DRIVE (Day 11 - part 1)

After breakfast at the hotel (including a fun waffle!), we set out at 9 am into the drizzling grey weather to begin the long drive home. While everyone thinks that California is always blue and sunny, there's a reason for the saying: May Grey, June Gloom.

Eventually we climbed above the clouds.

Our drive east on Interstate 8 took us through the desert and along the border with Mexico.

The desert ... the town of El Centro

At one point, the freeway came within a mile of the border.

The border wall

We crossed into Arizona over the Colorado River, which formed the border here.

Of course I couldn't pass up the opportunity to visit another Muffler Man!

The statue started out as a standard Muffler Man Cowboy in 1966 and stood at various places around Dodge City, Kansas. In 1971 he was moved to Boot Hill, where he was given a vest and a rifle and named Big Matt. In 1975, however, he was decapitated by a wind storm. In 1982, the headless figure was bought by the owner of Westward Village (where we were now). It was renamed Big Wes and given a klunky head with a motor inside so that the head would swivel (although it was never actually used). The park was sold in 1998, and in 2006 the new owners had the head remade.

We continued on, still relatively close to the border.

A jet swoops several times overhead.

The station was closed.

The rugged landscape

We made a brief stop for some burritos at Taco Bell in Gila Bend.

Stovall's Space Age Lodge opened in 1965. When the owner died, Best Western renovated the place. Shortly thereafter the restaurant burned down but was rebuilt in 1999.

Heading northeast

Mules ... and onions

Saguaros

We then passed through beautiful Sedona.

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