Travelling Photographer

You know your out west when you travel through Twin Arrows then Two Guns.

I sped by the exit for the Meteor Crater Natural Landmark (a brown sign looking like a national monument) but a private ripoff that I got suckered into on a previous trip.

My first real stop pf the day was “Standing on the Corner” yup Winslow AZ. I enjoy this stop not only because the town knew a good thing when it saw by capitalizing on the Eagles and “Take it East” (playing loudly from the gift shop across the street) with a mural of the “girl in the flatbed ford” and a statue of a man with his guitar.  Since my last trip a bronze state of Glen Fry was added.

The other highlight of the town is the La Posada Hotel – the first Harvey House – built in the adobe style and as is the case right on the tracks for Amtrak and the SFBN (formerly the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railroad). The building and the gardens have been superbly restored and the art work and displays make it a great break on the drive. (http://tinyurl.com/y3ltfmlq)

While touring the building I found several rooms showing works of my new favorite artist – Tina Moin (http://tinyurl.com/y5vbs9j2) – they  speak for themselves.

While bumping along 66 (the road from Winslow when not on I-40 reminds you of a washboard) I found another Wigwam Motel in Holbrook my jumping off point to visit Petrified Forest National Park.

Not my first visit to the Petrified Forest but I enjoy the 28 mile park road which includes the Painted Desert section with it turnout viewpoints and several short trails thru the “forest”. The trees were fallen and buried in layers of sediment and the logs soaked up ground water and silica from volcanic ash and over time crystallized into quartz.

Petrified Forest

Painted Desert

On to Gallup and a new experience for me – I finally “dined” at a Cracker Barrel (I said I would never do it but a need for shut eye dove me there since it was right next to my hotel). Southern Fried Chicken was fine but the rest blah – what no wine – they were throwing me out at 9:00 – I guess I’m still not a senior citizen – yet.

Arrived late on the 11th in Kingman and after settling in I had dinner @ Dumbar & Steakhouse (recommended by a friend – great steak) then drove around looking for some of the towns neon signs. On the 12th I toured the the town and headed on the longest un-interrupted stretch of 66 in the southwest (Kingman to Seligman).

My first stop was Hackberrry general store. This store in the middle of no where has almost anything Route 66 related. Outside it has historic signage, antique cars and old gas pumps.

Seligman originally started as a railroad town and headed to decay when I-40 was opened. Seligman is now internationally known as an iconic Route 66 town. In 1987, Seligman gained its name “Birthplace of Historic Route 66” due to the efforts of Seligman residents, most notably Angel Delgadillo, the Seligman barber who convinced the State of Arizona to dedicate Route 66 a historic highway. This grassroots effort to bring Route 66 back not only revitalized Seligman but it also caused world-wide interest in Route 66 and the old-fashioned Americana that it represents. (http://tinyurl.com/yyc3373c)

Continuing on to Williams the gateway to the Grand Canyon I walked the town and stopped off at the – Historic Brewing Barrel + Bottle House.

With several hours of daylight left I decided to head north of Flagstaff to Wupatki National Monument and Sunset Crater (http://tinyurl.com/y9fvdwr8). The monument houses several pueblo settlements on a 31 mile loop road. Each of the pueblos are short hikes from the parking areas and allow the exploring of both in and outside of the remains of buildings that are over  800 years old. I explored Lomaki, Naiakihu, Citadel, Wupatki and Wukoki pueblos.

At the end of the loop you get to visit view sites for Sunset Crater, Painted Desert, Cinder hills and Bonito lava flow.

Unfortunately because of road washouts and substantial wash-boarding my trip to Grand Falls has to be scrapped. Not going to risk damage to the several framed paintings and photos that I’m carrying. Here is what I will miss. http://tinyurl.com/yyevh442

Left Saturday the 11th heading from Pasadena to Kingman AZ. My first stop was in Rancho Cucamonga Ca. to see the restored Richfield Service station and the Sycamore Inn which was founded in 1848.

Continuing up I-15 / Rt 66 to the Cajon Pass (elv 3776) to the site of the old Summit Inn. The Summit Inn was a historic U.S. Route 66 roadside diner built in 1952, located at the summit of Cajon Pass in San Bernardino County, California. The building was destroyed by the Blue Cut Fire on August 16, 2016.

Then on to Victorville to see the California Route 66 Museum and lunch at Emma Jean’s Holland Burger.

Did pass on Peggy Sue’s for lunch – been there done that.

Off to Barstow and a stop at Casa del Desierto — a Harvey House. But along the way a tour of the Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grand Ca.

An unplanned side trip to a ghost town (well not so much). Calico was a silver mining town in the late 1880’s. The original town does not have much remaining – but Walter Knott (of Knott’s Berry Farm fame) donated Calico the San Bernardino County which turned it into a regional park and money making operation.

A couple of stops before arriving in Kingman AZ for the night was in Goffs,  Newberry Springs and Needles. Newberry Springs is home to the Bagdad cafe which played a major role in a movie of the same name. Goffs in a town in decline which has the well preserved 1914 school house which is now a museum. The town was also the base for the army desert training center in 1941 and 42.