Standin' on a corner in Winslow, AZ

The tag line is compliments of The Eagles' "Take it Easy". We made less progress, mileage wise, than yesterday. Only made it from Gallup, NM to Winslow, AZ.
The entire day, save driving time, was spent at the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. When we entered the park, we were told we could drive the park, all 28(?) miles of it in about 90 minutes. We spent about 6 hrs there and left the park as the gates were closing.
Magnificent for starters. Or maybe this was like our New Zealand OOA experience, OOA being "Out of Adjectives". Our maybe it was similar to last fall's photo safari experience in South Africa. Where we were totally awestruck by nature and wildlife. As we were today, without the wildlife aspect.
Tis an incredible world and country.
This will be much shorter than my two previous wordy epistles. And our style of his and hers perspectives won't be present tonight, and possibly not for the next couple of days. There is no internet connectivity in the room, and there is none at our next stop, the Grand Canyon.
This is being typed in the lobby of a beautiful hotel built by Fred Harvey hotels in 1930 for the Santa Fe RR. It is on right in the railroad tracks, with its own siding. However, the days of passenger trains are long long past. The La Posada closed in 1957, a rather good year, and was restored and reopened in 1997. It is a beautiful place.
I went through one 4gb card on the camera today + ??? space on the 2nd card. I'll upload pics when I finish editing and find a place with bandwidth to upload them.
That's all folks!

A next morning addition...Nancy had called the hotel restaurant while I was out taking some pix. She didn't make a reservation (no need) and didn't leave her name. When we went to the restaurant, she was greeted with "You just called? I didn't get your name so I just wrote down "Texas" based on your accent."

Painted Desert pix are at http://www.flickr.com/photos/14356799@N06/sets/72157623346117693/

Galluping along

Her perspective:

When we checked out of our hotel this morning the temperature was a brisk 19 degrees. But the sun was shining!

We drove down the street to take pictures of murals celebrating Route 66. Then we stopped at the (World Famous) Tee Pee Curio Shop. What better place to buy junk? And I do love to help local economies when we travel!

The store was built in the 1940’s. It was originally a gas station, curio shop and grocery store. We spent about a half hour talking about life and a variety of subjects with the owner. He moved there to run the family owned store for a year after being laid off in the corporate world. After one year in New Mexico there was a family vote and a decision was made not to go back to Southern California. Twenty five years later he is still at the Tee Pee Curio Shop. He loves talking to the people he meets but times are very hard in this city that apparently has seen its heyday come and go. The gas station that was part of the store was taken out when the road expanded. The grocery store is no longer there. He hopes to have two more years before he makes a decision on what to do with this leftover Route 66 relic.

As we walked out, I was reminded of a conversation we had in Cape Town at the Pan African mall…..A woman we had been talking too said, ‘see we are all just people.’ How true! Everyone has a story to tell.

I-40 was filled with billboards as we headed west. The Flying C was the first set of signs to catch our eye. When we stopped (and who wouldn’t with all they had to offer) they told us there were 42 signs in all. Amazing! But, sadly, nothing I had to have. Onward.

Clines Corners was next up on our hit parade. Its billboards started well before the Flying C, slacked off a bit around the Flying C (why compete?) and picked up in earnest as we got closer. Again, everything you could possibly want and probably more (or less?). We had to stop. Clines Corners had a few things I needed to buy but more than that it had a café. And in the café, a jewel of a woman who waited on us. I believe her name was Miriam. She was from South Africa. Cape Town actually. Been in this country four years. Wow! There it was….the accent we loved. The South African way of saying ‘you’re welcome’……’pleasure’ (pronounced play-zure). And the lovely way she said ‘there’. Another person with a story. We were interested in why she wanted to come to our country. Is this still the land of opportunity? Her answers were a little complicated and very interesting. We thoroughly enjoyed our time with her and loved telling her a little about our experiences in South Africa.

Albuquerque at 2:15 p.m. was our next opportunity to bail & get on a plane. We kept driving.

In Milan we opted to take old Route 66. We took a detour through Thoreau where we got our first close up view of the beautiful mesas and cliffs. There is a lot of snow on the ground. It looks very icy and shiny. We saw a rainbow alongside the mesas that had taken on a pink cast. Very beautiful.

The next stop was Continental Divide. Very exciting - had to stop. Junk to see. Maybe some to buy. Actually, quick stop, a couple of pictures, nothing to buy. Onward to our final destination for the night – Gallup, New Mexico.

Didn’t go that far today. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe not. The scenery is beautiful, the people are interesting and well, we are just having a good time & enjoying it all!

His perspective

Not much of day distance wise, however an outstanding overall day. Our goal this morning was to get to Winslow tonight. We got as far as Gallup, a whopping 300 miles, in 7 or 8 hours.

We got a slow start out of Tucumcari today. Made several stops in Rte 66 to take pics

of murals and some old motels, most of which I think are

still in business. I found it interesting that many of the Tucumcari motels had “American owned” on their signs.

Next stop was the TePee (or TeePee, it’s spelled differently on the front of the shop) curio shop, opened in the late ‘40’s. We were the only customers. The guy who ran the place was about my age with a long white beard, and looked a classic throwback to the ‘60’s. Not sure if we bought anything, but we did end up having a great long discussion with him on a myriad of topics. We went from corporate America, to national healthcare, to the public option to the deterioration of Tucumcari. Fascinating conversation. Tucumcari peaked at about 14K residents, is now about 5k and dropping. The reasons he gave for the deterioration were I-40, the railroads no longer treating Tucumcari as a hub (I believe most of the railroads he mentioned no longer exist) and changes in long haul trucking practices. Along with their dependence on water from the Canadian River, which he said was being diverted upstream. So even the farmers are leaving.

Driving west, we saw endless billboards for the Flying C Ranch. This place had everything, and we had to stop. It was a truck stop. Don’t think we bought anything, but Wilson did come out for a photo op.

Next stop was Cline’s Corner. We were also tempted by a flurry of billboards, building up our anticipation of yet another place that had everything you could ever need. Nancy had also read they had good burgers, so we had to stop. I think we bought a piece of pottery and sat down to order lunch. Our waitress had an accent, and as I always do, I asked where she was from. We were thrilled to hear she was South Africa, and Cape Town at that! One of our favorite places. We talked Meriam’s ear off in between her waiting on customers. Why did she come to America, how did she ever end up in Clines Corners, NM…which is just a truck stop. How long has she been here, etc. etc. In a nutshell, America was the promised land. She had an agent, who got her employment here, initially in the Florida Keys, then Yosemite and for the last 2 years in Clines Corners. She and the rest of the staff live in trailers behind the store and gas pumps. And America is still the promised land. It was an absolute “pleazah!” talking to her!

After leaving Clines Corners, we knew Winslow was out as a destination tonight. We headed west. We drove through, or bypassed Albuquerque and made some diversions from 40 along the way to old 66. Milan, NM was one and Thoreau, NM another. Our Route 66 book said to get off 40 at Milan and take 66 west to the Continental Divide for some good sights of pink mesas and buttes, along with the now normal sight of abandoned motels and gas stations. There was a sign for a state park heading north. We took it and has some beautiful views of the mesas and snowy fields in the late afternoon light. I hope some of the pics came out.

And here we are in Gallup. Tomorrow? Not sure yet where tomorrow will take us. Maybe editing today’s 278 pix.

Today was a good example to me of how our travel has changed. Not sure if the change is a factor of old age, having more time to experience things or just a shift in the manner in which we travel. We have truly enjoyed not only seeing sights and natural wonders, but have also had wonderful experiences talking to people. From NZ, to Amsterdam, to South Africa to the Tee Pee in Tucumcari and Cline’s Corner, NM, the conversations have been some of the most memorable experiences. I like this new kind of travel, and am really enjoying our Mother Road Trip.

Today’s comments:

The Toaster gets atrocious mileage for a 4 banger with a 5 speed. I knew when I bought it wasn’t stellar, but the best we’re getting on the road is about 22.5mpg. I get 24 in town!

We haven’t seen one Burma Shave billboard.

Tucumcari Tonight

His perspective:

I felt like I was really getting away with something today.
Blatant criminal acts.
We carried more than 3oz. of liquids on board, no standby lists, no worries about how much carryon we could take and there was no security checkpoint to board the Toaster.
A very nice change. And we still got the forward cabin.

We started off on our “Tour de Americana” on highway 114 to 287 to I-40, joining 40 just east of the thriving metropolis of Amarillo. We had some light snow around Wichita Falls and a strong crosswind from the north all day long. The Toaster performed well. We joined the real route 66 for maybe a mile or so in Vega, TX, west of Amarillo. Took a couple of pix and back on 40.
Many of the small towns north of Decatur had their share of abandoned buildings, some looking like the Keller Rock Gym, which was a WPA program of the 1930s. Makes me wonder why and when these communities thrived. And what happened to cause the current decay.

There is a reason why some say that if God were to give the world an enema, Wichita Falls and surrounds would certainly be eligible. Really desolate.

Kudos to Apple. We lost DFW radio at Decatur and it’s been IPOD all the way.

A bit of personal nostalgia thanks to the IPOD. Carry On, by CSNY started playing. It reminded me of another trip down the Mother Road. That one was in 1970. My Dad was working at JFK at the time and ran into somebody who had a great deal on a ’69 Olds Toronado, with rare at the time, front wheel drive. The car was in NY, we lived in LA. He picked me up at JFK, we got in the car and headed west. The car broke down with carburetor problems in Tulsa but we made to LA in time for my brother Ken’s graduation from high school. Of course the car had an 8 track, so I brought CSNY, Buffalo Springfield and I think 3 Dog Night. Nice throwback this morning.

Her perspective:
Early this morning under a freezing fog advisory, with temperatures still in the 30’s and plenty of the 13” of snow still on the ground, we packed the Toaster and headed out for our road trip.
Tucumcari, New Mexico was the goal for today.
To amuse myself, I started listing license plates to see where the other cars were from.
Then because it seemed funny at the time, we thought we’d check off Buicks with Q-tips in them, Loves Rest Stops and of course the obligatory Dairy Queens. The Buick count was very disappointing. We only saw 2, and the Q-tip rate was a mere 50%. Maybe all the Buicks and Q-tips are already in Arizona.
As we planned this trip, we have joked that at any point we could park the Toaster at an airport and carry on by air. Frank & Jill checked in about 3 hours into the trip to ask if we’d given up yet. We passed the first airport shortly before 11:00 a.m. – Wichita Falls. It was alternately raining and snowing and we kept driving.
The snow continued off and on (not sticking). We estimated cross winds at about 35 mph.
We passed Jolly, Texas, an exit for highway 101 (Texas) and a Lake Arrowhead exit. Not quite the 101 and Arrowhead we were accustomed to.
The big city of Electra had a Sonic, a hospital a cemetery and more snow. I wonder if that is representative of the natural progression in Electra (No Nancy didn’t wonder that, but I did)
Still snowing when we stopped in Vernon for gas.
In Chillicothe, tumbleweeds blew across the road. Reminded me of growing up in California.
The vast open spaces and desolate looking land amazed me. So many stories out there.
In Childress we stopped at a DQ for lunch. (his perspective….we counted almost 26 teeth between the 2 people behind the counter).
Sign alongside the road ‘West Hill Community Church and John Deere Dealer’. One helluva combo.
Amarillo offered the next stop to park and fly (or flee)……..we kept driving.

Following directions in our ‘official’ Route 66 tour book, we stopped in Vega to see a restored Magnolia gas station, built in 1924. Vega took us to Adrian. The claim to fame for Adrian is that it is midpoint on Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. The must see Mid Point Café……closed on Sundays.

By late afternoon we found the Tucumcari Tonight signs. I did not know what to expect here but I’d say small town America sums it up.

We ended this Valentine’s Day with dinner at the (wait for it)………….Pow Wow Inn and Lizard Lounge!! It featured a special Valentine’s dinner for two. One of the choices, Chicken cordon bleu. And I will say I give them a lot of points for creativity. And it wasn’t bad. And it also wasn’t Chicken cordon bleu!

Tomorrow we think we will head Toasty toward Winslow, Arizona. Not sure if we will get that far. I do know we need to stop at the Tee Pee curio shop in Tucumcari before we leave town.

So my thoughts on our first day of driving –
So far, so good.
I’m not going to give up flying anytime soon but this is a really unique experience for us.
I wonder, as we drive through these small downs in what seems like the middle of nowhere……what do they do? How do they survive? How bad does the weather get in the summer, in the winter? Where do they shop? And so many abandoned buildings, houses, businesses. Where did the people all go? And were the businesses thriving to begin with?
When you sit in the car for 7 hours, it kinda makes you think………

Today’s question
Does the fact that the two of us are touring in the Toaster make us Pop Tarts? Discuss.

Today's pix can be found at :
http://www.flickr.com/photos/14356799@N06/sets/72157623312425589/

Toast to Go - A Road Trip!

Her perspective....

Let me start by saying a road trip to me means driving 15 minutes to DFW and flying in my first class seat.

Living in Denton while we built the new house meant driving back and forth constantly. That was probably the most I have driven in years. Even when I worked I was about 2 miles from home.

When I was 10 years old, my parents took Kim and I on a driving vacation.

When we moved from California to Oklahoma, I flew. Bob drove with the dog and Dennis alongside.

I did drive to Pensacola from here in my Beetle. Brian and I took turns driving.

We have driven to Tulsa a few times in the almost 17 years we have lived in Texas. We've driven to Austin.

We have taken many road trips in other parts of the world. In New Zealand we have driven the South Island on two different occasions. We have taken road trips in Europe, England, Ireland, and South Africa, just never our own backyard. And that's about to change! Our big adventure begins tomorrow!

There are some things you just can't see from the sky. Or so we have told ourselves. With that in mind and the Toaster filled with gas, we will head west tomorrow morning for parts 'sort of' unknown.

We originally thought we would head to California but that plan has already changed.

We know we would like to visit Santa Fe, some airplane 'graveyards', maybe the Petrified Forest, Painted Forest and the Grand Canyon.

We have some books on where to eat and where to stay along Route 66.

So buckle up and come along for the ride!

His perspective....
For those of you who have had the "pleasure" of driving with me in the past, you know that "buckling up" is putting it mildly.

My first trip on the Mother Road was when we migrated from New Jersey to our new home in Southern California. This was in August, 1959. My parents, my brother and I and the dog, nice and cozy in a 1956 Chrysler Windsor coupe. Yep, August. Air conditioning was from the windows that rolled down and the wind wings. I would imagine that the motels in which we stayed on Route 66 had similar ventilation systems. Interesting that probably none of us would entertain a car or hotel(let alone a "motel"!) without power everything and air conditioning today.
I vaguely remember, come on I was only 9 at the time, staying in Washington,PA., somewhere in Illinois, maybe Oklahoma and then the sights and trinkets from the Petrified Forest and the Grand Canyon. Another vague memory is our last stop before reaching the promised land, either in Williams, AZ or Needles, CA. Needles may have been warm in August. Finally, we arrived in the promised land! The San Fernando Valley! The house wasn't ready yet, so we stayed at the Monticello Motel on Sepulveda Blvd, just south of Roscoe. It had a pool!
My, my how times have changed. The Valley was the promised land! And one probably wouldn't go through Sepulveda and Roscoe without an armed escort today. But I wouldn't mind having the '56 two-tone red and white Windsor in the garage!

So we're off to points west. Although we sold the nice car last week, the Toaster is fairly new and should do fine.
We're equipped a bit differently than my 1st trip 50 years ago, with necessities such as laptops, IPODs, cameras with tripods and monopods, cell phones and navigation systems.
I wonder if the box of my Dad's slides stashed in my closet contains some slides from that long ago trip? My, my.....how times have changed!