Yesterday we headed East from Las Vegas towards Arizona. The scenery from Las Vegas towards the Arizona border as you see the signs for Hoover Dam. The scenery from Las Vegas to Flagstaff is impeccable. Several areas to stop and get pictures along the way.
One place to stop is the Last Stop in White Hills, Arizona. Here you can fuel up on gas, food, snacks, and last minute souvenir ideas. After that you'll venture along Hwy 93 until you get to Interstate 40. From a Interstate 40 we headed East towards Flagstaff.
One fun fact or stop along the way are the Route 66 markers especially in Kingman and Flagstaff, AZ.
Along Interstate 40 you'll find it very scenic and picturesque. The drive is long but you'll have turnoff to get to the Grand Canyon that runs about 80 miles north of Interstate 40. The next pit stop we made was Flagstaff.
Flagstaff offers alot of shopping, restaurants, and plenty to see and do. Yesterday I blogged about our dining experience which was amazing.
After Flagstaff we headed East towards Santa Fe which was our final destination. A couple stops we made along the way before the New Mexican border state line included. The meteor Crater in Winslow Arizona and The Petrified forest (a post it note recommendation) on exit 311 on Interstate 40.
After the Petrified Forest our next stop was at the New Mexico state border to mark off state number 48 around 7:45 last night. From there we pushed the next 3 hours towards Santa Fe.
We arrived at the Inn at Santa Fe, SureStay Collection by Best Western. Very easy check in and wonderful staff. Great place to stay if your looking for a place to sleep and get on the road the next day. Rooms were clean and beds were comfortable. Close proximity to the Interstate and downtown Santa Fe.
This morning we woke up and drove to Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a very cool city with a very big arts district and shops. It's not that big but you can spend hours going from shop to shop and taking in the appreciation for southwest art and culture that Santa Fe has to offer.
For lunch we ended up at Garcia's for some great Green Chili with Karnitas and Really good beef Enchiladas. Garcia's itself has been around since the 1970's and the staff and service is awesome.
After lunch we headed to the Petroglyph National Monument and trails. There we took in the appreciation for early native American art that had been drawn into the stones some 600 to 1500 years ago as a way for the early Native American tribes in New Mexico to communicate with one another. This place was recommended by another rider via post it note, who was from Albuquerque. and it did not disappoint.
Our final stop in Albuquerque was the Rio Grande Nature Center Park. This area has a visitor center and plenty of trails along with several areas you can take in to see wildlife especially if you're a bird watcher.
The Albuquerque airport is in close proximity to downtown and you only need less than an hour to get through security or TSA pre check. Extremely nice, easy to get around, and access to gates is less than five to 10 minutes from security.
The last five days Tucker and I covered 5 states, hundreds of miles, several national parks, and night life in Vegas. This journey has been epic and so many memories made. Looking forward to other adventures here soon.....
Incredible 💫