The end of the road with Pipes & Sticks on Route 66

Stuart is quite the John Wayne fan.  As we were driving out of the park he asked for me to pull over for a photo opportunity at a very specific spot.  It turns out that he had captured a clip of one of The Duke’s movies on his iPad and found the exact butte and location of the scene. My wife, MJ, took a picture of Stuart holding his iPad up against the backdrop of the butte.

The vastness and beauty of landscape of the western United States is awe-inspiring. Having said that, driving over and through some areas on the highway can be an extreme exercise in tedium. Fortunately for our intrepid group of adventurers, there was no shortage of conversation, jokes, and stories. Good craic makes for enjoyable traveling!

We arrived in Flagstaff, Arizona, mid-afternoon and checked into the historic Weatherford Hotel. After our experiences at the “Historic” El Rey Theater in Albuquerque, the term “historic” did not hold any mystique for me. After examining the lumpy mattress, showering in a cramped washroom with a showerhead that insured my navel was squeaky clean, I was yearning for the Hyatt.