Quick Arizona Trivia

Arizona does not do Daylight Savings time, because they have no need to save daylight. The sun actually never sets in Arizona until it has baked and blinded everyone on the highway. If traffic is slack, the sun never sets at all, it just dances around like a boxer waiting to take a shot at your eyes.

Sometimes you can trick the Arizona sun by wearing sun glasses on top of your head facing backwards, as well as a pair worn the normal way. But if it gets just a glimpse of your eyes, it will go for them. Beware!!!

Town Review: Gallup, AZ

So, decided to head toward Jerome, AZ, then decide whether to hit some of CO or what. I did not research it or consult the map. Why not just let the GPS lady in a box do the work? She is kind of boss, but I like her and she rarely disagrees with anything I say.

Anyhow, I thought, "Why not spend the night in Gallup?". After that I could decide whether to take very back, back roads or follow GPS lady's suggestions.

Some miles before arriving there was a sign which read, "Gallup, New Mexico's adventure capital!". There are various types of adventure. You can pretty much file any of them one of two ways; good adventure or bad adventure. I believe there is good reason that the sign did not specify.

I'm assuming there is some sort of historical value having to do with Rte 66. Motels abound. Pure garbage abounds. Worst of all, they think they are such a hot tourist trap that even good name chain motels play bait and switch with their signs.

The competition is great enough that many of them post the rate on one of those moving light signs. So, I saw one I liked, and since it also claimed discounts for being old, or AAA, figured I'd get them locked into the ad rate, then ask how senior is senior. Usually the look and say you have to be over 55, or 50. It is flattering. But then they try to mouse out of it.

This place, however, said, "oh, I'm sorry, the only rooms we have left are ($10) more than the advertised rate. I'm not one to argue about it. When I don't like the way they do business, I do not do business with them. I also happen to know that this chains rooms are all the same. Maybe they sometimes have a king instead of two smaller beds, but they've never charged me a different rate for that.

I looked at some other places then said "hell with it, this place is named Gallup for a reason". I'm guessing that in the old days, if it was as unappealing as today, a sensible cowpoke would gallup away as fast as he could upon seeing the hell hole he'd happened upon. Of course today they even have lower speed limits around the town on the interstate and everywhere just to test your discipline.

I toured the town and am now maybe 50 or 70 miles west, near Chambers, at the Chieftan Inn. Sounds like a condom name.
At any rate, they charge a fair price, don't BS you, and I like the ambiance of this dive. Where Chambers is, is anyone's guess.

All I see is this motel complex and a spiffy gas station, and little convenience store. And it beats the hell out of Gallup, AZ!!!!

In A Tent; DOWN BY THE RIVER!!

It would be a good place for a homeless person who had a car and a tent. It is secluded but close to a road, right by a rapidly moving very shallow, clear cool refreshing river. I did not try it, however I could see the river serving many purposes, including nature's bidet!

There are a handful of places between Arroyo Seco and Taos ski valley ski area where you can pull off onto a sort of dirt road in the trees and camp right by the river. On the other side of it the peak rises very steeply. It is hard to believe the trees can grow on such vertical terrain, but it is heavily wooded almost to the top, then it is stone, waay up there. On the opposite side of the road it just rises up to another ridge, but not as steep.

I thought I'd get the eary weekend crowd but I did not. The place where I pulled in ony had room at each end so the other people were about 100 yards downstream, with some large, and small, trees between us. I couldn't hear them for the rush of the river and all the rapids.

It is shallow enough to walk in without geting swept away, and, of course, it has all those cool, smooth river rocks. In a couple of places there were even little islands of river rock, just barely above or at river level. I stepped in where it was mostly ankle deep and never up to my knees. Very cold, but it felt great.

No cell signals were to be had there so it was a good place to clear my head and pay attention to casting out the stupid worries I carry, and all that sort of stuff. I saw no UFOs, and BigFoot never dropped by even though I telepathically invited Mr/and/or/Mrs/and/orMiss/and/orMs BigFoot to come have some Cuban coffee. I heard the are quite intuitive and all that. Could be a language barrier, even telepathically.

I've thought of man things to mention but I forget most of them if I don't make a note. I made some notes earlier in the trip, but I am not sure where the note pad is.

Here's a pic down by the river