Grand Canyon Project:
Day Seven
Sunday May 14, 2000

We've gone 1816 miles!

Click on a picture to view it larger - Rick

Another highlight of the trip for Jane was a reunion with Lyn, an old friend from grad school at SIUE, and her husband Steve in Albuquerque, NM. It was a refreshing break from the road. We were entertained by their 2-year-old son and shown great hospitality. Steve, the fresh-squeezed lemonade was great for desert driving!

We spent the afternoon at Sky City, NM visiting Acoma, a Native American pueblo located atop a mesa about 300 feet from the desert floor. Eleven families live in the town and sell both traditional and ceramic pottery painted with intricate, generations-old designs to the passing tours. These families have chosen to live here for generations, despite the lack of running water and electricity.

We decided to have an adventure and drive on one of the oldest remaining sections of Route 66 pavement. Following Bob Moore's suggestions in his book 'The Illustrated Guide to the Mother Road', we got off the interstate, followed a dirt road, and there it was. After this off-road excursion, Amy felt like she was Queen of the Road.

Along this section of road, we found the deserted ruin of a curio shop and spent time enjoying its rusted fragments of history. Close by, we found the Dead River, which was filled with the beautiful remains of sedans from the 30's and 40's.

As we left, the sky bloomed with color as the sun sank over a ridge.