DAY 6...Not the day we expected...





The day began at a cool 25 degrees in Gallup, New Mexico.  Second night sleeping in the van a success.  Our plan for today was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park.  By the time we arrived, the temps were rising near 70, the sun was shining and the skies were blue.  It seems that there is always a breeze, sometimes more than a breeze in New Mexico and Arizona.  We are absolutely loving our trip!  And we are so glad we decided to make the leap!

The desert holds its own beauty.  The vast variety of color, ornamental grasses and the unique rock formations just seem to draw you in.  You have to wonder how they occurred?  Sometimes there is just a lone hill.  Sometimes everything around is deteriorated but a huge bolder remains.  And the petrified wood is facinating!  How does that happen? And we did do the touristy thing and bought a piece to bring home.  The building in the photo has been standing since the early 1900’s, albeit has been remodeled a bit.  The ceiling is made of hand-stenciled glass that was created in the 1930’s.  This is an area where history being preserved is a source of pride.  It is very awe-inspiring and humbling.

Since we entered New Mexico, we have been on Route 66!  Check my Facebook to see if you can identify a photo!

During our journey, we have noticed that we have a strange noise coming from the front of the car...brakes? Rotors? Hub?  Those of you who know us, know we are not auto mechanics!  You would also know that we have yet to take a trip and NOT end up in a repair shop for one reason or another.  So, today’s blog comes to you from the waiting room at O’Haco Tire & Auto Repair in Winslow, Arizona.  We probably could have waited until we got to Phoenix, but when we pulled out the paperwork (that was in the car...Yay!) Since we had some work done on the brakes, we were hoping if that is the problem, it would be covered under the warranty.  What we found was that the warranty was 12 months/12,000 miles.  That work was done March 27, 2018, and we have put about 11,000 miles on since then.  So, we are definitely on the border!  If it is not that, it needs to be fixed anyway, so might as well get it taken care, right?

Next stop, who knows?  It will depend on how long we are here and where we find to spend the night. We will finish this saga in tomorrow’s blog.  In the meantime, enjoy the pics!


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