MOVING WEST ON I-40

The last few days of driving have taken us from Albuquerque, NM, to Flagstaff, AZ, via I-40. Lots of wind, lots of dust, and lots of dry, scrubby, scenery. The ranger at Homolovi Ruins State Park (read our review here) told us that the landscape will "green up" next month, that the colder weather in these high altitudes (5,000' more or less) delays the onset of spring.

Today we moved to an even higher elevation, 6,920 feet, where scrub is replaced by forests of tall green pines, a welcome change. We had hoped to camp at a USFS camground we like south of Flagstaff, but it doesn't open until May 2nd! We're planning a three-day stay here, hoping the winds will be sufficiently mild that we can do a few hikes and enjoy the sunny forecast.