentially over having traveled over 8,000 miles.  We are anxious to see family and friends. 

Mountain road!

Now Saturday and we are all playing grandparents and catching up with family.  Come Monday we will all be back in Maine dealing with taxes, snow, garden prep, and who knows what else!

This is the last post for this trip we hope you all have enjoyed following us across the country and back agin.