This morning, our congenial host whipped us up an egg breakfast with a coffee chaser and it was great. We finished eating and hobnobbing and jumped into our car for an excursion to Gallup, New Mexico, taking the long way. We could have jumped on I-40 and gone by Walnut Canyon, Meteor Crater and the Petrified Forest but we had travelled this road, albeit from East to West, a few years back so this time we decided to pass through the Navajo and Hopi Reservations. When we passed through this stretch previously, we could look North and see rainbow, pastel cliffs far away on the Navajo Reservations so this time we went to see ’em up close.

We backtracked up US-89 for a couple hours, passing through Sunset Crater Volcano and Wupatki National Monuments and the hamlet of Cameron before continuing on to US-160 Eastbound for about five miles before turning Southeast on AZ-264. We followed this road almost all the way to Gallup.

The road crossed at least three massive mesas with huge drainages between them. The drainages must only do their thing during monsoonal downpours that occur during some other season because we didn’t see a drop of water. All of our route passed over reservation lands and through several Native American villages. Since we are travelling during the time of Covid-19, we noted signs posted at the entries to the villages and other reservation areas strictly forbidding us pesky Paleface types. The locals have had a rough time with the pandemic.

Nevertheless, the colors of the terrain are stunning, the geologic formations are fascinating and I gained a respect for those that can live in this challenging environment. The plants are prickly, surfaces are convoluted and water is scarce.

We eventually ended up at the La Quinta Inn in Gallup, where we actually got a room with a geezer-accessible restroom, grab bars and a sizable terlet allowing challenge-free bathroom activities. It was very nice. We went down the street to a restaurant run by a Palestinian family. When I asked the owners if their displayed Palestinian flag had brought out any hateful eruptions from Rednecks, they indicated the only issue they had was a tourist from Los Angeles flipped out when the owner showed up to take his order with a head covering. The poor lady took the high road and threw the goon out of her business.

Just outside of town are big pastel cliffs, smooth and curvaceous. They are beautiful, particularly at sunset.