onanothercoast

A day well spent, in the desert.

From Sante Fe, NM we drove to Farmington, NM, which was right on the border of NM and AZ and only a 3 hour drive. We left Santa Fe around 7 and thought we’d be able to make it to Arizona no problem, but got a little tired and decided to stop short. We got up, ready, and left our hotel around 7 am the next day headed toward Arizona for a full day of fun in the desert!

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If you read my series on our last cross country road trip, you know that we’ve already seen the Grand Canyon (if not you can read about it here), so we decided to drive around and see some different mountains and renown cliffs.

Our first stop was Horseshoe Bend.

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The bend was absolutely beautiful, as was the weather. It was a little chilly and windy but nothing like the weather we left behind in NM.  It’s amazing the canyons and valleys that have been created over time. Some facts about what is known as “Horseshoe Bend:”

  • It is located only 5 miles from the entrance of the Grand Canyon National Park.
  • It’s absolutely free to visit but about a 1.5 mile walk from where you park your car.
  • Like the Grand Canyon, the Colorado River runs through the bend.
  • The overlook is 4,200 feet above sea level.
  • The rock walls are made up of a variety of minerals, most of which are hematite, platinum, and garnet.

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After leaving Horseshoe Bend we made our way to another famous cliff- Vermillion Cliffs, unfortunately the road to get to it was dirt and very slim and our Prius couldn’t make it all the way so we ended up turning around. I hadn’t read that you need to be able to four wheel drive your way to the cliffs and I was shocked to see that it wasn’t a paved road.

So again, that’ll remain on the bucket list for now! After exploring some canyons and gazing at the wild horses throughout the desert, we made our way to Flagstaff, AZ. Where we had just about the best coffee and burgers of the entire trip. If you’re ever in the Flagstaff area, I highly recommend Diablo’s Burger (Joey got a burger, I got one amazing grilled cheese made with avocado and tomato) and the coffee shop was called Macy’s European Coffeehouse and Bakery, they make a mean vanilla mocha!

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Flagstaff is a cute little town that was fun to walk around for a bit. It was also decorated so nicely for the holidays!

From Flagstaff, AZ we drove 2 hours/42 min to Kingsman, AZ (an old Route 66 town). We stayed at another La Quinta (woo hoo!) and actually slept in the following day before exploring the historic old town, a post on that soon!

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Our precious Bentley did so well roaming the car! She slept most the time and even ate a little bit during the drive.

Total Drive Time (Farmington, NM to Horseshoe Bend, AZ to Kingsman, AZ): 7 hours

Up Next: Kingsman, Arizona

Till next time!

xoxo,

Amanda

29 comments

  4. Stunning views! The desert is fascinating. I have been to Nevada desert and I guess this I pretty much the same. To be honest I prefer looking at your photos rather then actually be there😊

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  7. I absolutely adore your photos theyre incredible! And that view is unreal!!! I can’t even envision what that would be like seeing it live and in person- one day though I hope to see it all. Also, where in the world do you even park your car and is it easy to get lost? Probably a dumb question lol but im envisioning people just driving right on those canyons and getting out of the car and wandering and then next thing you know, its like “where did I park my car” lol maybe you can help solve this mystery for me.

    xo. JJ

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  14. So many days well spent in the desert. I saw the picture of Horseshoe Bend pop up under your “Top Posts” and had to click, I worked in that area of Arizona for six months last yearand miss it every day. And you went to Macy’s! One of my favorite cafes! Keep on keepin’ on!

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