Blanding - Flagstaff Journey Day 12

No Internet in room last night but booked Holiday Inn Express in Flagstaff for tonight on the lobby PC before leaving. Breakfast was under stocked and short on tables but we got 15% off the bill for last night’s fiasco and left this disaster of a Comfort Inn behind. The sky is blue and the sun is shining.

Started the Jeep to be faced with “Oil Change Required” message on dash. Checked oil which was at very bottom of ‘SAFE’. Back to the Internet to find Alamo base and identified one at Flagstaff, our destination. Bought a quart of oil at the garage and topped up but still had the warning. As it was only a ‘warning’ I decided to continue as engine temperature suggested no problems. Not a good start to the day and it plagued me throughout the drive.

We are still plateaued at over 6000 ft but have adjusted now. You can still tell others are catching their breath.

As we drive away from Blanding, the sage brush is growing all around. The silver colour of the foliage gives the impression of a frosty scene. The ground is sandy and rocky and mini canyons 15ft deep follow dry water coarses. We have chosen a route away from the main road heading West then South to rejoin later. As we head down the south leg I am puzzled that the GPS won’t route this way. Then we see warning notices about 2 miles of gravel road with severe gradients. The reality when we arrive is 2 miles of rough gravel and switch backs winding down what I would think an impossible cliff had we not come down and seen others go up; this was more extreme that one could ever imagine.

After our hair-raising descent, we decided to divert along the 17 mile route through the Valley of the Gods; this road was used in Thelma and Louise for the scenes tearing off into the desert. An amazing drive weaving close to a myriad of strange red sandstone forms. The road was fun in the Jeep with the gravel and dips and hard corners, it wasn’t off road but it was sort of in our heads as we drove along leaving a dust cloud across the wild scenery.

Back to the main road and head off toward Monument Valley where many of the John Wayne westerns were filmed. Wild open country with giant monolithic red rocks rising from the earth.

We stopped for lunch at the town of Mexican Hat. Named from one of the features just outside town which is said to look like a man with a sombrero. ‘Town’ is and over statement but we ate in a Ma and Pop privately owned restaurant with great owners including a guy with the deepest growling western accent; he sounded straight out of a John Wayne film.

Almost 200 miles to go to Flagstaff we continued at 65 mph along straight roads disappearing into the distance. The terrain varied from open high moorland, through sand with tufted grass and desert scenes. The colours and contours in the rock are extraordinary. In the distance, afternoon storms are brewing and lightning flashes but we only encounter a little drizzle.

As we approached Flagstaff we made a brief diversion to Sunset Crater, a volcano described as active though the last eruption was in 1066 when ‘arold got shot in the eye by Bill the Conqueror. The lava flows looking like cracked up and bulldozed road surface and the caldera itself displayed a variety of colours. Incredibly, after the last 250 miles of rock, sand and desert, this is fertile and full of young green growth, indeed the whole area around Flagstaff is forested and green.

Having crossed another time zone, it is about 6 as we reach the outskirts and we head for the airport where there is an Alamo branch. The friendly guy there confidently assured us that the oil change message was merely mileage triggered and we should not worry. The guys at LA when we drop the car off will deal with it then. Phew, what a relief. It would have been a shame not to take the one vehicle right across.

Checked into hotel with no issues. Tired so didn’t go into town a mile away but went to Denney’s across the road then came back to research the Grand Canyon and look for accommodation tomorrow night. We haven’t been very successful on the accommodation so will look again in the morning. We’re 80 miles from the canyon but it doesn’t look as if we can get in any closer.

Internet connection keeps dropping out so I am not going to attempt to load many photos tonight.

Statistics: Miles today: 296 miles; Miles so far: 3,632; Fuel added so far: 177 gals; States: Utah, Arizona ; Time Zone: Mountain (UK -7) to Pacific (UK-8)