Arizona and Nevada

Following our second night in Monticello, we had a five-hour drive through desert to Williams, AZ. It was an uneventful drive until, near the end, we were hit by a monsoon and could barely see 10 m in front of us for quite a while. Fortunately, Amy was driving and we got out of the rain collision-free. Williams is a nice small town on historic Route 66. We had dinner at a very American diner. I bought some hot sauce.

After a good night's sleep (the boys were so worn out by this stage that they had begun to fall asleep easily in the hotels), we headed North for about an hour to the Grand Canyon. This was my second trip to the Canyon, and it was just as breathtaking as the first. There are no fences around the majority of the South Rim; you could just walk right up to the edge! We saw a jumper lying on a rock near the edge and no one around, which was a little concerning.

We drove back to the Interstate and continued on for about five hours to Laughlin, NV, where we were smacked in the face by what felt like 45 °C winds. This was by far the hottest and dryest place we visited. Consequently we spent most of our short stay indoors. Laughlin and Bullhead City sit on opposite sides of the Colorado River, which also serves as the boarder between NV and AZ. We stayed in a paddle steamer hotel. It was the cheapest night, but also one of the most comfortable nights, of the entire trip.

The next day, after breakfast at IHOP we drove about three hours to San Diego. What a joy it was to see the ocean again!