Walkabout Day 3: Summary

Day 3 travel took me from Flagstaff AZ to Palm Springs CA with a detour through Sunset Crater National Park, Wapatki National Monument and the Grand Canyon.

Day 3 Quick Hits

• In Arizona there are no Mexican Restaurants. They're all called Mexican and American restaurants. I guess they're still feeling the sting of giving up the Gadsden Purchase.
• While standing at Starbucks in Flagstaff I saw this dude and wondered "Do the guys with the large flat-billed trucker hats know how ridiculous they look. Do chicks dig it??"
• On the way up to the GC, every lookout point has a Navajo trinkets booth. It's the usual stuff -- pottery, blankets, jewelry. Isn't it time to update the Native American image? Maybe sell a line of fine fountain pens, or maybe sign people up for Dish Network. Just sayin.
• It was amazing that most of the people visiting , and it was crowded at the GC, did not speak English. In fact it seemed as though most spoke French, with another large protion speaking German.
• I'm not an anti-smoking guy. But shouldn't you leave the smokes at home when going to a National Park? There's all this delicious, pine-fresh mountain air to breath. So, dude in the goofy bike hat, do you really need a smoke at every lookout point??
• I filled the Xterra up with gas in Needles, CA. It had to be well over 100° at 7pm.
• While driving into California, everyone, not just trucks, have to stop and be asked about if you're carrying any fresh fruits, veggies etc. You read it here first. California -- Nazi-like police state.
• For about 90 minutes in Cali, I had to drive on a small, two-lane desert highway. It was dark, dusty, undulating and quite scary. I couldn't help but wonder if an over-enunciating Tina Turner would greet me at the end of the trip and inexplicably refer to me as Raggedy Man.
• Also, on that desert hiway, I saved the life of a desert fox by not running him over.
• Day 4 Preview: Joshua Tree National Park