Wow. Today we covered about 1/2 of NM, and almost all of AZ! We didn't hurry, but Rte 66 through AZ is fabulous. Nicely paved and not too much jumping on and off across I40.
We spent yesterday just chilling in Santa Fe. Went to the Georgia O'Keefe museum, browsed around the galleries and shops, and just relaxed. If you ever get to Santa Fe, go to Milagro and treat yourself to the grilled quail with tres moles. Unbelievable! I wanted to tell the waitress to just bring me 6 of them and forget the entree! Of course, if I had done that I would have missed out on a really good braised short rib.
Anyway, back to today! We went back down to Albequerque to continue westward. I have never seen so many hot air balloons in one place. Is it always like that? It was quite impressive. We also saw quite a few cacti still flowering red and yellow.
Heading west out of Albequerque we crossed the Rio Grande, which did not seem to be so grande today! It was more of a creek than a river. I'm sure that will change when the real rains arrive. At this point we entered into Indian land where we had to stay on Rte 40 since what used to be 66 runs through pueblo land and travellers are encouraged not to trespass or take photos.
We discovered that you don't need to go to Hawaii to see lava flows! Just drive through McCartys, NM. Both sides of the highway are lined with folds of black lava rock, seeming to still undulate in the heat. When we left the lava flows and approached Prewitt, NM the lanscape changes yet again. To the North you will see the red rocks and mesas, to the South it is green prairie and trees. It is as if Route 66 is the dividing line between two separate and distinct worlds.
Today we crossed the Continental Divide! For those of you who were not paying attention in Geography class in middle school, this is the divide which separates where water drainage to the Pacific Ocean from where it drains into the Gulf of Mexico.
Passed through Gallup, NM and on into Arizona at Lupton. Westward to the Painted Desert. Simply amazing colors in the rocks here. It's one of those things that pictures just don't do justice. You have to see it for yourself.
Yay! The moment I have been waiting for! Holbrook, AZ, home of the Wigwam Motel! One of the most iconic places on Route 66. This motel has been owned by the same family since it was built in 1950. Unfortunately, since we arrived there at about 11am, it was WAY too early to stop for the night. At least, it was too early to stop in Holbrook for the night. A bustling metropolis it isn't. Besides, if we had stopped, I would have missed seeing my first real tornado! Yes, just east of Winslow, AZ we saw a tornado form and spin across the desert. It wasn't a particularly large one, but it was well-formed and pretty cool!
You caught that, didn't you? Winslow, Arizona? I had to stop and stand on a corner just to be able to update my FB page saying I was 'standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona'. I know, corny and predictable, but it was still fun! :-)
We didn't forget Winona, but we didn't see any reason to stop there either. Approaching Flagstaff it was time to decide whether we would continue west or drop down south for a visit to Sedona. A look at the sky made that an easy decision. Although it was only about noon, to the south it was black as night, while to the north the sky was clear and blue. We rode the line between the two in to Flagstaff where we lunched at Salsa Brava. Their pineapple jalepeno salsa is unbelievable!
Great roads and weather from here all the way to Kingman, AZ where we finally stopped for the night after covering about 500 miles today. It didn't seem that long since we were entranced by the ever changing landscape.
Tomorrow we attack the Mojave!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Friday, September 18, 2009
Day 4 - Amarillo, TX to Santa Fe, NM
As we headed out of Amarillo we passed the famous Cadillac Ranch, big brother to the previously mentioned Bug Farm. As we travelled through the rain (yes, it is still raining), we saw our first antelope near Vega, TX.
We hit the official half-way point today! Adrian, TX, home of the Half Way Diner. I strongly recommend stopping in for a piece of their Ugly Crust Pie. It doesn't matter if it is 9am, pie is always good. I had peach!
We approached Tucumcari and saw something tentatively crossing the road ahead of us. It was quite small, and moved very slowly. We got closer and were able to see that it was a tarantula! I had never seen one in the wild before.
Tucumcari is the home of the Blue Swallow Motel. A true relic of the glory days of 66. Beautiful neon sign out front, motel rooms with attached carports, each painted with a mural. Way cool!
OK, those of you who have travelled down the East Coast on I95 will be familiar with South of the Border. Well, the Route 66 version seems to be the Flying C Ranch. We saw dozens of billboards advertising the Flying C Ranch. For MILES! When we arrived, we expected to see something similar to SoB due to the sheer amount of advertising. WRONG! It is a single medium-sized building. A bit of a let down, but we did get a chuckle out of it.
Driving through the plains, you can see for miles on either side of the road. It is vast, empty (except for the antelope and cattle) and impressive. Just east of Cline, NM the landscape suddenly changes to rolling hills covered with small evergreen trees.
From here on, unless you are driving a 4-wheel drive vehicle, I suggest you stay on I40. We tried to stay on 66, but found ourselves thwarted by mudslides and various sections where the road is now private property and therefore inaccessible.
Albequerque brought me yet another giant, this time a lumberjack. I still get a kick out of those giants. We also ran into the NM State Fair. If it hadn't been raining we would have stopped to check it out, but the weather suggested we move on.
We decided to make this a short day and drive an hour north to Santa Fe for some relaxation, visit a few galleries and museums and have a relaxing evening....yeah, right. The best laid plans of mice and men....
After visiting a couple of the galleries, we stopped in to Milagro for a cocktail and met Gordon and Nancy. A lovely retired couple from Texas. We were having such lively conversation with them that we decided to all go to dinner together at the Sleeping Dog Tavern. What started out as an evening of great food and company quickly went south and turned into an experience involving the SFFD when Nancy, without warning, suddenly slumped over and fell out of her chair.
The staff at Sleeping Dog called 911 for us, and I must say the response time for SFFD is fabulous. They were there in under 5 minutes and took good care of Nancy. Apparently she was suffering from the altitude and dehydration and will be fine.
We will be staying in Santa Fe tomorrow to just chill, so I don't know if I will be updating the blog or not, it depends on whether we have any more excitement!
We hit the official half-way point today! Adrian, TX, home of the Half Way Diner. I strongly recommend stopping in for a piece of their Ugly Crust Pie. It doesn't matter if it is 9am, pie is always good. I had peach!
We approached Tucumcari and saw something tentatively crossing the road ahead of us. It was quite small, and moved very slowly. We got closer and were able to see that it was a tarantula! I had never seen one in the wild before.
Tucumcari is the home of the Blue Swallow Motel. A true relic of the glory days of 66. Beautiful neon sign out front, motel rooms with attached carports, each painted with a mural. Way cool!
OK, those of you who have travelled down the East Coast on I95 will be familiar with South of the Border. Well, the Route 66 version seems to be the Flying C Ranch. We saw dozens of billboards advertising the Flying C Ranch. For MILES! When we arrived, we expected to see something similar to SoB due to the sheer amount of advertising. WRONG! It is a single medium-sized building. A bit of a let down, but we did get a chuckle out of it.
Driving through the plains, you can see for miles on either side of the road. It is vast, empty (except for the antelope and cattle) and impressive. Just east of Cline, NM the landscape suddenly changes to rolling hills covered with small evergreen trees.
From here on, unless you are driving a 4-wheel drive vehicle, I suggest you stay on I40. We tried to stay on 66, but found ourselves thwarted by mudslides and various sections where the road is now private property and therefore inaccessible.
Albequerque brought me yet another giant, this time a lumberjack. I still get a kick out of those giants. We also ran into the NM State Fair. If it hadn't been raining we would have stopped to check it out, but the weather suggested we move on.
We decided to make this a short day and drive an hour north to Santa Fe for some relaxation, visit a few galleries and museums and have a relaxing evening....yeah, right. The best laid plans of mice and men....
After visiting a couple of the galleries, we stopped in to Milagro for a cocktail and met Gordon and Nancy. A lovely retired couple from Texas. We were having such lively conversation with them that we decided to all go to dinner together at the Sleeping Dog Tavern. What started out as an evening of great food and company quickly went south and turned into an experience involving the SFFD when Nancy, without warning, suddenly slumped over and fell out of her chair.
The staff at Sleeping Dog called 911 for us, and I must say the response time for SFFD is fabulous. They were there in under 5 minutes and took good care of Nancy. Apparently she was suffering from the altitude and dehydration and will be fine.
We will be staying in Santa Fe tomorrow to just chill, so I don't know if I will be updating the blog or not, it depends on whether we have any more excitement!
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Day 3: Edmond, OK to Amarillo, TX
Well, we woke this morning to another rainy day. Makes us VERY glad we decided to forego the motorcycle!
We headed on down the road from Edmond towards Oklahoma City. I may have mentioned this before, but trying to stay on the Historic Route 66 through big cities is quite a challenge. The road tends to winds through some less than desireable neighborhoods. Unless you really have a need to cover every inch available, I suggest circumventing the cities when possible. That being said, we tried to navigate through OK City using the directions from Historic66.com, If you are using this site, when they say turn right on 39th, TURN LEFT. Turning right, while taking you through a very lovely neighborhood of ol craftsman homes, will get you lost. We met a very nice older gentleman who was able to get us back on track. Thank you to him!
Back on the road we headed to Yukon, where we discovered a nail in the sidewall of one of our tires. Of course it couldn't be patched which necessitated our purchasing a new tire. After visiting 3 tire stores/service stations, we ended up at the Walmart. Sherri, the tire department manager, is an angel! She was able to get us out of there for $60 in less than an hour.
Heading out of Yukon, on the right you will see the GRASCAR riding lawnmower racing track. I kid you not. It is an official lawnmower racing track.
Travelling along, it seems that there are a lot of recently created 'ghost towns' along this section of the road. Many of the old gas stations dotting the roadside have been converted to antique shops, but have once again been abandoned and people are scarce.
We passed through Texola and into Texas. The town of Shamrock (known for its St. Patrick's day celebrations) has some nicely restored buildings. Particularly the art deco U-Drop-Inn Restaurant.
As we neared Lela, TX a pack (and I mean a PACK!) of mongrel dogs charged out from the front lawn of a house on the side of the road and proceeded to chase us down the road. There must have been seven or eight of them. I don't think they were dangerous, just bored. They probably see fewer than a dozen cars a day. Again, glad we were not on the bike!
McLean, TX is the home of the first restored Phillips 66 station. It is very nicely done, but completely decorative (and tiny!).
Through here Route 66 hops back and forth across Route 40 on the frontage road, so if you want to, you could just stay on 40. Hop off at Alanreed to see the Oldest Super Service 66 station and the oldest Baptist church. Back on 40, as you approach Groom there is the 'Leaning Watertower of Groom', and the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere.
Coming up on Conway, TX, you really do want to stay on Rt 40 so you can see the 'Bug Farm'. A little sister of the Cadillac Ranch, the Bug Farm is a series of VW Beetles planted in a row alongside the road. If you stay on 66 through here, you will see it in the distance, but not clearly.
Finally made it to Amarillo! We thought about going to the Big Texan for dinner, but the parking lot was jammed, and since neither one of us could possibly even consider taking the 72 oz steak challenge, we passed and instead went to Zen 721 for a very nice dinner. I recommend the 5-spice Pork Tenderloin, or the Raspberry Barbeque Quail.
More tomorrow!
We headed on down the road from Edmond towards Oklahoma City. I may have mentioned this before, but trying to stay on the Historic Route 66 through big cities is quite a challenge. The road tends to winds through some less than desireable neighborhoods. Unless you really have a need to cover every inch available, I suggest circumventing the cities when possible. That being said, we tried to navigate through OK City using the directions from Historic66.com, If you are using this site, when they say turn right on 39th, TURN LEFT. Turning right, while taking you through a very lovely neighborhood of ol craftsman homes, will get you lost. We met a very nice older gentleman who was able to get us back on track. Thank you to him!
Back on the road we headed to Yukon, where we discovered a nail in the sidewall of one of our tires. Of course it couldn't be patched which necessitated our purchasing a new tire. After visiting 3 tire stores/service stations, we ended up at the Walmart. Sherri, the tire department manager, is an angel! She was able to get us out of there for $60 in less than an hour.
Heading out of Yukon, on the right you will see the GRASCAR riding lawnmower racing track. I kid you not. It is an official lawnmower racing track.
Travelling along, it seems that there are a lot of recently created 'ghost towns' along this section of the road. Many of the old gas stations dotting the roadside have been converted to antique shops, but have once again been abandoned and people are scarce.
We passed through Texola and into Texas. The town of Shamrock (known for its St. Patrick's day celebrations) has some nicely restored buildings. Particularly the art deco U-Drop-Inn Restaurant.
As we neared Lela, TX a pack (and I mean a PACK!) of mongrel dogs charged out from the front lawn of a house on the side of the road and proceeded to chase us down the road. There must have been seven or eight of them. I don't think they were dangerous, just bored. They probably see fewer than a dozen cars a day. Again, glad we were not on the bike!
McLean, TX is the home of the first restored Phillips 66 station. It is very nicely done, but completely decorative (and tiny!).
Through here Route 66 hops back and forth across Route 40 on the frontage road, so if you want to, you could just stay on 40. Hop off at Alanreed to see the Oldest Super Service 66 station and the oldest Baptist church. Back on 40, as you approach Groom there is the 'Leaning Watertower of Groom', and the largest cross in the Western Hemisphere.
Coming up on Conway, TX, you really do want to stay on Rt 40 so you can see the 'Bug Farm'. A little sister of the Cadillac Ranch, the Bug Farm is a series of VW Beetles planted in a row alongside the road. If you stay on 66 through here, you will see it in the distance, but not clearly.
Finally made it to Amarillo! We thought about going to the Big Texan for dinner, but the parking lot was jammed, and since neither one of us could possibly even consider taking the 72 oz steak challenge, we passed and instead went to Zen 721 for a very nice dinner. I recommend the 5-spice Pork Tenderloin, or the Raspberry Barbeque Quail.
More tomorrow!
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Day 2: Cuba to Edmond, OK
We all have our own personal rules. One of Timm's is that he NEVER asks a woman if she is pregnant unless he can see feet dangling. Well, ALMOST never. When we checked in to our hotel, the front desk clerk, Ashley, mentioned that she was pregnant. In the morning we went to get a little breakfast before hitting the road and Timm asked the girl making the coffee if everyone who worked there was expecting. She looked a little puzzled and said "No".
Now, normally my husband is a smart man, but for some reason he just kept on going. "Oh, so it's just you and Ashley?" Oops. "I'm not pregnant." Wait, it gets worse. At this point on a normal day, he would have apologized profusely and backed away slowly...not today. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard him say "You're kidding, right?" I began to panic and was ready to grab him and drag him away from what seemed to be a potentially dangerous situation. After all, the woman was standing there holding a pot of potentially scalding water, and he had just pretty much called her fat. Time to duck and cover!
Instead, a resigned look came over her face and she informed us that people had been making the same mistake with her for the past seven years. Still, it just goes to prove, we all have our personal rules for a reason, and breaking them can have embarrassing consequences.
So, we headed out into an overcast day and got back on the road. Downtown Cuba has approximately 14 murals painted on various buildings along the route. While they are fairly recent additions, they are worth checking out. Each one represents an event in the history of Cuba: the day Harry Truman gave a stump speech in town, the day Amelia Earhart performed an emergency landing and the memorial to the WW II Gold Star boys from Cuba. There are 11 others, but you'll have to see them for yourselves.
The day remained overcast with periods of rain. Never did get to take the top down on the car, but we DID get to see the World's Largest Rocking Chair in Fanning, MO. Also, did you know there are a lot of wineries in Missouri? Who would have thunk it.
Kansas was uneventful. I'm sure there are many interesting thing in Kansas, they just aren't on Old Route 66.
OOOOOOOOklahoma! There are several alignments of 66 running through OK. We opted to take the 'sidewalk' alignment, after all, it's a rental car! This alignment is basically a dirt road with an 8-foot-wide strip of old pavement running down the center. This options is NOT advised if you are driving a vehicle you care about.
The weather just wouldn't let up. Rain, rain and more rain. A brief encounter with Oklahoma's finest resulted in a warning for not using our turn signal properly. And we rolled in to Edmond, OK in time for dinner. Interurban has REALLY good fish tacos!
Heading out towards Texas in the AM. We'll let you know how it goes.
Now, normally my husband is a smart man, but for some reason he just kept on going. "Oh, so it's just you and Ashley?" Oops. "I'm not pregnant." Wait, it gets worse. At this point on a normal day, he would have apologized profusely and backed away slowly...not today. I couldn't believe my ears when I heard him say "You're kidding, right?" I began to panic and was ready to grab him and drag him away from what seemed to be a potentially dangerous situation. After all, the woman was standing there holding a pot of potentially scalding water, and he had just pretty much called her fat. Time to duck and cover!
Instead, a resigned look came over her face and she informed us that people had been making the same mistake with her for the past seven years. Still, it just goes to prove, we all have our personal rules for a reason, and breaking them can have embarrassing consequences.
So, we headed out into an overcast day and got back on the road. Downtown Cuba has approximately 14 murals painted on various buildings along the route. While they are fairly recent additions, they are worth checking out. Each one represents an event in the history of Cuba: the day Harry Truman gave a stump speech in town, the day Amelia Earhart performed an emergency landing and the memorial to the WW II Gold Star boys from Cuba. There are 11 others, but you'll have to see them for yourselves.
The day remained overcast with periods of rain. Never did get to take the top down on the car, but we DID get to see the World's Largest Rocking Chair in Fanning, MO. Also, did you know there are a lot of wineries in Missouri? Who would have thunk it.
Kansas was uneventful. I'm sure there are many interesting thing in Kansas, they just aren't on Old Route 66.
OOOOOOOOklahoma! There are several alignments of 66 running through OK. We opted to take the 'sidewalk' alignment, after all, it's a rental car! This alignment is basically a dirt road with an 8-foot-wide strip of old pavement running down the center. This options is NOT advised if you are driving a vehicle you care about.
The weather just wouldn't let up. Rain, rain and more rain. A brief encounter with Oklahoma's finest resulted in a warning for not using our turn signal properly. And we rolled in to Edmond, OK in time for dinner. Interurban has REALLY good fish tacos!
Heading out towards Texas in the AM. We'll let you know how it goes.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Day One: Chicago, IL to Cuba, MO
We finally hit Route 66 this morning, picking it up at the beginning in Chicago. I must say, the State of Illinois has done a wonderful job with their signage for Historic Route 66. Although the road has been officially decommissioned, they have signs at every turn, making it very easy to follow.
That being said, Illinois is not considered to be the most interesting segment of the Mother Road. Most of the iconic Rte 66 landmarks are long gone, now replaced by fast food joints, Walmarts and other signs of 21st Century America. If you plan to travel the 6's, I suggest you do it quickly before it is completely erased.
The first 'icon' we came across was the 'gemini man' at the Launch Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, IL. A photo was deemed necessary at this point. I mean, how could you not photograph a 30-foot tall spaceman?! Travelling on, there are several nicely restored service stations which serve as Rte 66 information points.
On to Atlanta and Paul Bunyon (another photo op). For some reason these absurdly large characters appeal to me. They just scream 1950's Americana.
Combining Rte 66 with Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, we stopped for lunch at Sol de Mexico in Carlinville, IL. I can recommend the #4 combination platter (tamale, burrito and rice). As we continued on in to the center of town, we felt as though we had been transported to the town of Ellijay, GA. These two towns appear to be clones. It was like an episode of The Twilight Zone.
After many miles of cornfields and soy beans, we approached St. Louis, MO and the first of our many unintended detours. Everyone we have met in MO so far has been very friendly and helpful, but the 'powers that be' should take some pointers from the folks in Illinois. We lost our way at least a dozen times between the IL/MO border and Cuba (home of the smallest Walmart in the US), where we have stopped for the night. The advantage of travelling with no plans is that getting lost is relatively stress free. We didn't have to be anywhere in particular for a reservation, so stopping for directions (yes, my husband actually does ask for directions when needed). Dinner (sort of) at the Rock Fair Bar and Grill. Again, the people were lovely, the food, on the other hand....
No idea what tomorrow will bring, but that's the fun part! Stay tuned....
That being said, Illinois is not considered to be the most interesting segment of the Mother Road. Most of the iconic Rte 66 landmarks are long gone, now replaced by fast food joints, Walmarts and other signs of 21st Century America. If you plan to travel the 6's, I suggest you do it quickly before it is completely erased.
The first 'icon' we came across was the 'gemini man' at the Launch Pad Drive-In in Wilmington, IL. A photo was deemed necessary at this point. I mean, how could you not photograph a 30-foot tall spaceman?! Travelling on, there are several nicely restored service stations which serve as Rte 66 information points.
On to Atlanta and Paul Bunyon (another photo op). For some reason these absurdly large characters appeal to me. They just scream 1950's Americana.
Combining Rte 66 with Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives, we stopped for lunch at Sol de Mexico in Carlinville, IL. I can recommend the #4 combination platter (tamale, burrito and rice). As we continued on in to the center of town, we felt as though we had been transported to the town of Ellijay, GA. These two towns appear to be clones. It was like an episode of The Twilight Zone.
After many miles of cornfields and soy beans, we approached St. Louis, MO and the first of our many unintended detours. Everyone we have met in MO so far has been very friendly and helpful, but the 'powers that be' should take some pointers from the folks in Illinois. We lost our way at least a dozen times between the IL/MO border and Cuba (home of the smallest Walmart in the US), where we have stopped for the night. The advantage of travelling with no plans is that getting lost is relatively stress free. We didn't have to be anywhere in particular for a reservation, so stopping for directions (yes, my husband actually does ask for directions when needed). Dinner (sort of) at the Rock Fair Bar and Grill. Again, the people were lovely, the food, on the other hand....
No idea what tomorrow will bring, but that's the fun part! Stay tuned....
Thursday, September 3, 2009
The Mother Road
Welcome to Travelling by the Seat of our Pants. My husband and I love to travel, but we hate all the planning required, so we try to avoid it. We will make minimal arrangements, i.e. flights and car rental. If we are flying out of the country, we will make a hotel reservation for the night we arrive, but that's it! The rest of our trip will be by the 'seat of our pants'. Since we don't have children, this works out quite well for us. We can take our time without worrying about being in a specific place on a specific date (except for the flight home!)
This time, we are taking on The Mother Road, Historic Rte 66. We'll start in SoFla, and head on up to Chicago where we'll pick up Rte 66 and work our way out to LA. We will be starting out on September 12 for our 17-day odyssey and will write about whatever gems we may find along the way! Can't wait to 'get our kicks on Rte 66'.
This time, we are taking on The Mother Road, Historic Rte 66. We'll start in SoFla, and head on up to Chicago where we'll pick up Rte 66 and work our way out to LA. We will be starting out on September 12 for our 17-day odyssey and will write about whatever gems we may find along the way! Can't wait to 'get our kicks on Rte 66'.
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