Albuquerque to Holbrook

Much better night sleep in the motel. A quick McDonald’s breakfast (our first of the trip!) and we got on the road - later than intended yet again.

Our first stop- Acoma Pueblo. We knew this was an ancient tribal settlement but weren’t sure what to expect as it was on of the few areas I hadn’t researched to death. We arrived just as a tour was about to leave so we jumped straight on it. A mini bus took us up the Mesa where we decamped for a walking tour.

Our guide (English name Steven, Acoma name meant something about saltwater- made sense when he described it) took us round the dwellings at the top of the Mesa which is the oldest continually inhabited place in the US dating back to 1100 and something. Serious history!! A lot of the buildings were rebuilt after an altercation with the Spanish conquistadors, but eventually all the Pueblos ganged together and kicked the Spanish back to Texas. They continue as an official matriarchal tribe.
I had to get a permit for my phone so I could take pictures and there were some sacred areas we couldn’t take pictures at all.

They don’t miss an opportunity to sell you stuff though with many stalls selling their wears to the tour guests. We bought some fresh pumpkin cookies for $1 and they were yum. I also bought a nice piece of art for our house. It was not $1.

All in all we both found the tour fascinating but we were now even further behind our schedule!

I took over the driving and took us into Arizona after a quick photo stop at the continental divide. The place where rain on one side drains to the Pacific and on the other to the Atlantic. Surprise surprise there was a gift shop.

The scenery rapidly changed to something much more deserty. Some really stunning bits of driving.

Rich was insistent we tried a Sonic burger for lunch - a strange semi drive through experience. Rich’s burger was ok but my chicken tenders were dry - McDonald’s are better!

We skipped a couple of Route 66 places for time purposes, (well we drive through so not entirely skipped), until we got to the painted desert and petrified forest national park. After getting some advice from a ranger we got going. It was a 28 mile stretch of road through the most stunning scenery- mesas, rock formations that really look like they’ve been painted stripes due to the strata formed over millions of years. Sweeping plains- everything looking a bit more Westworld! Just awesome. We spent a good few hours here before continuing onto Holbrook, Arizona our stop for the night. Another traditional motel but this one is so much an improvement on the last it’s untrue. Its just lovely and I wish we were staying here longer :(. Had originally considered staying in the Wigwam motel which would have been unique but it’s actiall just across the road from here so I could take photos of the wigwams lit up anyway.

Stocked up on tomorrow’s salad lunch at Safeway next door and had a great diner dinner at a traditional place down the road. Made sure to ask for brown gravy on my mash - white gravy is not the same at all as we have learnt.

Looking forward to another awesome day in Arizona tomorrow!!!

Road kill count low, not sure why it’s reduced so much: 2 critters (one small, one large) and a large amount of animal poo
In contrast we were very excited to see two chipmunks, very much alive. To add to the roadrunners we saw yesterday :)

State#7 Arizona
Hotel # 10 Globetrotter Lodge