Grants to Grants then Gallup

Well breakfast of scrambled egg sausage patties and toast then it's on the road. Back into Albuquerque to pick the route back up pretty straightforward really. And we are off......the road takes us out of Albuquerque and crosses and recrosses the Rio Grande. The countryside soon opens right up and the road is often totally on its own. The shape and colours of the rock formations are amazing. The drive is so enjoyable the road goes on pretty much to the horizon almost empty as far as the eye can see. We top another crest in the road and would you believe it speed restrictions and roadworks....... We thought we could see the road as well! We pulled up second at the stop sign and waited and waited.....7 or 8 minutes...they had taken up one of the lanes, the pilot vehicle came through leading..... 2 vehicles then turned around and led us through. The roadworks were over 2 miles long and had put us back 18 minutes according to our friend Garmin. Carrying on along the road we see a stationery train on the

tracks adjacent to us there were 3 large locomotive units on the front then 124 freight wagons and another locomotive engine at the rear the train must have been getting on for a mile long. Road kill 3 was close here as a family of what looked like gophers or prairie dogs were playing on the road but scattered back into the roadside bush.
We eventually got into Grants obviously some photo opps for us. We got Grants Café but couldn't find Grants Motel. Sands Motel whose claim to fame is that Elvis once stayed there is still open but certainly didn't seem very busy. Grants is home to the Mining Museum but we didn't really have time for it. I was mega disappointed that we couldn't make use of a great photo opportunity The Grants Route 66 Drive Thru Arch.... someone had only gone and broken down smack in the middle of it selfish so and sos. The road carried on through the countryside just going through small settlements. We stopped at The Indian Village this had been advertised solidly for about 8 miles

"Step inside an original hogan" "Authentic Indian Handcrafted Goods" "Moccasins for the whole family" "Sparkling Restrooms" Well that was the clincher Donna needed a wee. Well what a let down a tiny gas station a small gift shop the hogan looked like someone had thrown it together with some spare twigs and a model sized covered Wagon. Almost every item in the gift shop bore the tag "This is not a native American product" The moccasins even had rubber soles but the restrooms were clean if not sparking. Possibly the most impressive thing about this place is the fact it sits on the Continental Divide.....this line goes from the Mexican Border all the to the Canadian Border 3000 miles, rainwater that falls to the east of here flows into the Atlantic via the Gulf of Mexico and if it falls to the west it flows to the Pacific.
Back on the road to Gallup we find our hotel it sits on Route 66 but is just outside Gallup so we carried on through and followed the road into town. Some interesting buildings and signs quite a reasonable

small town. Gallup is the self proclaimed Most Patriotic Small Town In America and you get that feeling in our home for the night Comfort Suites. The down stairs lounge and lobby have numerous Tributes to Veterans and the forces in general alongside 2 large Star spangled banners. There is also some info on the World War 2 Navaho Code talkers the inspiration for the Nicholas Cage film The Windtalkers. We have to get our laundry done, dinner to prepare Beefioili tonight, showers to have as its an early start in the morning 274 miles tomorrow to the Grand Canyon.