Williams-Route 66, Grand Canyon NM and TX

We made no reservations from Vegas til we get to FL so we have a week of just driving to where we can make it each day.  We haven't made it quite as far each day as we thought we would but it has worked out wonderful and we have stayed in some great places.  We left Vegas a little later in the day than we thought and were planning on the Grand Canyon that day but ran out of time so looked at the map and decided on Willams AZ which is less than an hour from the Grand Canyon.  Didn't realize til we got there that we were following route 66 which sort of goes along HWY 40 which is the route we are going across.  Williams is an absolutely adorable little Route 66 western themed town.  We looked up a place on our phone made a reservation and pulled in.  Just in time to catch a live cowboy bank robber shoot out in the street.  The cowboys told Nixon he wasn't from around there that he had to be from WA or OR cuz of his red hair. LOL  We also ate dinner in an awesome outdoor place that was like an old western town complete with a jail.  Williams was the last town to be on route 66 before hwy 40 became the new route.  We also ran into another Coast Guard Family that night in the street that are moving across country the opposite way of us so we swapped landmarks and things to see from where we just came and for us where we were going.  We didn't even know we could get an annual pass for free into national parks for being in the military.  Sure enough as they said we pulled into the Grand Canyon National Park and wallaa showed our ID and no $25 entrance fee and a pass for a year to get into any national park!

Next stop was Gallop New Mexico and on the way there we saw the Best and biggest preserved Meteor Crater in the world.  Saw a sign on side of the HWY so pulled in to check it out.  Wow was it impressive just to give you an idea you could fit 20 football fields in the just floor of it!

Today we made it to Amarillo Texas where we found a a hotel with great reviews and great price and then they gave us a military discount on top of that!  This is the home of the Big Texan resturant which is famous for it's 72oz steak challenge.  We saw it on TV before on Man vs Food with Adam Richman.  Awesome fun place!  And get this they come and pick you up at your hotel in a limo for free and take you home!  Can't beat that!

Today we also found the famous Cadillac Ranch or as we thought it was called grave yard.  We have seen it on the travel channel before.

That's what we have done to date... 8 states into our trip!  Here are some fun pictures:

Williams AZ reminded us of Disney cars movie

We drove past area 51 so of course we found Alien stuff!

2 of the 4 cowboys involved in shoot out!

Awesome place we ate dinner.  Literally walked across the street from our motel!

The boys in jail

Another bed made for Nixon

The Grand Canyon

It is truly Amazing

Paige and I got to quickly pet this little guy, he was so cute!

Goes for as far as the eye can see, almost looks fake like a painting the farther out you look

A piece of a meteor

That caused this meteor crater!  Crazy Huge!

Swimming time in Gallop NM this looked out doors with real trees but it was indoor really cool!

Yet another Nixon bed!

Cadillac Ranch, there actually were cows walking around it!

The Big Texan and our limo complete with horns on the front!

Simon ready to eat!

Wow how many beds can we make LOL, here is tonight's!

Hope this finds you doing well!  We are having a blast and driven through some nasty storms but it's been fun.  Also Cracker Barrels are some of our fav stops for food they rent children's books on audio so we have had fun getting them and exchanging them for new ones at the next stops!  I had good internet tonight at this hotel so that's why I posted.  I will post again soon when it's good again!