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Sunday, October 6, 2013, 11 am in France, 3 am at Phoenix, I sleep since 4am just the time difference wakes me... I try to go back to sleep, but it is a bit complicated. Too bad, I am lying in bed. Around 6 am, the phone rings, time to wake up ! Outside there is good and the sun poses a great light on the walls and plants. I'm going outside for a walk near the motel, I take the heat and light...

Walking around, I discovered two special trees. The first faces a Eucalyptus ... Camphor is a ... it feels strong and Eucalyptus in front, you can make an ointment for diseases affecting the lungs, nose and throat (colds, flu, etc ...). The leaves are special: round, thick enough, and feeling really strong camphor. Just rub a little between two fingers to unclog sinuses:

Not far away stood a very special tree ... I saw several others like it throughout the story. Although different in form, function remained the same. These are Electrotechnical trees. In fact, antennas or relay disguised as trees (either palm trees, redwoods, firs...). I find the idea really well and she deserves to be applied here, it would hide a little better these towers of steel or concrete simply painted in khaki...

I'm on my way to breakfast, the same location as dinner. Outside the door is a bush with beautiful flowers ... So I stand out the camera :

Then came, finally, on entering the restaurant, the time of the American breakfast. it goes as before: take a plate and is used. Server offers us coffee or tea and orange juice. You should know that the American coffee is much less concentrated than in France, that's how they like, but they drink more, it compensates. The orange juice was very good and freshly squeezed through the citrus crops in the region. For the breakfast, there was bacon, scrambled eggs, country potatoes and toast (with a kind of mi-beurre/mi-crème butter) with jam. First time for me that I found myself with a breakfast like this... Well... I loved it! It was very good and it does not bother me at all salty to eat clock. I talked yesterday differences volumes... In the picture that follows, coffee is about half a liter, as always. You can imagine the rest...

After this hearty breakfast, the bus is loaded with suitcases and it's off. Because of the shutdown, all national parks are still closed. The site of Montezuma is no exception. But we'll see on the spot if in the meantime, it re-opens. Meanwhile, on the road, we stop to be able to approach the famous cactus seen in all westerns: the saguaro cactus. With their height up to 15m, with a capacity of 3'000L water and can weigh up to 5 tons, Saguaro cactus (which is the Indian name) is the second largest cactus in the world. He can live more than 150 years, but the formation of an arm takes an average of 75 years! Because of their slow to grow and spread, these cacti are a protected species.

During my exploring, I found various things on the floor, a den of Theraphosidae (a tarantula family famous mygales). And given the size of the hole, I really do not want to put my arms in :

I also have found other things more... nice to look at. For example, the Saguaro cactus fruits (each red fruit can contain up to 2,000 seeds ! ) :

After this short break, we took the road with our bus. I note in passing that we have this morning our final bus, who will lead us for thousands of miles across the western U.S. The nice driver is called Mike. This bus has polarized the shot glass, it is difficult to make a good photo from inside the bus. That does not stop me from trying to do anyway. We ride on the trays (the famous ''Mesa'') and altitude climbs fairly quickly. The scenery is really beautiful. And that's not (by far!) the most beautiful that I will see during those 10 days:

During the trip, I notice a sign as it appears to snap to a certain illustrator I know (and who loves cocktails and chainsaws...)

After a moment of road, we arrived in Montezuma .... bha ha not. The site is closed, the road ends before with a barrier that prevents us from passing. Too bad ... So, I'm still a few photos of the area. Montezuma is a kind of fortress built in a cliff. This fortress is not visitable, all we could see it in the paroie with the facade. A few regrets, but not much. Here though the two photos of the area:

Recovery of road towards our lunch break Sedona. Along the way, a short break photo to the landscape. I take this opportunity to make a first panorama:

While others continue their photos, I do a bit of entomology with the ants Pogonomyrmex barbatus (red harvester ants) nearly a centimeter long. But be careful because its bite is painful and persistent!

And here we are in Sedona, red stones like Collonge-la-Rouge. At the same time, the entire region is in the reds, oranges, ocher, sand, with a little gray from time to time. Consider this :

On the road, I pass vehicles that did not used to seeing:

I walk a bit, I look in a few shops... and I go into a store pictures... Out of curiosity, I asked the price for a neutral density filter ND8 Glass... In France, it was worth 100€... there, not even 30€. I jumped at the opportunity and takes it. I also want to talk a little and tells me if the seller does not have some 5DII left. Unfortunately not, too bad. He told me that the 5DIII is very good, but as I explain that I do not have the finances for it, it offers me the 6D... I do not have the finances, but at 1,000€ in the pro full-frame sensor I note in the corner of my head to look at it more closely when I'm back home (if you are not sure what to give me for Christmas : canon eos 6D ! ).
So with a nice filter I then put out for the Mexican restaurant where we eat. On the menu : Tacos! (What else ?) With mashed red beans and rice. For dessert, a cake with caramelized pine nuts, yum !

Full stomach, camera ready, we have half past one hour free to finish around the corner. It's gone! Before the meal, we went back along the road. This time we're going down. By spending a little behind the restaurant and the few houses that surround it, here we are... practically in the desert :

It was beautiful fall on cars last cry ... we also have all the old side/western that is still very present. For proof, virtually all of the electrical/telephone poles are like this :

Be on the other side of the world does not stop me from doing some macro flowers, as always :

In this part of the USA, there is a company that does tours in the desert and canyons... jeep... The particularity is that they are pink jeep !

The eating & Glamour Sedona's stop is finished, everyone in the bus and we hit the road. Direction the highlands of Oak Creek Canyon for a photo stop and then arrived at our motel in Flagstaff.
We drive to the bottom of a canyon, grand sun, good temperature, and on the edge of a road sign: Beware of ice! Er... ice? Ha good... ok... Yep, we are about 1'700m altitude the rest of the trip to Vegas and Death Valley will happen over 2'000m altitude and often around 2'700m.
This canyon (the famous Oak Creek Canyon) is about 19km long and reaches a depth of 600m! We stop at the northern end where a few parking Yavapai Apache Indian and a beautiful view I'll show you through photo and the two following panoramics :

After a moment of road, we finally arrived in Flagstaff. 2'200m altitude of almost 60,000 inhabitants, old beautiful red stone buildings and the famous Route 66 runs through the city. After deposited the bags at the motel, they are still very early and we took the opportunity to visit, walk the downtown (the old city). A Christian temple (or Mormon) with a dedicated stillbirths only god has known sculpture (I want to troll... but I will not do it... for now...):

A little further on stands the school Flagstaff, also red stone and dating from 1894 :

Walking down a street in the direction of the station, where do quite often the sounds of freight trains, I stopped in a shop of Indian's handcrafted products. He's filled it with beautiful things but not exactly what I want (a turquoise and wood bracelet) but there is very beautiful carpets... plus not very expensive, so, hop, a carpet bought for myself.
After also be passed in a homemade soap, here we are at the edge of the rails. After a while waiting for trains. And it has nothing to do with what we have in France or even in Europe: 127 flatwagons, each with 2 trailers of 35T truck driven by all four monstrous locomotives (what I call Amtrak...) of the company BNSF (Burlington Northern Santa Fe Railway) in orange and yellow livery at 50-60km/h (that's as heavy train !)

After this huge train, the visit we continue , we still have an hour before returning to the motel and dinner. Walking at a brisk pace, it falls on a flea market... often love to enter, either in France or the USA, and I return... it's really no different from us, old books, toys, CDs, posters, tools of all kinds... just what are U.S. registered. It's always interesting to see that. Returning to the center of Downtown, I meet an indication of a mythical road sign : the famous Route 66 !
This road, 3920km long, connects Chicago to Los Angeles since 1926. This is the first American trans-continental road be paved, the U.S. also nicknamed the Mother Road. In 1986 it was officially decommissioned, dethroned by highways. Thus, several shops, motels and even villages who lived through Route 66 and traffic are abandonned. But since the 1990s, associations revive and maintain the legendary road for the greatest happiness of the tourists, traders and drivers.

After the end of the afternoon in the legend back to the motel, tired, hungry but with full head memories... And say we sum where past 24 hours ! The night comes quickly and sleep well. To the next episode!
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