Day 9 - Kingman, AZ to Winslow, AZ

We woke up to wind howling through the keyhole of our room at El Trovatore in Kingman, not pleasant but sort of fitting for a day in Arizona's high desert. After breakfast in the room, we lit out to finish the longest intact stretch of Route 66 - Needles, CA, to Seligman, AZ. The winds stayed with us - southerlies from a high-pressure system centered just offshore of northern California - and the tumbleweeds were tumbling. We just had to play Sons of Pioneers as we drifted along.

The little towns along the way - Valentine, Truxton, Peach Springs, and especially Seligman - have worked up the Route 66 theme with posters, signs, old cars and old junk. It's mostly a 50's theme, even though the Mother Road is way older than that. Burma Shave (in business from 1925 to1966) has a series of odd signs along the way that go beyond advertising their product. This picture is an example - each of these little phrases is a few hundred yards down the road from the last. Marketing baffles me.

With the altitude, the clear sky and the wind, the air was incredibly dry. While washing the windshield at a service station, the top was dry before I could squeegee it off. Despite this, there was still snow on the top of the hills (not even mountains). The high desert is amazing. Near Ash Fork, we were back on I-40 blasting along with heavy truck traffic. There are so many trucks on the interstates. At Flagstaff, we ducked off for fries at McDonalds (real road food) then booked along toward Winslow. The Painted Desert was gorgeous - red rock, red soil and tan/green bunch grass against the blue sky. At 6000 ft, the air was sparkling clear.

We blew (literally) into Winslow mid-afternoon. Our room at La Posada Hotel, Gardens and Museum wasn't ready and it was too windy to stand on the famed corner, so we slaked our thirst in the Turquoise Room. The hotel has a wonderful history (History - La Posada Hotel); it has a tinge of Route 66, but it is more about native art and culture. Really well done. The restaurant was a treat, starting us off with a Mary Coulter martini (she was the original architect) and squash blossom tamales. Waaay too much food but oh so good.

Today's mileage: 216.0

License plate count - Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Montana, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Nevada, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota, Tennessee. Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and the US Government. And from Oh Canada - British Columbia and Quebec. 

This year at the Tucson Festival of Books we were able to hear Linda Ronstadt talk about her new book describing her early life in Arizona. She grew up in a close-knit, musical family and her routes straddle the Arizona/Mexican border. Originally, she wanted to share some family recipes, but the book became much more as she began to write. Funny how that happens. She is an incredible force in much more than the music industry. This book is full of wonderful photography and great southwestern recipes. It just makes you want to visit Arizona.

Okay everybody, you know the tune for today. Get out your guitars; it is that old rock 'n' roll strum, G, C, D with a few A minors and E minors for that plaintive tone. The Eagles Take it Easy, written by Jackson Brown and sung by Glenn Frey. Apparently, Jackson Brown's car broke down here, and "there was a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me."

It is amazing to think that a song and a group of local women could save a town but that is essentially what happened in Winslow. A local (well, only 40 years in the area) told us how the town was fading after I-40 bypassed it in the '70s but the community just would not let it happen. They got together and had some artisans create a space to memorialize the song. New businesses ensued and the town is thriving as an attraction along Route 66. The luxurious La Posada Hotel adds to the ambiance and makes a visit here special.

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