Before leaving Flagstaff, we drove around to see a bit of the old Route 66 landmarks. The old train station is still an Amtrak stop for passengers, plus housing the Visitor Center. Leaving Flagstaff, we encounter more heavy winds. We later learned from a newspaper headline on a local paper that 30-40 mph winds were forecasted for the weekend, with gusts to 75 mph. We soon came upon and stopped for an RV on the side of the road with the awning billowing up over the top. After helping the man put straps over the top of the RV to hold down the canopy, we followed him to a stop where he could park the RV with the awning to the downwind side. We were able to extend the awning and roll it up properly, and he secured it for the trip home to Livingstone, Texas. Later in the day we came upon another RV whose awning was gone. The roller, fabric, and main arms were just gone. All that was left was a couple of inner arms, and the metal wrap that covers the awning when rolled up. I don't know how that survived. He didn't need my help, so we moved on. One of the main attractions in this area is Meteor Crater. This is a crater that is almost a mile across and 550 feet (a 60 story building) deep. The floor would hold 20 football fields and the sides of the bowl would seat more than 2 million spectators. The crater was formed about 50,000 years ago when a meteor approximately 150 feet in diameter struck the earth. It's located on ranch land that is desolate as far as the eye can see. Going on east on I-40, we soon came to Winslow, Arizona. This was made famous by the song by the Eagles, 'Standing on a Corner in Winslow, Arizona' (seven women on my mind). Buildings along the old highway. Also in Winslow is the La Posada Hotel. This is a fancy old landmark that was once a 'Harvey House'. This was the last and most elegant of the Fred Harvey Hotels built by the Santa Fe Railroad. All the passenger trains that ran between Chicago and Los Angeles stopped here. Many celebrities including Bob Hope and John Wayne stayed here. Scenes from the interior. On down the road there was a typical, for the day, Route 66 sight. A teepee motel. I don't know if this is an active motel, or an attraction, but notice the vintage (to the younger people) cars parked by the teepees. It's not uncommon for I-40 to be closed because of blowing dust. It's like everybody's ranch was shifted down to the next one. Since we planned to visit Ruidoso, New Mexico, we had to go south. Rather than stay on I-40 to Albuquerque and drop down, we decided to go south at Holbrook and go to Show Low, Arizona, where we spent the night. More about that is the next report. Stay tuned.
7 Comments
Brenda Pullen
5/31/2011 04:26:52 am
Mary Lou,
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5/31/2011 08:47:36 am
Hi Mary Lou and Chuck,
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Who Are We?
Chuck and Mary Lou have been traveling in their RV since 2002 and have lately been taking longer, extended trips. This is our way to share our experiences. Trip Reports
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