Sun, Deserts, Cars..

So this morning we packed up our things which seem to have multiplied in the last three days, and collected our rental car.

All went well there, and we managed to navigate our way the few blocks to the freeway. I-10 East. We were on our way from Santa Monica to Flagstaff. It is a l-o-n-g way. We made a stop early on to get food before we ravenous, as that is a mistake we ALWAYS make, There was some debate about which was the best route, but we decided in the end to stay on I-10 past Palm Springs and then take the 95 north to Needles as that was a place on the list. We probably should have taken a slightly different route because we missed the town sign that said "Needles". Never mind. We stopped at a gas station at the same time and almost melted when we got out of the car ! The temp on the dashboard was telling us 109F. What IS that in celsius ?? I'm sure it must be well over 40, and it certainly felt like it while we stood there like dumbos trying to work out how their self serve, pay at the pump, pump worked. Thankfully someone came to our aid !

So then we were off again this time on the I-40. I found driving not so bad at all, once we had navigated the multiple lanes on the freeway out of LA. That is one BIG city. Most of the rest of the roads are at least two lanes in either direction and the two directions are sensibly separated by at least 100 metres of land, often more. (just like a lot of roads in the UK) NZTA could learn a lot from other roading agencies around the world.

Just outside Flagstaff (our destination for the next couple of days) an Elk casually strolled across an exit lane and our two high speed lanes in front of us and a bus. We had seen signs about Elk for miles and miles with no signs of any potential wanderers anywhere and thought maybe they were just for show, like they seemed to be at home. But no, it would seem not. no casualties though, thanks to great brakes and a sudden spurt of urgency on the Elk's behalf.

So, then we found our hotel and some dinner, and have sat down and been lazy in front of the tv for the evening. What's on the agenda for tomorrow ? You will have to wait and see.