Monument Valley, Utah to Williams, Arizona 208 miles

US Highways 160 and 163 combined to get us to US 89 on Wednesday. Both are two lane roads through the Navajo Nation, with not a lot to look at except some random rock formations.

Periodically we spied a house or two, widely scattered throughout this harsh landscape. We marveled at people living so far off the grid that they need to haul water in tanks placed in the back of trucks. The trucks apparently fail regularly because most houses have a large variety of vehicles parked rather haphazardly around. I should say that I don't know if the cars and trucks are operable or not, but in any case they comprise a substantial collection around what is generally a small, compact dwelling.

After passing through Tonalea and Tuba City, we joined US 89 and started south toward Flagstaff. Intersecting Interstate 40, we headed west to the town of Williams. Built around the Grand Canyon tourist industry, Williams is a small town with big hopes. Located on the Mother Road, Route 66, there's a lot of nostalgic business downtown. We drove through just to check the town out, and yes, it still looks the same as years ago!

We blew into Railside RV at about 3 in the afternoon and settled into site 69. The sites in this park are very close together; we can see what the neighbors are grilling for dinner. The wind apparently is nonstop this time of year and is gusting at about 30 mph.

We decided to stay two nights here so we could go into Flagstaff for some much needed supplies. We had to stop for a cup of coffee on the way home at Macy's European Coffee House Bakery & Vegetarian Restaurante. We were introduced to Macy's in the '90's by our daughter who was doing some work at nearby Northern Arizona University. This hangout is near the campus, so...... The coffee is still just as great as it was 25 years ago, even though we ordered from a window, masks required, and couldn't enjoy the eclectic indoor atmosphere of mismatched furniture and the hubbub of college kids.

As I write this, on Thursday afternoon, the wind is still blowing a gale and we have been unable to spend any time outdoors, even though the temps are only in the 80's. We're outta here tomorrow and should be in California by nightfall. Wish us luck!