Day 11
5-1-10
Flagstaff to Winslow
Morning came too quickly or maybe I was just immersed in my much needed sleep. The mornings have been absolutely beautiful with clear skies and a sunburst unfamiliar with back home. Of course the routine is coffee, and this morning I just feel like a bowl of cereal which is pulled out of my breakfast stash. The weather station indicates wind from the southwest 5 to 10 mph and a temperature for the day to be 60 degrees. At this moment the temperature is 40 degrees and I’m happy. I ride out not far from the hotel and enter once again the Mother Road. For roughly four miles I am on the business loop and follow the Route 66 signs onto an original stretch of Mother Road. The railroad tracks never leave me. The Ponderosa trees stand tall and thick, the backdrop of the blue sky covered with equally bold sporadic clouds. The air is cold and nipping at my face as I descend from the high altitude of Flagstaff. My hearing is bad, and my kids and wife will vouch for that, but for some reason in the silence of this surrounding I hear everything. A slight wind through the trees creates a subtle whisper. Even as I ride and the sounds of the wind press my ears, I still hear the leaves rustling by. I look to the left and see the backside of the San Francisco Peaks. Their beauty is much more appreciated with the foliage of the Ponderosas appearing to be seated and gazing at the focal point of their mountain.
This road is not traveled much. It is in need of repair. I guess this is due to no resident or commercial use. In either case, it’s tranquil and is a pleasant ride before entering onto I-40. The lay of the land changes drastically from Ponderosa to sagebrush and grazing land for cattle. Those sporadic clouds that I spoke of earlier have become united and their boldness controls the sky. They appear heavy with rain yet they dance in a nonthreatening manner. I stop 12 miles east of Flagstaff and turn again and see the full girth of the peaks. It seems so strange to see something so huge and alone on the vast land that would be nothing without it. It’s a complementary situation. Something so different and out of place is needed by the something that would be out of place without it. A dance of balance.
The ride, for the most part, has been very pleasant, all for one reason. I am descending. Hallelujah! My first stop was Winona. I took a picture from a distance before the exit. It appeared to be some sort of mining community. The earth is red and a beautiful contrast with the growing green vegetation. I stop to use their restroom facilities and told that Twin Arrows is 10 miles down the road. According to my information, Twin Arrows should have a restaurant. Unfortunately, when I arrive all I see are two huge arrows standing side by side at a 45 degree angle. They appear to have been recently painted. The buildings are empty and look to have been so for some time. I move on in hopes that my third stop will be more productive. (food). That third stop was Two Guns and, as before, it too was no longer in operation. I took a few pictures and moved on chewing on a Clif bar. I was getting hungry. Fortunately, three miles up I-40 the Meteor Crater Center lay a-waiting after hearing my prayers. I walk in, pick up a sandwich and drink. While paying I ask about the two deserted road services I passed. The woman I am speaking to is a State Park ranger named Monica. She informs me that Two Arrows had just been purchased by private ownership, and renovation was to take place. I stated it had, but only on the two arrows. She concurred, and said that’s been about six months ago and didn’t know much else. She stated it was once one of the prominent stops for travelers with a nice restaurant, restroom facilities, gas station and rest area for picnic use. A change of hands and poor management brought it down. Two Guns was pretty much the same situation, but has a caretaker on grounds to protect what’s left of the historical site. She stated the most prominent was a major battle in the 19th Century between the Navajo and the Apache Indians. Two Guns once was a prominent trading post run and named after Two Gun Miller, an eccentric man who lived in a nearby cave. The ruins of what once was a zoo where he kept mountain lions, rattlesnakes, bobcats and other Arizona wildlife are still visible from the highway. It is said he was careless with the animals and was often bitten and mauled by them. When it was a busy tourist stop, it had a gas station, overnight accommodations, and a café and souvenir shop for the travelers of the Mother Road. After I-40 bypassed Two Guns it did not survive like so many other stops along the route. Several attempts have been made to revive it, but today it still stands abandoned.
With 15 miles left I am wondering if there is anything in Winslow. The ride between Twin Arrows and Winslow is the area that was closesed on both ends of I-40 due to high winds last week, and I see why. There is nothing to hold the sand and dust down. A few dust devils (mini tornadoes) take shape all for a short spell. On my arrival to Winslow I enter the main street, pass a couple of Welcome signs and find myself pedaling through what appeared to be a harshly lived residential neighborhood. It slowly changed to business offices and motels of the past, most no longer in operation. I come to an intersection that has been recently painted with the symbol of Route 66. Renovation along main street includes the revitalization of the Standing on the Corner Park with a mural showing the famous “Girl, my lord in a flatbed Ford”. The city’s claim to fame is the 1972 Eagles Song “Take It Easy” which contains the line “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona.” Winslow has an annual Standin’ on the Corner street festival held in September. In October of 2004 the building with the mural burned down, but the wall with the mural on it was saved. The incident has not hindered the yearly festivities. There is also a bronze statue of a 1970s man with jeans, boots, shirt and a vest with a guitar balanced on his boot, a symbol of the free spirit of the time. Additionally the street is paved with bricks that are for sale to anyone who wishes to be a part of the Route 66 renovation.
The town of Winslow was named either for Edward F. Winslow, President and owner of the St. Louis and San Francisco Railroad and half owner of the Atlantic Pacific Railroad or Tom Winslow, who was a prospector in the area. Until the 1960s Winslow was the largest town in Northern Arizona until it was bypassed as a stop on Route 66 in the 1970s.
In town the La Posada Hotel (for repose or to rest) which opened in 1930 and closed in 1957 was the last Harvey House on the Mother Road. It was designed by Mary Colter who is responsible for many of the building used along the railroad including the Harvey Hospitality Houses. The La Posada used by the Santa Fe Railroad for offices was abandoned 1994. It was to be torn down, but was saved and now is a famous stop along the Historic Route 66. In Winslow. Most of the renovation to the town and the famous motel are in part due to the revitalization of Route 66 which will surely enhance downtown business and local sights such as the famous impact crater called Meteor Crater (also known as the Barringer Crater or the Canyon Diablo), the Painted Desert, the Little Painted Desert and the Petrified Forest.
I had dinner at Brown Mug Café, Mexican and American food, operated by Josephine Perez and her daughter Paula. I treated myself to three enchiladas, beans, rice, tortillas, two Modelos and double treated myself with five sopapillas. (a fried pocket bread with honey). While I was typing this up for the three hours there, many local families patronized the café, all Navajo Indian. Grandpas and Grandmas with their grandchildren, parents with their grown sons and daughters and young couples with their babies. It was wonderful listening to the dialect, even though I didn’t understand a word, but their laughter and closeness I understood. (love). Before leaving I complemented Paula Perez for the wonderful food, great atmosphere and allowing me to stay so long. She gave me a brown coffee mug with a marquis of the café. It’s late good night.
Tomorrow, Winslow to Holbrook
Take care, Love ya all
Old Man in siesta mode smiling
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