Tusayan, AZ, to Kanab, UT

18 January 2016:  I got some welcome exercise today, in a sublime setting.  

• Right after breakfast, I drove back to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center.  Pausing only to buy a warm hat (it was cold, cloudy and windy this morning), I set off on a walk along the Rim Trail: an hour out and an hour back.  It was not a strenuous walk -- the trail is paved and level (albeit icy in spots today), and I stopped often to take photos -- but it was refreshing.  I guess that trail is packed with people during the summer, but I was mostly alone on it today.

• I departed around midday and drove around the eastern end of Grand Canyon.  The road was excellent, with very little traffic on it, and the scenery was spectacular.  The colors of the great rock formations are fascinating, and, of course, they change as the light changes.  And then there's the sky...

• Just south of Page, Arizona, I stopped to visit Horseshoe Bend, upon the recommendation of one of Mary's nephews.  [Thanks, Robert!]  Horseshoe Bend is a hidden gem, one of the most spectacular sights in the area.  From a nondescript parking lot beside the highway, a short trail leads to a cliff overlooking Horseshoe Bend.  There is no tourist infrastructure, no guardrails at the edge of the cliff, no explanatory signs.  As one approaches that cliff, there is no hint of anything special; it appears to be just another canyon.  Then, at the edge, one suddenly faces the great horseshoe bend in the river.  One is drawn to the sight, while conscious of the vertiginous drop just steps ahead.

• Just north of Page, I passed Glen Canyon Dam (completed in 1966) and Lake Powell behind it.  The dam cannot compare with the natural marvels around it, but I paused briefly just to take a look at it.  

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Views of Grand Canyon from the Rim Trail, west of Mather Outlook:

The countryside along the highways from Grand Canyon to Kanab:

A panorama shot: 

Approaching Horseshoe Bend:

Horseshoe Band:

Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell:

Sunset near Kanab:

Acoma Pueblo, NM, to Tusayan, AZ

17 January 2016:  Today, I drove my last segment of I-40, a highway that I've been following since I joined it east of Knoxville, Tennessee four days ago.  Today's drive, across high desert bordered by reddish brown mesas in the distance, was starkly beautiful.  As I approached Flagstaff, Arizona, the San Francisco Peaks loomed dramatically on the horizon.  I turned off I-40 in Flagstaff around midday and drove north on secondary roads through the San Francisco Peaks to Grand Canyon.  I arrived in the National Park in time to admire the view from Mather Point and to take a short walk on the Rim Trail.  It's awesome, spectacular...  

I'm spending the night in Tusayan, a town just south of Grand Canyon that caters to tourists.  I'll return to the Rim Trail tomorrow for a longer walk (the trails that descend into the canyon are very icy -- something I'm not prepared for), and then drive in the afternoon to Utah and other canyons.

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Rugged terrain around I-40 in western New Mexico:

We are not alone... 

The San Francisco Peaks, seen from afar on I-40:

A good secondary road leads north from Flagstaff to Grand Canyon:

Grand Canyon:

There is apparently a regulation somewhere stipulating that all visitors to Mather Point, the outlook closest to the Grand Canyon Visitor Center, must take at least one selfie.  The use of selfie sticks, while highly recommended, is not obligatory.

Oklahoma City, OK, to Acoma Pueblo, NM

16 January 2016:  Today was a long one -- 600 miles (965 km) from Oklahoma City to Acoma Pueblo, New Mexico.  I had planned to stop in Albuquerque, but I didn't get off the interstate to look for a motel until I had already gone too far through Albuquerque.  I ended up driving an additional 60 miles west to Acoma Pueblo, where I got a room in the gaudy Sky City Casino Hotel.  The staff at this place have been very friendly, but modern casinos (with hundreds of electronic slot machines) are not my cup of tea!  Oddly, very few of the many people playing the slots appear to be having fun.  They tend to sit motionless and expressionless, staring at the screen and pushing a button mechanically.

I drove with cruise control during much of the day:  I-40 west of Oklahoma City runs straight across flat, open countryside in western Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle.  The land in New Mexico is more varied and interesting, especially around Albuquerque, which is set in a range of low mountains.

I was pleased to arrive in Amarillo around midday, so that I could stop for lunch at the Big Texan Steak Ranch (http://bigtexan.com), a place that is so over the top that it cannot be missed.  The Big Texan has become famous for its 72 oz. (2 kg) steak, which is free if the customer eats the whole thing within 60 minutes.  My waitress today told me that only about 10% of the customers who take up the challenge actually succeed.  The rest pay $72 for the experience (and naturally they can take home what they don't eat in a doggy bag).

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I-40 west of Oklahoma City:

Rest areas are rare on these highways -- and then some of them are closed!

The Big Texan Steak Ranch:

Big Texan's modest 9 oz. steak was plenty for me:

The scenery -- not to mention the sky -- became more interesting in New Mexico:

The Casino's restaurant offers a good kale salad – just right after a couple of steak meals...

Memphis, TN, to Oklahoma City, OK

15 January 2016:  Today was another day focused exclusively upon driving: ca. 470 miles (755 km) from Memphis to Oklahoma City.  It was a bright, sunny day, with temperatures climbing up to and above 60° F (mid-teens Celsius).  As I drove, listening to an audio book, I reflected upon some of the distinctive aspects of driving on American interstate highways, in comparison with French autoroutes.  

For example, one sees many strips of tire tread lying on the shoulder beside the highways here.  I assume those strips have peeled off re-tread tires (mostly truck tires, I think).  I did not know re-treading tires remains so common here.  One certainly does not see such debris beside French autoroutes.

There is also a lot more road-kill on and beside the highways that I have been driving on.  Perhaps it is not surprising to see the remains of so many animals that have been hit by cars and trucks, since I have been driving mostly through rural areas, but I think that there is more here than on rural French autoroutes.  I don't have an explanation for the difference.

I've been surprised to see a significant number of cars parked on the shoulder of the highway that appear to have been abandoned.  Of course, one cannot know for sure why a car is parked beside the highway when one zips past it at 70 mph.  But the position of some cars (e.g., with one or two wheels resting on a downhill slope beside the shoulder) suggests abandonment and maybe foul play.

I miss the frequent rest stops (ranging from full-service areas with services stations, restaurants, etc., to simple places with parking, WC and some picnic tables) that one finds along French autoroutes.  Here, rest stops are simple and rare (at best, 50 miles apart).  For fuel, food, etc., one must generally leave the highway; sometimes it's easy off/easy on; sometimes not so easy.

And then there are the trucks...  They are enormous in the United States, and they roll at or above the speed limit -- often in the left lane.  If you drive at, say, 72 mph in a 70 mph zone in relatively flat terrain, you can expect to be passed frequently by these behemoths -- or to find yourself behind a truck as it works its way past another one.

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Today's characteristic view:

Highway rest area in Oklahoma:

I decided this evening that it was time to have a good steak for dinner.  The nearby Cimarron Steakhouse (http://www.cimarronsteakhouse.com), recommended by the clerk at my motel this evening, fit the bill quite well.  

I enjoyed a T-bone steak, cooked rare according to the directions.