Day 11: Ouch. I got my kicks (in the head) on Route 66.
We’re hungover, we’re in the desert, and things are looking bleak. A quick check on Yelp tells us that the nearest bacon is around the corner from our hotel at a place called The Toasted Owl. Oh, Toasted Owl, your fine breakfast fare and cute-as-hell mugs made me fit enough to sit in a moving car for the next few hours. Beyond that, I was a wreck.
We headed north on US89 to check out Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Wupatki National Monument. What I remember from both were, “Oh my God it’s hot,” and “ow, head, ow.”
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| The scene of the crime. |
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| Lava fields. They were about the same temp as when they were first formed. At least if felt like they were. |
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| Looking west toward the Painted Desert, which is about 70 miles away. |
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| Ancient Pueblo People built the ruins found at Wupatki. The people came to the area after the volcanic eruption because the ash made the ground so fertile. This day, it was VERY HOT. |
After the Volcano/Ruins/furnace we headed east on US40 aka Route 66 to check out Meteor Crater. The crater was formed about 50,000 years ago by a meteor hurled at the earth from ancient evil aliens (probably). The crater is nearly 4000ft across and 600ft deep. It’s pretty cool, definitely worth the stop.
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| In the center of the crater (that white spot in the picture above) is the old mine. On a fence is a handy size reference. |
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| In the visitor center you can pose in front of a backdrop that simulates you being inside the crater. File under “Probably Not Necessary.” |
We got back on Route 66 and headed into Winslow. If you’re an Eagles fan, then you know the significance of Winslow. If not, it’s just a town in Arizona that gets off on being mentioned in an Eagles song. It’s famous intersection comes with a trompe l’oeil mural and permanently parked pick-up truck.
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| Check it–it’s not even a full building, just a wall. |
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| Found this in the souvenir shop. I just… I mean…what the actual f*ck? |
We stopped for a meal at the Turquoise Room at La Posada hotel. According to their website it’s “The Last Great Railroad Hotel built in 1929 by the Santa Fe Railway for the Fred Harvey Company.” The hotel, gardens and depot were designed by Mary Jane Colter of Grand Canyon architectural fame. And Fred Harvey is an interesting fellow, whom I knew nothing about until this trip. Oddly enough this documentary about the Harvey Girls aired a few days later when we were in Albuquerque.
After a fabulous lunch, we headed to Holbrook where we would crash at a Best Western, but not before taking in all the kitsch that Route 66 had to offer.
Modwestern Girl 