As I stated in yesterday’s blog I ended up skipping Sedona.  I needed the sleep.  Nikki and I have been on the go for days.  We decided to head for Durango, Colorado so we could get there sooner and have more time to relax as well as get our train tickets for the next day.  Before we left we decided to try another place in Flagstaff featured in “Diners, Drive-ins, and Dives” called Brandy’s Restaurant and Bakery.  It was breakfast time about 10 a.m. their time and they were full for mid morning in the middle of the week.  I understand why.  The food was really good.  Nikki got Eggs Brandy and I got Steak and Eggs.  Everything is made from scratch and is cooked to perfection.  We also decided on some stuff from the bakery while we waited on our breakfast.  Nikki’s was probably the best.  It was poached eggs over a homemade Mediterranean bagel, with canadian bacon and then topped with hollandaise sauce.

After breakfast we got back on the road, on the way we passed a sign for Kayenta, Arizona.  Kayenta is the town right outside of Monument Valley.  I asked Nikki if she wanted to see Monument Valley, she did so we went to the park.  It is $5 per person to get inside the park, and they don’t accept the National Park Pass.  

After a quick visit to the visitor’s center we headed down into the valley floor to drive the loop.  Nikki really enjoyed that, she now understands the scale of the monuments I photographed last year.  Unfortunately it started raining a bit and I tried photographing some lightning again.  I didn’t get lucky with any of the attempts.  

We then continued heading on toward Durango, Colorado and hit a major lightning and rain storm on the way.  I am not downplaying this at all it was a major downpour in the desert, with lightning strikes all around us,  at some points we were going about 15-20 mph because we couldn’t see.  The storm abated around Cortez, Colorado. Upon arriving in Durango Nikki and I opted for stopping at the Irish Embassy for dinner which is where I ate in Durango last year.  The food and atmosphere was once again good, Irish music with a “Cheers” sitcom kinda feel.  It was trivia night with 5 rounds of trivia questions.  They were tough questions too.  I am not sure what the winning team won but it seemed like a lot of fun.  Plus they have Strongbow on tap which is a big plus for me.