Day 2: Albuquerque,NM -> Flagstaff,AZ

You may be wondering why I started my road trip blog on day 2. The simple answer is day 1 was boring. The first 9.5 hours consisted of just trying to get out of Texas, there really isn't much of a scenic route when it comes to Texas, then another 3 hours to bring us to Albuquerque, NM. Once we were in Albuquerque we ventured around the town, which was extremely colorful and lively, then stopped at Range Cafe for dinner. Overall the first day of our road trip was successful, we ate good food and made it out of Texas! Day 2 involved unexpected adventures, as we were leaving Albuquerque,NM to make our way to Flagstaff, AZ we missed our exit, which caused us to take a different route. Along our new route we made 2 additional stops that were not plans, but in my opinion were worth the while, the first one being Petrified Forest National Park, AZ (photo 1) and the other being Winslow, AZ (photo 2).The national park contained a beautiful landscape that was simply breathtaking. Winslow is a small, nothing town that would be considered just another dot on the map if it wasn't for The Eagles song Take It Easy:

Well, I'm a-standing on a corner

In Winslow, Arizona

Such a fine sight to see

It's a girl, my Lord

In a flat-bed Ford

Slowin' down to take a look at me   

After our 2 quick stops, we continued our journey to Flagstaff by taking a scenic drive passing through the beautiful city of Jerome. Jerome is an old mining town that now contains various cute boutiques and small shops all along one road with numerous switchbacks. We stopped once along our scenic drive at a small overlook (photo 3) where an older man was selling hand crafted jewelry (photo 4). Then we traveled through Sedona, AZ to experience the renowned red rocks of Sedona, which were so incredibly beautiful that photos did not do them justice. Finally, we arrived in Flagstaff, AZ with plenty of time to roam around the city square and eat dinner at Fat Olives, a restaurant that was featured on Drive-Ins, Diners, And Dives, and even had enough time to take a quick dip into the hot tub at the hotel pool. In the morning we make our way to the Grand Canyon National Park!

Photo 1: Here I am posing in front of the grand view from the overlook in Petrified Forest National Park,AZ.

Photo 2: Tamara and I standing in front of a flatbed truck on a corner in Winslow, AZ.

Photo 3: Mingus Scenic drive view from overlook.

Photo 4: Handcrafted jewelry.