Day 25- Tuesday, April 12 - Alhambra, CA to Holbrook, AZ

Starting mileage:  79873 Starting time: 8:15 am
Ending mileage: 80415 Ending time: 5:15 pm
Travel mileage:  542 Travel time: 9:00 hours

We got up and left fairly early, saying goodbye to Surana, Nic, Mia and Mathias.

Once we got out of the urban areas, the hills were actually fairly green from the rain and before the dry season - soon - it will be all "golden brown". Once we went over the mountains, it was exceptionally dry desert  with just scattered dry brush. The ground is sandy / rocky with many lava stones / boulders.

When we came over the last ridge in California, we could see the very green Colorado River valley below. We were just about out of gas when we got to Needles, CA, the last town in California. Gas was $6.69/gallon! We just got $10 worth, hoping it would be less in Arizona. We had lunch at the Subway at the truck stop.

Just after the truck stop, there was a large billboard advertising gas for $4.53 / gallon 20 miles ahead. If we had known, we could have waited.

Just across the river Arizona, gas was $2 a gallon cheaper - hard to understand why.

Arizona was a bit more green and as we got higher, there were short Juniper trees and some larger pine. Near Flagstaff, we could see Humphrey's Peak, at over 12,000' the highest mountain in AZ which was beautifully snow-covered for much of the top.

There were quite a few desert flowers in bloom along the road, including Ocatillo cactus with pretty red flowers.

We are staying at a Quality Inn in Holbrook, AZ, just outside the Petrified Forest National Park - we were there last summer so won't go through again.

We had dinner at a steakhouse in Holbrook, our first significant beef since arriving in CA over two weeks ago. We aren't huge beef eaters but it was nice to have good steaks.

It is supposed to be only 18 degrees tomorrow morning, certainly not what we were expecting. Brrrr. It was about 55 this evening.

Ocatillo Cactus (not my photo)



Filet Mignon


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