Day 3: New Mexico to Arizona

527 miles 

Avg. Fuel Econ. 15.5 mpg (50 Miles off-road)

Left Albuquerque NM at about 6:30 AM and arrived in Peach Springs about 1:15 PM. A short drive compared to the first two days. We kept a pretty straight shot through the west half of NM and most of AZ. Took a short detour off the highway onto Route 66 to get towards the Hualapai Tribal lands that covered Diamond Creek Rd. Where we purchased a permit that allowed us to drive into the Grand Canyon. The Diamond Creek Rd. Is a 22 mile dirt road that requires a high clearance vehicle, and brings you directly down to the banks of the Colorado River as it runs between the walls of the canyon. The elevation at the entrance to the road started at 4530 ft. It descends over 3000 ft to a short 1450 ft. above sea level.The people of the Hualapai Tribe maintain and care for the land, and clearly show a great amount of care for the road and the area surrounding it. We were lucky enough to be the only tourists in the Canyon for 2 and a half hours, having the entire place to ourselves. This allowed a peaceful atmosphere as we surveyed the Canyon. Pictures say a thousand words, but its not enough words to describe the enormity and sheer beauty of what we saw.  BY OURSELVES! NOBODY ELSE WAS THERE! 

Other than the elevation, the distinction of temperature from the outskirts of the canyon to the hollow next to the Colorado River was equally as stark. When we entered the reserve, we read that the temperature was about 92 degrees. When we got down to the banks, our climate display topped out at 107 degrees. But don’t worry, its a ‘dry heat’. Because of these extreme temperatures, we really were able to utilize one of the more luxurious features in the truck. Not only does the Canyon have heated seats, it also has cooling seats. Which kept us from sticking to the comfy leather seats. It provided an even cooler safe haven in the cab after wandering around in egg-cooking temperatures. We were spent.