Off to Flagstaff, Arizona

We woke up to the news that most of the good bits of America are now shut until further notice, the US Government having failed to agree the budget for things like National Parks and monuments. Doesn't sound that important but it affects us as it means that there is  no access to such places as the Grand Canyon, the Petrified Forest, Alcatraz, Pearl Harbor. Bugger; the result perhaps of too much interfering in other countries' stuff and not enough attention to domestic detail. Not great.

And they were sneakily putting petrol up, just to really upset everybody and rub it in.

And stuff from here will probably be more expensive by tomorrow too, not that I eat it.

Before leaving LA, we went in search of the Venice canals which we failed to find yesterday. They were actually quite nice, so I take back what I said about them.

So it was a long old days driving today - 550 miles east and across the state border into Arizona, destination Flagstaff.

It was about 35c in Los Angeles which dropped to about 14 by the time we reached Flagstaff or 'Flag' as the locals call it. Its on higher ground, surrounded by pine forest and is a real change from the scrubby chaparral that we've been in for the past few days.

It was mostly interstate all the way and a bit of Route 66 as we needed to crack on with the miles, and it went pretty well apart from some initial traffic leaving LA. Its always cool to see signs to places that you've heard of.

Lots of big trucks were going the same way too, and with some weird loads.

And we spotted several monster trains, some double decker container jobs, others just very long.

Then we saw a sign to Lake Havasu...

" Hey, isn't that where London Bridge is now? "
"Yes I think so"
"Well we have to go"
"How far is it?"
"Don't know - 20 miles or so. Lets find out"

So off we went, and sure enough, right there across a Lake in a city built in the middle of  nowhere USA in 1964 was old London Bridge, or at least most of it because the buttress bits are still in London, having been left in situ when this version was dismantled as adjacent buildings butted onto them. And it's a rumour that the bloke thought he was getting Tower Bridge; apparently he was after this one all along.

 And around the end of it is a half hearted attempt to create a bit old olde England, with a pub, a few flags and some buildings that I think were supposed to be quaint olde world English yokel dwellings.

There was even one of the pillars, complete with the City dragon thing that mark the boundaries of the City of London. Must have been thrown in as a job lot.

It was a long ride, and a bit boring in places, but pretty spectacular in others, in a sort of desolate way. We arrived in 'Flag' after dark in the pitch black although it was only 2015 hrs or so.