Despite truck fumes – some of the big guys let their trucks run all night- we had a good or maybe even better sleep. Breakfast was on a bench at a little park at the truck stop and a very peculiar man dropped by with not too clean clothes but one gold tooth and very white teeth. He had a lot of questions and some insightful comments, but we still did not exchange e-mail addresses.

Instead we took off for Petrified Forest National Park, now no longer accessible via Route 66 but in the 50s and 60s on the route. Our quick excursion took half a day! Painted Dessert, beautiful rock formations, petrified wood and the Painted Desert Inn at Kachina Point were of great interest.

The Inn was built in the 1920s and restored by the Civilian Conservation Corps (a make work program for young unemployed people) in the 30′. Later it became a Harvey House http://harvey-house.info/arizona, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fred_Harvey_Company. The architect for the reconstruction in the 30’s was a woman, Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. We will meet her again in Winslow, AZ where she designed the beautiful La Posada Hotel. Her aim was to integrate her buildings into the landscape through shape and colour. Fred Kabotie, a very well known Hopi artist painted the storytelling murals.

Not quite as fancy as the Inn but nevertheless attractive was the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook and the old cars in front of each of them made it look even more authentic Route66.

The Jackrabbit Trading Post, no longer an attraction any more, was not that fascinating but Winslow definitely made up for it.

A railway town with connections to “The Eagles” and their song “Take it Easy” because one line in this song places them right into Winslow “Well, I’m standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona and such a fine sight to see”. We visited the corner, saw a statue in honour of the Eagles, listened to the song a dozen times because it was played over and over again at all stores.

We met three very dedicated people: Patrick the cyclist, Morgan the support cyclist and Mike the driver and organizer of this little outfit with a big heart. These three people are raising money for cancer research and help make a wish come true for some people with cancer, for example,  a bicycle for a little girl in hospital.

Dinner was at a former trading post turned restaurant run by a young man and his former school teacher mother. Mexican food it was and it was delicious.

With renewed energy all three of us marched to the famous La Posada Hotel, another Harvey Hotel designed by Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter. Absolutely great, a bit of nature, a bit of Monastery and museum where dogs are allowed in. The prices for rooms are not even that bad and we wouldn’t mind spending some time there at our next visit.

Last but not least we visited the Meteor Crater. Quite impressive and the museum gives it a vast context, which makes this even more complex.

We limped very tired to the Meteor Crater RV Park.