Traveling Through New Mexico into Arizona

Carlsbad KOA Entrance

We left the KOA in Carlsbad at 8:22 am.  It is 680 miles to the Grand Canyon, our next destination.
We traveled US 285 north for 225 miles until we hit I-40 approximately 60 miles east of Albuquerque, NM.  We traveled through Roswell, NM, the home of the alien invasions.  Everywhere in the city was statues of aliens.  This is where siteings of spaceships and visitors from other galaxies have come to earth (LOL).  The day's travels consisted of very little settlements or inhabitants.  It was desert, tumbleweeds which slowly turned into grassland  and good cattle country, as we approached I-40.


We traveled through two small western settlements. There were several gas stations and motels

Grassland

that were closed.  Scrub trees were growing through the buildings, indicating that they had been deserted for some time.  There were shanties and trailers that indicated some people still lived there.  No grocery stores or service stations for miles from these areas, which made me wonder how they lived.  The wind was really blowing, which made it difficult driving.  Reports were that there were gusts up to 50 mph.  We drove into Arizona and pulled off in Holbrook, Az  on historic Route 66 and stayed overnight at the Holbrook Petrified Forest KOA.  Interesting that there is a petrified forest National Park when there is not a single tree in sight.

The area also boast of a painted desert in the vicinity.  We are approximately 160 miles from the Grand Canyon making this a good travel day.  Since we left Auburn, on Sunday, September 15, 2013, we have traveled 1831 miles.  We will be staying inside the Grand Canyon National Park at the Trailer Village.  Originally no sites were available on the days we were to arrive but due to being ahead of our schedule by 3 days, we were able to get reservations when we called yesterday.  Temperature at the Grand Canyon is predicted to be a low of 28 degrees tonight  with a high in the mid-fifties.