The scenery changed abruptly when we approached Las Vegas. Starlight and pure Nature gave way to artificial light and plastic. What a difference!

On our way to Kingman in Arizona was a small town called Chloride. Thomas is a Chemist and therefore interested in the place. This service station is no longer operating but still makes a nice picture.

The next day saw us driving from Kingman to the next highlight: Grand Canyon.

What to do after Grand Canyon? We decided to visit the well known Monument Valley but we did not meet neither the Marlboro Man nor any western star. But the nature is phantastic even without these icons.

Canyon de Chelly in eastern Arizona provides for an outstanding scenery, red sandstone and the colors of autumn.

The early Indians lived in these caves, today only ruins are left.

Looks like a piece of wood but beware: If you touch it, you feel cold! It is stone, a log that petrified millions of years ago and now is a feature of the Petrified Forest National Park.

Thomas looked small compared to a Sequoia and here it is the same. Maybe he is not that tall after all? This tyre was used in an open-pit copper mine in the vicinity of Globe.

Saguaros are plentiful around Tucson in southern Arizona. We spent a good time admiring the huge plants and the desert around that city.

Another Park protects another species of cacti: Organ pipe. Close to the border with Mexico it is visited by few people but it is worth every mile of the long drive.

These antennas serve the greater Phoenix area with all kinds of signals. The South Mountain Park is a great place for bikers and hikers (I use the car to get around ;-))

The road back to California follows the train tracks on which the asian products are being transported towards the eastern cities. The trains in Switzerland are a lot shorter!

Joshua Tree National Park near Palm Springs was our last stop before heading back to Los Angeles.

All in all, a long trip! But every mile was absolutely worth it. I‘ll do it again as soon as I found somebody else to come along.

More pictures are available in my blog (in German) as well as a detailled map of the trip.