scenery – Page 4 – OsteoPraxis on the road

2024 Route 66 Adventure. The Road home.

It was late July and had been a long journey to finally arrive in California. As we were making plans for the journey north and back to Alberta there were many possibilities of sights to take in on the 2200km journey home (It seemed like the whole route 66 trip took us in an arc where we were always 2200km from home…LOL)…..but…we had reached the point where, after around 15,000km, we just wanted to go home.

Between us and home was a long haul up the impressive grades of Mount Shasta..again and then up through Oregon to a very lovely stop on the banks of the MASSIVE Colombia River, Umatilla…..

There is a small municipal campground at the marina on the river bank, just below the bridge across to Washington State.

We were treated to a lovely sunset on the river and some very friendly fellow campers…….(super clean showers and lots of hot water……that’s important y’know..!!)

We had some plans for a stop again before Montana….but this time when we hit the road……..we just kept going and a 12 hour drive across the more mountainous part of Montana rewarded us with a return to bricks and mortar…. a shower and bed at home.

Don’t get me wrong…we love the trailer and the travel….but it was time.

The Route 66 adventure was officially done.

Once home……time for a little reflection on the trip.

We met some great people along the way, had some spectacular boondocking sites in from the farm we stopped at in Michigan to the superb folks that invited us to the Memorial day party outside Chicago, Tulsa, Oklahoma city….you folks know who you are……

We met a Copperhead snake in a Thunderstorm, and a big Diamondback rattler in New Mexico. Had some great food, had a long list of repairs along the road…from water tanks to air conditioners to fuel pumps….

…many mishaps that could have been way worse….but always reliable, friendly people who went above and beyond. We thank you.

Favourite things.

From the very beginning of this epic journey many things went ‘not according to plan’…..from the scaffolding around ‘The Bean’…..and the memorial Day parade that blocked us from getting to the Frank Lloyd Wright workshop tour, which led us unexpectedly to the birthplace of Hemingway Museum…

But it did not dampen the mood as we were actually there…..the start point of Historic Route 66.

It did highlight the complication of navigating the old road across modern times.

We were over-awed with the murals, the giants, the crumbling signage and abandoned and dilapidated buildings that marked the rise and following redundancy of the road that changed everything

Crossing into Missouri and the Gateway Arch (actually going up inside to the viewing platform..!!) was a highlight.

Missouri offered some great little treasures…

the discovery of frozen custard for one….!!!

……. ending in Joplin, Missouri to take one of our first big side trips to Crystal Bridges, Arkansas.

The other ‘must see’ impressive(and unexpected) sights from thr Joplin stop was Red Oak II

Reading the books and searching the internet barely prepares you for the real enthusiasm people have for this snapshot in modern American history. Crazy legs Dean Walker in the visitor centre as we cut the corner of Kansas was the epitome of this. So many communities rely on this long tarmac ribbon for their tourism economies, they really embrace it.

Tulsa was the best strip of surviving neon….and the first slow roll drive to accommodate the intrepid blogtographer…..(and Tulsa had fraozen custard too…!!)

Oklahoma city and the bomb memorial…cowboy museum and the red barn

Texas and Amarillo yielded our least favourite campground, and the most disappointing attraction of the route….the Cadillac Ranch was such a let down, muddy and covered with litter. Amarillo itself had fabulous Mexican food…Oh….and the big Texan….

Crossing Texas we passed the midpoint in Adrian, TX and made our way to Tucumcari, which had one of our very favourite moments with Mariachi Elvis. It also is the source of the Radiator mountain in the Pixar Classic, Cars

The good fortune to arrive in Tucumcari for the ONLY event that happens in that town for the year……bonus being Mariachi Elvis.

Entering New Mexico is the point where the history changes from being the evolution of Route 66 from 1926, to a much more ancient history. We absolutely loved New Mexico from Santa Fe up in the mountains, the petroglyph cliff,

Albuquerque catching a Lyle Lovett concert and wandering the ‘Old Town’, bumping into the ‘Breaking Bad’ connections,

the guys at the Wheels Museum.………….

…..to the Lava fields and Sandstone Bluffs of El Malpais National monument. (and the bat outflight….that was a great moment…!!)

…and then catching up with Hemingway again in Villa de Cubero

Arizona continued with the same ancient history ……the Petrified Forest, Walnut Canyon and its adjoining monuments, and then a bit of more modern history making with the iconic ‘corner’ in Winslow Arizona ( got you singing it again….LOL)

In Arizona we stopped in Kingman, another part of the Cars inspiration. From there we did the fabulous loop up through Oatman to wrestle with some donkeys…!!!..it truly is another world up there.

..and doubled back up the road for lunch at the Roadkill Cafe in Seligman

The last stop was in boiling Barstow with a few more surprises on the historic quest……Scott was very taken with the burned down hotel…..

….and ….of course…that last drive in to Santa Monica pier at 5.15am for the sunrise….and the end of ‘The Road’

….and so this particular story is complete. It was a blast….I have no earthly idea how anyone does this route in two weeks….but thats the way the plan on the official Route 66 map lays it out. We were exhausted……fulfilled to overflowing but exhausted…..with many more tales I just couldn’t include them all, but next we meet in person, we’ll have stories to tell.

Movie star lifestyle and the T-bird.

These down days in California…..we actually stayed in one spot for a couple of weeks….were very welcome. It doesn’t take long to learn your way around, correct highway exit for the campground or grocery store and back road home from there, or just being in the correct lane to make that turn without trauma in the endless congestion.

We did a rare ‘divide and conquer’ day where Scott drove in to SF to meet up with an old university pal…..and I stayed in Sonoma and spent the day touring wineries in Paul’s 1957 baby blue Thunderbird convertible. I know….you feel bad for me…..!!! (Editor, her ladyship slipped very easily into the movie star lifestyle, while I trekked around Downtown SF with Derek. Hit all the tourist spots and ended up in the ‘Tenderloin’ district, only scary if you didn’t grow up in Fife.)

Paul has always been an automotive enthusiast…..but he has collected some real gems. There’s the restored 1943 Ford GPW, very similar to a Willys Jeep……which is an experience….( Scott got to drive….I didn’t dare…..)…..and the T-bird which is truly a thing of beauty.

Both vehicles arouse the same kind of response from other drivers on the road….and pedestrians in the town……they turn heads and illicit many smiles and waves. Reminded me of driving my Mini or pulling the Airstream, People just love to see these icons.

It was great fun…..and a terrific excuse to go for ice-cream in the town square where we were joined by one of Paul’s vintage car friends ….with her rather supercool car for a bit more head turning….

…..and in truth…the winery trips were on foot. Paul, very conveniently, lives 10 minutes walk from two very acceptable California vineyards. I’m not actually sure there are any I would turn down.

All very civilised I have to say….!!!

Our next trip out in Sonoma was a gem of a trail up through the grounds of the old Sanitorium, the “Sonoma Developmental Center” which closed in ~2018. Its original name when it was founded in the late 1800s was the somewhat non-PC “California Home for the Care and Training of Feeble Minded Children”.

After an epic effort by an army of volunteers the grounds of this former centre were cleaned up after many years of neglect and added to the neighbouring Jack London Historic State park in Jan of 2024.

The trail through the grounds reveals a more compassionate approach to care than the name of the place might suggest. Play areas, outdoor activity areas….and wilderness camp areas for both residents and staff. Not all residential care was cruel and inhumane.

It was a lovely afternoon hike/walk….mostly shaded..and through some big ( if not giant) redwoods….always such impressive trees. There were many which had burned out in the past and several new trunks were emerging from the old root stock.

Thanks Paul for another great day out……and some lovely memories.

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Further adventures on the Pacific Coast, Salt Point and Fort Ross

One of the best benefits of being in Santa Rosa was the chance to spend some time with a long time friends who have made this area their home.

On this day it was a trip to the seaside with my good friend Paul, who knows the area so well, and the roads. (The roads in these parts are not for the feint of heart..!!) While we were away for the day our truck was being dismantled, repaired and rebuilt just in time for our return.

With Paul driving us to one of his favourite spots it was an opportunity for both of us to sight see…..and this was such a great road for sight seeing. (Editor. Being chauffeured around is rather rare for me and the world is fascinating out of the side windows)

The first stop was a long drag up a very windy hill to reach a fabulous lookout point with a view down into the reservoir at Lake Sonoma overlook.

It’s quite sobering to see the black from previous years wildfires.

From there we followed the Pacific Coast Highway, No 1 up to Salt Point State Park…all the while feeling very glad we were not towing.

Salt Point State Park is a little piece of heaven on earth.

There is something about being by the ocean that is simply good for the soul.

The power and random beauty of waves crashing on the rocks just never loses its thrall.

Looking south…the rock outcrop you see may be familiar to anyone who was a fan of ‘The Goonies’ . The sandbar gave us a spectacle of a sealion colony. This is the mouth of the Russian River which drains 1500 Sq miles of Sonoma and Mendocino Counties in Northern California.

For us, after the last months of being boiled alive, the coolness of the ocean breeze had an extra special delight.

We walked the cliff path through the park with many stops to examine almost alien looking rock formations, watch the birds….or just simply stare at the crashing surf.

In our youth Paul and I were part of a group who often hiked seashore paths or forest trails. It was a joy to be able to lapse back into such easy company.

It would be easy to spend a lot of time here……a comfy chair, a flask of tea and a good book…!!

Following the coastline south again…the next stop on the agenda was Fort Ross.

Fort Ross is an intriguing place to say the least…..and we don’t usually do the selfies….but here goes…!!!

Russian ships came down from the Alaskan colonies in 1803 and settled at Fort Ross from 1812 to 1841. It is a very well preserved site, has a fascinating history and is well worth the visit. The aforementioned Russian River is named for Ivan Kuskov of The Russian-American Company who established the Fort Ross Colony.

There is a big bell ( which, of course, one HAS to ring….LOL)

A grand day out…love you Paul… 😁

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Muir Woods. Another Planet (No Apes..!!)

As I have said before, the list of things to see/places to go from this very central point of California….is long.

On this day the pick was the Muir Woods National Monument. ,one of the last remaining Pacific Coast ancient redwood forests sitting just across the bay from the big city of San Francisco….and a step across the threshold into wilderness. Named for John Muir, an interesting Scottish fellow who along with Roosevelt was instrumental in the creation of the National Park Service in 1916.

Muir Woods is the setting for the new habitat for the Apes in the Planet of the Apes reboot……but the movies were actually filmed in the Redwoods outside Vancouver …and not here.

The proximity to the city makes it a popular spot…so the mechanism used to control the flow of people….is that you have to book your parking spot in the park online in advance, not many spots hence not many people. Pretty clever really.

We had picked a very early slot to try and beat the commuter traffic headed to the city. This tactic scored us a plum parking spot mere yards from the visitor centre.

The road up to the park gate is not for the feint of heart…..certainly not with any kind of trailer…..the truck barely made it round some of those corners. It’s a residential zone with driveways I can only describe as terrifying. (Steep and barely off the very narrow twisty road)

From the access road back down into the valley where the parking area and visitor centre is located….is just as terrifying. Sharp switchbacks down a sheer drop. Once you reach the gate multiple cars were being turned around as they had not secured their advance parking pass. Strict enforcement protects the forest from overuse.

As you step out of the vehicle the size of the trees and the height of the canopy makes you feel like you have been miniaturised somewhere along the road.

…and that wonderful slightly dampish, cedar-y forest floor aroma belies how close you are to vast residential developments.

As always…I have to hit the visitor centre to add another National Park/monument/forest pin to my ever growing collection.

At the beginning of the trail there is a network of boardwalks making this immediate area very accessible.

The scale of these ancient trees is beyond my ability for meaningful description. It would not be a surprise to here that Jurassic Park thud thud of the brontosaurus strolling by.

The Canopy trail and up through Tamalpais peak was the trail pick today….

..following switchbacks up to the edge of the park for the canopy view.

My trusty blogtographer never misses an opportunity to catch me falling in water…or mud…..

At the top of the trail, the last switchbacks take you right to the edge of the park.

The view is atmospheric rather than spectacular as the sea fog sits on the trees.

We have done forest hikes before….but the Muir Woods have a different feel of ancientness.

There are many moments where you just have to stop …gaze upward at the trees and just breathe.

Its the same kind of feeling as standing by the ocean just breathing the air……

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The Birds and The Golden Hind.

OOOO…the pick of iconic spots to visit in California. One of the picks that seemed obvious was Bodega Bay. I’m not sure if there are any spots on the Californian Pacific coast that are not spectacularly beautiful….. or that don’t have an almost eerie Deja vu vibe …… ( there cannot be much of the landscape here that has not featured in multiple movies and tv shows)

Bodega Bay was no exception.

We drove up to Bodega Head to follow the trail around the clifftop looking down into the bay. It was lovely…and lovely to bask in that cool sea breeze.

The first part of the trail looks down across the bay back towards the town….and many tourist beaches. ( You can almost see Tippi Hedren running for her life through the grass…!! Yes this where Alfred Hitchcock filmed ‘The Birds’)

Looking down we could sea the walrus on the rock island in the distance and watch the fishing boats come in….

…further along we stopped to watch the seabirds flying, diving and doing general seabird stuff…..

The Pacific coast is something else……the clifftop view along this path is wonderful.

…and here is a classic blogtographer picture….can you spot me standing out on the point ( well not quite…but as far as I dared go…!!!)

Next choice for the day was a trip out to Point Reyes.

Point Reyes is another US National Seashore and had been recommended by a couple of different people.

First stop in the park has to be the visitor centre. The US National Park Rangers have , in our experience, have always been tremendous resources for the best spots to go to…..and Point Reyes was no exception.

The ranger directed us first to Drakes beach as the most likely spot to spy some walrus…..that sounded good so off we went.

We did not realise until we arrived…that Drakes beach is the actual beach where Sir Francis Drake landed the Golden Hind in 1579 during his circumnavigation of the earth ( which is why its called Drakes beach…!!!)

There was no one else on the beach that day…..we walked to the end of the beach….but no walrus to be seen…darn…. lovely walk tho.

On the walk back some young families arrived and put their kites up in the wind….

Back in the truck…next ‘must see’ spot at Point Reyes is the lighthouse.

It’s a bit of a hike from the parking lot up to the visitor centre and then down stairway to the lighthouse…

313 steps down to the lighthouse. The further down the steps you go…the more aware you are that you have to go back up…LOL….

Down at the lighthouse itself, you could see the whales breeching out in the bay….fabulous…!!!

…a passing sealion put in a performance….

The climb back up wasn’t that bad….LOL….

A grand day out indeed. As we hopped back into the truck for the journey back to Santa Rosa, it would seem the adventure was not over. The check engine light blinked ominously on the dashboard (sigh). We had just enough time to make it back to a AAA garage in Santa Rosa before they closed. The fuel pump we had installed in Arizona, 6 days previously, was faulty….needed to be replaced again…thankfully under AAA warranty…b/c the job in Arizona at $870USD….in California….$1760USD….oooufff…!!!…that felt like a bullet dodged….!!!

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Needles California, boiling in Barstow and searching for a Sign. The Mother Road Episode 29

With the truck repaired and the test run to Seligman completed successfully, we were hitched up and ready for the next leg of the journey. Across the Mojave Desert …my sister asked if the truck had a name….(🎵 I’ve been through the desert in a truck with no name🎵)

Arizona surprised me by being greener than I expected……vivid colours with red rocks and the painted desert type rock formations……and California surprised me by not being flat…….I don’t know why I expected it to be flat….but let me tell you it most certainly is not…!!!!

I must have blanked on the fact that the Rockie Mountain range extends all the way from Alaska down to Mexico.

The backdrop of the desert was always mountains…. spectacularly beautiful and impossible to photograph, you just can’t encompass the sheer scale and the wrap around nature of the landscape.

California welcomed us with an inspection station (like a border crossing) on the highway to enter the State…and palm trees. The sand turns from red to mostly white /beige….and the plant life switches from impressive cacti to palm trees and yuccas.

Then there is the road. The road has several long slow serious climbing grades. The shoulder lane punctuated by dying and dead transport trucks unable to manage the combination of the grade and the heat, and perhaps the patience to get up those hills without blowing the transmission, the engine or the tires…!!! Given our experience in Kingman…there was a bit of breath holding happening as we hauled up those grades carefully watching the transmission temperature.

The early travelers of the 66 must have despaired when they hit Needles (The eastern edge of California……) They had made it to CA and the promised land… but now there were a whole bunch more mountains and desert to go (and not a lot of water sources) CA is even drier than AZ.

Just before Barstow is Daggett…I hesitate to describe it as a town…but it is part of the original road.

We made it to Barstow in 46-degree heat…. the worst of the heatwave already behind us. We had changed our plans slightly to not linger here in the heat…but to find the sign…take the picture of it, and head north.

We did a bit of a tour through the old town of Barstow to take some pictures of the remaining relics of the road..

It was a daytime version of me slow rolling along the main drag and the guy with the camera screaming ‘PULL OVER’ at the worst traffic moments and leaping in and out of the truck…..🤣

Barstow’s other piece of interesting trivia…..Its military base, Fort Irwin….considered to be one of the top training bases for the US military. It is also the only part of Route 66 not accessible to the public as it runs right through the base itself. (Fort Irwin has its own fascinating history for those interested)

One of Barstow’s legends is the El Rancho Hotel which burned to the ground in 2022 under questionable circumstances.

In these temps…when you get out of the truck it’s hard to tell what’s worse…the crushing heat of the sun from above or the furnace roasting of the tarmac from below. Whichever it is…moving quickly is just not an option. An added bonus as you hit California….the gas prices are as eye watering as the heat….but the wine is incredibly excellent and inexpensive…. unfortunately the truck doesn’t run on Chardonnay.

We made the decision to rise in the early hours and do the last 2 ¼ hour drive in to LA…Hit Santa Monica Pier at sunrise and get the heck back out of the city.

I had had my doubts about finding a campsite a bit closer to the city of angels. It turned out that Barstow was about as close as we wanted to get and was an ideal launching point for the final push.

There was heavy commuter traffic all the way, I was very grateful for the quick reflexes and nerves of steel of my driver guy as the traffic weaves from lane to lane with commuters dodging in and out of the transport trucks while the whole throng of traffic moved down the seemingly endless grade, well in excess of the posted speed limit. This would not be the case just a short time later.

I don’t think I did much breathing the whole way in. There was no real sunrise because of the morning fog of the beach. But we did pass Muscle Beach, several ‘bodies’ on the steps of the pier and on the shoreline.

Much to our delight, arriving in LA at 5am is perfect……because street parking is free until 7am…….we were long gone by then. Luckily for me I had a sweatshirt in the truck (not so much the other guy…LOL)…from the scorching temps in Barstow….it was a balmy 18 degrees C (64F) in Santa Monica…Brrrr…!!! Shivering in cold was a bit of a welcome change….!!!

The sign which we have been seeking was before us, marking the end of the trail..quite an emotional moment in fact. We had the pier to ourselves to soak in the accomplishment.

Did one of our very few selfies….

then jumped in the truck to head back to the trailer.

It was a much easier drive back….well it was for the passenger anyway..!!

The grade was not huge….but it was unrelenting…and the temp was 47 degrees (I am imagining that the tarmac was a bit hotter yet.) we did a quite a bit of finger crossing and some silent praying for smooth driving, which we were granted. On the way home we were very glad that we set off at that ungodly hour…..the commuter traffic was nose to tail into the city all the way back to Barstow, just like you see in the movies…..but plain sailing for us returning east for a big nap.

We got back before 8.30 am and fell back into bed…

Mission accomplished…!!!!

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Kingman to Seligman. The Mother Road, Episode 28

After slurping down our delicious skillet lunch and milkshakes at Mr D’s diner, we braved the 47 degree C (117F) Arizona roasting and jumped in the truck to head across the road to the Kingman Visitor Centre for a look. (and hopefully a pin for my collection..!!).

We did a quick stop in the gateway for that essential tourist picture….pulled forward to head for the parking lot and………… chug chug sputter sputter……the truck died. Unceremoniously we rolled to a stop and looked at each other with a mix of horror and relief….. Horror cos the truck had just died….but incredulous relief because of all the places we had been that morning we would have been in serious trouble if this had happened out there on the Oatman Highway, or even the I-40 coming back.

Here we were right next to an airconditioned public building in a place where there was a cell signal to call AAA (yes we are members, works in USA and Canada).

The ladies in the visitor centre were lovely and gave us cold water and lots of encouragement….

Eventually the AAA guy arrived to flatbed the truck….

Now we have a problem……..We both jump in the cab and Mr Tow Guy turns to us and says…..so where do you want me drop you ?? Luckily there was AAA approved shop in town so off we went. They were excellent, quick, courteous and professional. A fuel pump failure was diagnosed and we were dispatched with a helpful chap and one of their vehicles back to the campground. Once repairs were completed, we were retrieved and sent on our way.

We needed an extra couple of days in the campsite …well we could not move the trailer without the truck..!! The garage were great, the campground were great (the lady in the office even gave me an extra discounted rate because I was taking it so well…LOL……humour helps people..!!!)

The next box to tick, the backtrack to Seligman, became a convenient test for the newly installed fuel pump to make sure everything was tickety boo before we hitched up to tow again. First stop though was a return to the visitors’ centre to thank the ladies, and reassure them we were back on the road and none the worse for wear, with some new friends and a story for the blog to show for our experience.

We hit a few of the Kingman motels on our way east out of the city.

The road back to Seligman is all old 66, just like you’d imagine it. If you have watched the Cars (Pixar) movie…..Peach Springs and Seligman contributed much to the flavour of that movie.

At some point you start to realise that this route 66 journey is a pilgrimage of memorobilia… Lots of old cars either the shells of them along the road or the lovingly restored versions proudly displayed.

So many little preserved gems along the way…

….and some not so preserved….!!!

When we made it all the way to Seligman….the Roadkill Café seemed like an adventure in itself……LOL.

…but first we had (just had to…!!) do the wander up and down the main drag….gawking at the history…and the kitsch…..

I’m guessing that Seligman, like many other places and businesses, saw lean times through the ‘Pandemic’ years……

Maybe I’m wrong….but it had the feel of somewhere that is used to being busier…..

There was certainly lots to see….

….and did I mention ….it was hot……

Time to escape indoors for some a/c and lunch…whatever that may be…!!!

The truck behaved itself impeccably…..all ready for the next leg of the journey….

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Oatman Highway. The Mother Road , Episode 27

After surviving Independence Day, it was time to head back down the other side of the mountain dropping over 1,000m (3,333ft) in elevation…..next destination Kingman, Arizona. Now we were leaving the relatively cooler temperatures in the mountains and facing the blistering heat of the edge of the Mohave Desert. I was not looking forward to it.

Zuni Village RV Park was my choice…..I spent time picking this park poring over google maps in satellite view looking for the one promising the most shade.

The daytime temp in Kingman as we headed there was 47 C (116F)…I was absolutely dreading it. Stepping out of the truck was like stepping directly into an oven, there was a breeze but even the air movement was like a giant hairdryer. Sunglasses were necessary to stop your eyeballs from drying out…it was hot.

The lady in the office did a bit of juggling to get us in a site with trees……but the trees had kinda passed their sell by date….the ones on our site were large ..but sparse…and not really cutting it. There was a pool…but it was green and soupy….and did not look cool in any sense of the word.

We were booked to be there for a couple of days. From Kingman we planned to take the original 66 road up through Oatman and also to backtrack to Seligman. Kingman, Seligman and Peach Springs being important checkpoints for Radiator Springs (Pixar Cars movie) and also being parts of the original path of Route 66.

We set off for Oatman at 7am the next morning……it was already 39 degrees C (102F) by 8am….!!!…and it only got hotter……

The road to Oatman is an iconic one for its 191 curves…..and for the platoon of burros that live in and around Oatman. ….and by curves I do not mean gentle sweeping bends in the road…..

Its kinda hairy driving…..steep ups and downs and hairpin bends….. (and no barriers…!!)

As the passenger on the edge of that never ending cliff it was hard to look out the side window…!!!(Much to the amusement of the driver)

There is very little traffic on this road….I think we may have passed just a couple of vehicles……and a couple of groups of motorcycles, it’s a destination road to drive on a motorbike….

It was bad enough in the truck let me tell you.

We stopped at a lookout to take some pix and suddenly this donkey appeared and came running towards us……full on EEE AW-ing…!!!

I had heard tell of the donkeys in Oatman…but I was not sure how friendly they were going to be outside the town…..this guy seemed determined to get snacks….but I was not taking any chances of being the snack..!!

The town is something else….

If you imagine a gunslinger cowboy town from the 1800’s decked to the nines in tourist kitsch you are still not close to how this place is.

Its a tourist trap for sure….but also manages to be quite charming… (and boiling hot in July..!!)

…and then there are the donkeys…..

They just wander around….in great numbers…..apparently the donkey/burro population of Oatman is about 1700….. they sell burro feed for the tourists…..we watched a couple of German girls trying to tempt one so they could take some photographs. The donkey walked up to the girl…grabbed the paper feed bag out of her other hand and walked away munching…..we did laugh….LOL….

Driving out the other side of town…you are quickly in to the Mohave desert….. it’s beyond imagination what this must have been like in the 20’s and 30’s as people migrated west on this road…… we were grateful for the engine cooling system and the air conditioning….!!!

We chanced on another group of donkeys…they were clearly used to being fed by tourists in black Chevy trucks judging by the way they emerged from the clumps of cacti and swarmed us…LOL. (They completely ignored the Arizona Utilities Truck that passed the other way….. 🤣)

Of course, we had to stop to take some pictures of those super cool cacti…

….and by we, I mean….(Editor. The things I do for the blog, really needed asbestos soles on my shoes, was at more risk from the wildlife than traffic)

There is not much on this road……and if one were to break down…..1.) cell phone coverage is pretty sketchy and 2.) there is very little traffic passing 3.) the environment could not be more challenging ……it’s a bit scary.

There is a rest stop along the way that is another sobering moment thinking back to those ‘Grapes of Wrath’ style travelers

There are a couple of small towns on the edge of Arizona/California where we joined back on to the I-40 and completed the loop back to Kingman.

Back in Kingman…..it was time to stop at the iconic Mr D’s Route 66 diner for lunch….

It was pretty good by the way……

…and then…..in the blistering heat we headed across the road to the Gateway at the Kingman Visitor centre for the mandatory tourist photo op….

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Flagstaff part 2. The Mother Road Episode 26

The road from Sunset Crater up through Wupatki National Monument is not dissimilar to the road through the Petrified Forest and Painted Desert, one follows on from the other.

The first Pueblo, Wukoki Pueblo, is off down a side road….we were following a map provided by the visitor centre. As we turned into the little parking area it was quite a WOW moment seeing this incredible ancient building about a km from the parking.

It was a moment to hydrate, pull on the sunhat and stroll at a leisurely pace over to the Pueblo.

By this point in the day it was so hot, an older couple who had pulled in at the same time as us were debating whether they should walk out there at all.

It’s like an enormous ship marooned out in the middle of this desert landscape….no other man-made structure as far as you can see

Next stop is the Wupatki Visitor Centre…..with access to the largest Pueblo structures in the park through the visitor centre building

As you walk out the back of the building its another big WOW moment. This place is truly extraordinary

There are stairs down to the structures and a trail around them …and did I mention that it was sweltering hot…!!!

This site has blowholes and fissures where the air moves (as I understand it ) relative to the changes in the magma at the earths core. In traditional lore its Where Mother Earth’s breath is felt

Time to leap back into the truck…crank the air conditioning and suck back yet another bottle of water….onward to the next pueblo.…Citadel.

Perhaps not as imposing as Wuptaki or Wukoki, but still quite impressive in its own right with 360 deg stunning views from the top

Our last stop for the day was Box Canyon... Another little development but this one showing more signs of the agriculture ….all very interesting.

By now we were late enough in the day that it was time to find shade. Phewff…

The last bit of Flagstaff was my slow roll drive down the main drag after dusk as my faithful blogtographer leapt in and out of the truck at intervals.

Flagstaff Neon.

Once we made it all the way into town, we discovered that we had landed in the middle of an art crawl evening. It made for a lovely stroll in the old downtown of Flagstaff.

Extra pix

The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert. The Mother Road Episode 24

After the fun little trips around here, the day was ripe for the National Park extravaganza. The Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert..two National Parks separated by Route 66. The weather was cooperating…having had a day of rain and coolness the day before, we figured an early start for the drive up through the parks was in order.

We headed for the south gate of the Petrified Forest. (There is only one road up through the parks.)It was the second National Monument designated by Roosevelt …and was switched to National Park status in 1961, a truly extraordinary place.

As you enter the park gate, almost immediately there are large chunks of tree trunk…..except they are agate and jasper.

The visitor centre is a lovely little vintage construction that really has not changed a whole lot since it was built in 1931.

I suspect that this is yet another of these places that the pictures just can’t convey just how incredible this landscape is.

They reckon these trees are 216 million years old……..now does that not just give you pause for thought…For context…..T-Rex is about 66 million years old.

When you stand next to these massive tree trunks, the bark, the knots, the rings in the cross-section don’t require any imagination to see them.

That and they are just …..beautiful…!!!

As we drove from the south gate north, there are designated lookout spots and walkways to allow you to grasp some concept of the landscape while minimising the erosion damage from the tourism that helps to support the parks.

…but looking beyond these incredible relics…..the vistas are breathtaking…

With the amount of iron rich rock laying on the surface I am astonished that the area was not stripped of minerals in the late 1800s when they were building the railroads……

Each lookout is yet another extraordinary vista which…if the signage is to be believed…has not changed much despite us humans…..!!

The shade structures at most of the lookout points were very welcome. This was not the hottest of days……it was only 34 Celsius (93F) but it’s so exposed that the sun is quite relentless.

This one was set up for viewing an agate bridge, a tree bridging the creek….it had been shored up by concrete to try and preserve it in the early 1900’s

The Blue Mesa Trail…this was a steep walk/climb down following a paved trail….it was like a moonscape down there…..and the heat was oppressive. I’m glad it was only 34C….!!! This badlands area is striped purple…. and it really is purple.

Newspaper rock..….an ancient spot for petroglyphs…..these pictures were taken with the long lens as you can’t get close to them for fear of vandalism.

The Peurco pueblo is a 1200 year old village remnant which demonstrates a very sophisticated social and agricultural structure in the area at that time.

With a solstice marker….

…and some very cool petroglyphs….

I just love the little goats……. 😁

…and if the day was not full enough…..we cross the I-44 (the modern route following old 66)

……. and now we have the Painted Desert National Park.

The crows were well used to the tourist audience…….I had to share a little trail mix…they asked so politely…!!!

Painted desert inn….what an interesting place. This 1920’s inn is the only piece of route 66 inside a National Park. The building and the furniture inside it was constructed largely by Franklin Roosevelts Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC). The CCC was a brainchild of Roosevelt to provide employment and skills training to young men in the post depression era. I had never heard of this organisation before….it was quite the project….