Gallup is 6,467 ft in elevation and we could tell our breathing was more difficult. According to my Fit my blood oxygen levels are lower, resting heart rate higher and respiration rate went up. We are heading to Sedona next which is 4,350 ft in elevation so we should breathe easier tonight. On the way to Sedona we visited the Petrified Forest National Park.

Gallup to Holbrook

We had read that the most interesting parts of the Petrified Forest are on the southern section so we decided to drive past the forest to Holbrook and double back to the southern entrance. We topped off our charge at Holbrook. When I plugged in at Holbrook the charge rate was very poor for a V3 station. Then I realized this station had been expanded and they had both V2 and V3 charging equipment. I unplugged and moved to a V3 stall. Much better.

Petrified Forest National Park

This was the first National Park since leaving home four days ago. It finally feels like we are arriving rather than just travelling. The drive from Holbrook to the park was very desolate, as we entered the highway a sign said that they did not patrol the road at night or during storms, in other words you are on your own. The forest was very interesting, many of the landscapes looked like moonscapes.

Petrified Forest to Flagstaff

The forest was very interesting and relatively quite, no crowds. We set off for Sedona with a top off at Flagstaff. We could have made it on the charge remaining but I prefer to have extra when I arrive at a destination to give you some touring miles before you need to charge. We stopped at the V3 station in Flagstaff, there is aV2 station but it didn’t make sense to go to an old location. We charged for just 13 minutes.

Flagstaff to Sedona

As we were charging at Flagstaff I visited the Circle K next door to use their facilities. They were disgusting, I felt I could wait the extra 58 minutes to Sedona to avoid catching who knows what. This turned out to be a questionable decision. Just as we entered the interstate I was experiencing a “personal emergency” and we pulled off at the first exit and found a port a potty at a local park. The port a potty had just been delivered and was pristine. So much better than the Circle K bathrooms. Refreshed I got back into the car and Karen said that the road we were on was rated as one of the most pretty drives in the US. So we did not get back on the interstate and take the scenic route. What a delight this drive was, it certainly lived up to its billing, what a happy accident this was. When planning a trip it’s important to have a plan in case your plan doesn’t go according to plan.

Arrival at Sedona

We arrived at Sedona and checked into the motel. What a fantastic location with the best views we could have hoped for. The motel looks old from the outside but they did make the rooms modern and we enjoyed our stay. This is the view that greeted us from our motel window.