3000+ miles in 3 weeks, Route 66 & all that. Episode 12

[Sue]

Thursday 1st April

Another day on the road loomed and the weather forecast was not good! On the way out of Grants, we saw 'my' motel:



Before long though, we were engulfed in a blizzard! It was really tough going, no visibility and slow speeds made us consider stopping in Gallup, a mere 40 miles ahead:



We did see this sign though which we just had to photograph:



The weather kept clearing up and then closing in again, here is the road ahead as we saw it for most of the morning:



The altitude we were driving at and switching to and from, played havoc with the open water bottles:



We saw some Indian "trading posts" along the way:



And the lovely New Mexico scenery:



Before reaching Gallup:



We decided to stop at the Denny's here for brunch - BIG mistake. The service was incredibly slow and when the food did arrive, two out of the six orders were wrong. Rachel's omelette was also stone cold and Charli's "over easy" egg was almost uncooked. The restrooms also stunk of sewage - they acknowledged this and said it was waiting for repair. I had the BLT which was actually ok. Phil was also fine as he only had a banana split having eaten the half of my pizza left over from last night as his breakfast!
The only good thing about the stop was that the weather improved dramatically whilst we were in there; it was dry and sunny from then on

We saw this place (speaks for itself):



Just through Gallup, we crossed the border into Arizona (again). There was not a lot between the border and the next main town of Holbrook, Route 66 in this part of Arizona is almost all underneath the I-40, so were on it and crossing over and under it for long periods.
The scenery was pretty samey:



Then we made it to Holbrook which has one of these motels, restored and bookable, it was the wrong time of day for us to stay. Anyone for a wigwam?





They are actually made of concrete, but are meant to be fully air-conditioned and plush inside. The old cars are there for 'ambience'

[Sue]

Continued

An ordinary Holbrook motel by comparison:



On we progressed, still running parallel with the railroad for the most part. We saw lots of lovely fluffy clouds as well:



I had to take this shot as Rach said as we passed it that it was a "fluffy cloud factory":



This was at a place called Joseph City and was originally a Mormon settlement. Two 'famous' Route 66 former landmarks are Howdy Hanks:



and Ella's Frontier Trading Post:



Both had clearly seen better days and were abandoned (although Hanks has had some kind of recent paint job!)

There was also a Jackrabbit Trading Post - this was closed, but it did have a huge rabbit to be sat on. All three girls had to have their photo's taken on the rabbit - I will subject you only to Charli:



Ever onward in the direction of Flagstaff, the weather started to close in again:



The guide book advised us to do a mini detour to somewhere called Two Guns Trading Post - it used to be a sort of zoo with Gila monsters and mountain lions - all for the entertainment of passersby. Long since abandoned, it was nothing but a graffitied ruin, the main part you could still see all the posts where people would have parked up for the night, this was a slight distance away:





In the spirit of wildlife spotting, we spied the tortoise clouds



You could see for miles and where the weather was worse than where we were



We shot through ("don't forget") Winona - which is instantly forgettable to be honest! And then the mountains and Flagstaff was not too far away:

[Sue]

Continued

One of the amazing things about this trip was the changing scenery, weather and temperatures. This day we had basically started in the desert and ended up in the high mountains - and the temperature plummeted to match it!



Amazingly, we were into Flagstaff at around 3.30pm - we came across a Starbucks and a Safeway (by far the classiest of supermarkets in the US in our opinions) then had a drive round for a motel.
Guide book had suggested that a restaurant called Granny's Closet was a good spot to eat, so we ended up checking in at the Super 8 motel nearby. We got it for $49.95 per room per night (were told it should have been $59.95 but as we wanted three rooms and had triple a discount it was less). This was a good rate as I think that Flagstaff is a bit pricey and pretentious! Well it is a ski resort lol.



We got settled in, the room was not plush and the pillow only just passed inspection but it was clean enough - J needed to so some work and something about Sally's university accommodation application online. I read and we gathered to eat at around 7pm:



I have no idea who Paul Bunyan is - but he featured at several locations along the way, back in Illinois and he is here too:



Granny's Closet is half sports bar and half restaurant, we were in the restaurant bit - felt a bit strange to be in a place that was similar to our usual experience of places when on holiday in the US:



We were brought a yummy warm loaf of bread that we could cut ourselves and butter! Charli and I had ravioli, Sally had the chicken parmesan, Phil had steak, J had the burger and Rach had a chicken salad. J and Charli had cheesecake for pud and Phil ice cream.We had beer and a couple of gin and tonics were enjoyed. Food was good but nothing special - my ravioli was only six pieces and absolutely smothered in a sheet of rubbery cheese! Total was $130 including a 15% service charge. Not bad but more than we had got used to lol

Early night for the tired travellers

Mileage today = 250

Total so far = 2670

Tomorrow - morning in Flagstaff and then drive to the Grand Canyon (only 73 miles from here)

[purple myra]

Oh I love those wigwams! I'd love to spend the night there ( especially after the let down of my tepee stay at Loch Tay )
i love the scenery especially the tortoise clouds !

[Sue]

Originally Posted by purple myra

Oh I love those wigwams! I'd love to spend the night there ( especially after the let down of my tepee stay at Loch Tay )
i love the scenery especially the tortoise clouds !

See more...

There is a scorpion cloud coming up on another day, sadly I missed the dinosaur on skis, but I think Sal has it once I get the download

[Cyclospora]

I saw a reindeer with a garland of bells around it's neck once when I was looking down a microscope at poo in work

[Cyclospora]

Looking forward to the next bit too as we are going Flagstaff - GC in Sept @)

[purple myra]

Dinosaur on skis I'd like to see.
Watching American Idol gives back... seen a family living in a trailer just like that one you photographed in Missouri! Woman sitting there with 4 kids ( 3 at school ) and the place was a tip. Surely you don't need to be rich to lift the piles of clothes off the floor! Thought of you as soon as I saw it ( your trip report... not your tidying skills )

[Nicksgirl]

Sue, getting more and more jealous. How fantastic is this trip.

Really hope we can do this one day, but not sure we have the courage.

Keep em coming chick, so much fun. xx

P.s. Love the Wigwams... definitely want to stay there.

[Cyclospora]

I've got your next trip sorted Sue!

paulbunyanscenicbyway/

Paul Bunyan is a larger-than-life folk hero who embodies frontier vitality. He is a symbol of might, the willingness to work hard, and the resolve to overcome all obstacles. Paul Bunyan is part of the western tall tale literature, which often populates the landscape with beings of gigantic proportions. Paul Bunyan and his boon companion Babe the Blue Ox take mosquitos of tremendous proportions, rainstorms that last for months, and natural obstructions like mountains ranges in their stride. He was popularized by newspapermen across the country in 1910 and has been a part of the American culture ever since.


Now you know! Might be handy if you end up on Eggheads?