Days SEVEN and EIGHT (10/13 and 14)

Well, not ALL of day eight. But when you realize where we're stopping for the night, you'll more than likely understand why.
Leaving Encino we make it to Albuquerque, home of Kirtland Air Force Base.
Seen from the air, the city looks like this:

 
"What chance would I have of actually seeing the city from this perspective," you ask? If we were to have been there last week, we would have been able to take a ride in a hot air balloon during the world's largest hot air balloon festival. The festival averages over 500 balloons each year.

Let's skip the smallish towns along the way, as we have two biggies to mention today. Actually, ONE of the smallish towns is Thoreau, NM. The town was NOT named after Henry David Thoreau, and "Practically all residents pronounce the town's name like "thuh-ROO" (similar to "through" or "threw") and not like "thorough" or "throw" (source).

The next city we're passing through is Gallup, New Mexico (you just sang that in your head, didn't you?) Gallup sits at 6,468 feet, which is more than 1,000 feet higher than Mount Washington. Yep. "Gallup was named as the winner in the 2013 Best of the Road contest by Rand McNally as the "Most Patriotic Small Town in America 2013."




Gallup is also known as the "Heart of Indian Country," as it is in the middle of Navajo Nation and is also home for many Zuni and Hopi tribe members.

Let's get going. Remember the ear-worm I planted earlier? I have another one for you today. This one is from the Eagles, though. Perhaps you've already seen this picture? Get it? Do you have the song playing in your head yet? 

For me, though, that's not the most interesting thing to be found in Winslow. Winslow is also home to the 9-11 Remembrance Gardens, a memorial honoring those who lost their lives during the September 11 attacks. The memorial was constructed using two beams recovered from the wreckage of the World Trade Center towers.

Before we camp for the night, I'll let you in on the secret above. "I'm standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see; it's a girl, my Lord, in a flat bed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me." Now do you have the song in your head? Good. My work is almost done here.

Standing On a Corner Park. Winslow, AZ.