We headed out around 9 am for the Arizona state line. Arizona looks to be the state of bushes; lots and lots of bushes in the fields and on mountain sides. We also saw mountains with plateau tops instead of pointy tops adding a bit of variety to the landscape. The boys thought the drive was boring and snoozed. I was just happy to see green plants that weren’t cactuses and for the temperature to be 35 degrees Celsius instead of 47.
Our plan for the day was to experience the Historic Route 66. We arrived in Seligman, Arizona around lunchtime. This town is said to have been the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the Cars movies. They are really working this angle, which is understandable given the enormous decrease in tourism that occurred following the construction of the nearby Interstate-40. They went from 6,000 passersby per day down to 50 almost overnight. That would have been quite a blow to local businesses.
We headed to the infamous Snow Cap for burgers and milkshakes for lunch. This 50s style drive-in diner was hopping! It was a beautiful day to eat outside on a patio and the custom, two flavour milkshakes were delicious. The boys agreed that they were the best milkshakes they had ever tasted.
Our afternoon was occupied with driving through our first rainstorm since Canada.
We also got our third oil change of the trip. At the halfway point of our trip, here is the mileage breakdown so far…
1,000 gallons of gas
45 fill ups
19,500 km
3 oil changes
Average of 21 litres per 100 km in fuel economy
Cheapest gas was $3.56 per gallon in Kingman, Arizona
Most expensive gas was $6.60 per gallon in Mono County, California
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| Oil change time means a happy truck. |
We drove through the campus of Northern Arizona University to see the Lumberjack Muffler Man who lives beside the enormous white J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome that is their football stadium. According to Google, the dome opened in 1977 and is a unique timber-span structure built to withstand Flagstaff's harsh mountain weather, providing a climate-controlled environment at a high altitude (nearly 7,000 feet).
We pulled into Thorpe Park in Flagstaff for supper, alongside many hungry hornets who really like BBQ chicken - weird. The park had a great playground for the boys to work off their pent up energy. They quickly made friends with some local kids and ran timed races around the park. Hopefully this helps them sleep tonight.
We had hoped to visit the Lowell Observatory this evening but sadly, it is 90% cloud cover. This Observatory is where Pluto was discovered. How cool. We are disappointed to miss out on this experience but we know we can’t control the weather.
We are boon-docked just outside Flagstaff in a pine forest near Sunset Crater in a nice little campsite on the side of the volcano. Looking forward to a peaceful sleep.
50% done! On the one hand I am thinking “Already?” And on the other hand I am saying, “Wow, you have done/seen so much so far and you still have as much time to see/do the same amount again!” No moss is growing on the Kehoe-MacLeod clan this summer! Great stats too…thanks for sharing! Miss you all!
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