Driving to Flagstaff

Woke a little earlier today and packed up to go to pick up a rental car to drive to Flagstaff. Took a cab to the rental car depot - never seen one so big. All the rental car companies are housed in the one complex and there were loads of people waiting for cars. Finally we were able to check in at the desk and arranged the car. We decided to get an upgrade to an SUV as we were not sure about the road conditions due to a significant snowfall a couple of days ago.

We got onto the right road after doing a trip around the block and drove out of town a bit to a service station where we picked up some food and drink for a late breakfast.

We drove towards Boulder City which is the town built when they were building the Hoover Dam. There was a very long tail back at Boulder City, but we eventually were able to turn onto the road towards the Hoover Dam. Security is quite an issue and all cars were stopped on entry to the area. We were amused when the security guard said "Welcome to the dam and have a dam good day!"
We stopped at a parking space and Suzanne walked up the hill to a track that takes you out onto the road bridge that goes across the river. She got some good photos of the front of the dam, but found the height of the bridge a bit daunting. Driving across the dam was interesting as the border between Nevada and Arizona is halfway across the dam. Also, there is an hour time difference between Nevada and Arizona, so we had to put our watches forward an hour. We drove up the road and parked at one of the many free parking spaces so we could get a view of the back of the dam.

We then got back onto the I40, which is the interstate road the leads to Flagstaff and beyond. Driving across Arizona was interesting as it was so different from anything else we have seen. The area was quite flat but you could see mountains in the distance. Also, the roads are quite straight so you drive for miles without going around a bend.

We stopped at a cow town called Kingman for lunch. We went into a supermarket and it was huge and very busy. You could buy just about anything there. The people were very interesting too. It looks as if it is not a very prosperous town.

Back on the road and following the same highway, we eventually arrived at Flagstaff just on dusk. There was a lot of snow around and still some ice on the roads, but nothing too bad. We found our friend Syd's house reasonably quickly and were soon in the warmth of the house.

Syd took us to a local hotel for a meal which was very nice - clam chowder followed by beef rib steak with baked potato and small salad - too much for me!


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