A Sojourn: Part 1 continued (again)

The last installment of the first part of our exodous to the West was probably the most interesting for me personally. I had never seen much of the desert, let alone driven through it. I was actually pretty excited to see the landscape because it was so different from what I was accustomed to in the Midwest. The scenery didn't really start to change into a "traditional" desert landscape until we were about half-way through New Mexico. For whatever reason, the ride from Amarillo through Albuquerque reminded me of the movie No Country For Old Men. I was hoping we wouldn't encounter a Javier Bardem-esque person (the psychotic hitman in the movie) carrying a compressed air container along the road. Much to my chagrin, my friend suggested we help some of them, while each hitch-hiker we encountered reminded me of such a possibility from the movie. I vetoed such inquiries with an iron fist.
We arrived, weary and beaten, in Albuquerque to indulge in some local cuisine. We stopped at a local diner that was apparently famous along the old Route 66 for many years. It was your typical 1950's looking diner, similar to what a Steak and Shake might look like (for all of you Ohio people). Having erased my hunger pangs with cheez-its and granola bars for most of the trip, I felt something more substantial would be in line. Examining the list, I was debating which might clog my arteries first. I decided that the chili burger would, but the chicken fried chicken was a close second. My co-pilot was not a fan of the town, and admittedly it was a little peculiar. Since Area 51 is a popular destination in the state, the city decided to dedicate an entire three block radius to shops that sold memorabilia or propaganda to the famous destination. I guess people walking around in alien suits and promising anal probes isn't for everybody.
One of the most interesting things in the region was a natural phenomena that occurred while driving through New Mexico and Arizona. After we left the restaraunt, it began to rain quite a bit which, as we later discovered, was from a hurricane that had gone through Texas. After driving a while, we saw dark skies and lightning, but no rain. I had never seen this before and was fascinated. We even saw lighting strike a cactus, which promptly set ablaze in the distance. I asked my friend living in Phoenix about it and he said it was something known as "heat lightning". I had never heard of such a thing, but I'll take his word for it. In any case, it was oddly beautiful. At this point in the trip, though, my friend was clearly irritated and angry from lack of sleep. I learned that a lack of food and sleep would turn her into a she-wolf. My attempts to talk while she drove in the early morning hours were, shall we say, rebuffed harshly. The tunnel vision had set in and all she was looking for was a bed to sleep in. For my own self-preservation, I was silent until finally finding a room in Arizona.
One thing that I noticed in the West was the false advertising that hotels and gas stations frequently used. The hotel in Arizona that we had looked into had advertised on their billboard that their cheapest room was $40 dollars. I ask the woman working the front desk for THAT room and she viciously told me that it would be $60 dollars. At that point in the night I ponied up the money, but where is the integrity? And on a side note, don't mess with an Indian woman who clearly has no interest in negotiating. You will feel the wrath and white hot heat of a thousand suns poured upon you.
Similar to the hotel in Oklahoma, this room smelled like there was a chain-smoking convention held there. Further, the roaches in the bathroom were still twitching from whomever tried to kill them last. The next morning as we departed, there were two very large statues of dinosaurs (one mauling the other) in the desert across the street. There was no rhyme or reason to this, and there was nothing around them. I had seen no signs for a dinosaur park or anything of the sort. I began to wonder if the road was taking its toll on my mind. We later found out that the funding had run out on a potential dinosaur themed park in the area. It still would be a cool tourist destination by itself I think.
The first major site to see on our list was the Grand Canyon. It was only slightly off of our route, and we both wanted to see it for the first time. Before getting to the main attraction, we stopped at the Little Colorado viewing area. There are Navajo men and women that sell their crafts there (as well as other places along the route to the Grand Canyon) and they were all quite friendly. Though, I have to wonder how much of it is actually a facade, and how much bitter resentment actually boils beneath the surface at the "gringos" that come through. You could tell to a degree, so I simply kept to myself. I knew I would be a little bitter. On the opposite side of the market were some portable restrooms. Feeling the need, I went over. Much to my surprise, when I opened the door, I saw a Navajo man sitting in the bathroom drinking peppermint schnops. He casually asked if I would like some as if this scenario was an everyday occurance or had happened before: I declined. The Grand Canyon itself was (is) a beautiful site. I had never really felt the enormity of the place through photos, but being there was breathtaking. Anybody who has not been should go before it erodes through natural process or man made. End of Part 1.