Day 24: What's Red and White and Sore All Over?

So, no kidding...what's red and white and sore all over? Two really STUPID Women Road Warriors. Today was an R&R day, which really means a lot of walking and shopping. Only the added feature this time was the Pacific Ocean. We put on our bathing suites, SPF 60 Waterproof Sunscreen, packed our beach bag and took a walk to the beach! We didn't walk far and found a convenient spot to spread our beach towels and enjoyed the view. Hazel made it clear that she was a "walker" and not a swimmer. She was pretty certain that she wasn't going to get in water deeper than her ankles. So I had to play by myself.

The Flat Boys enjoyed a day out of the car and in the fresh air!

After a refreshing dip in the salt water, it was off to explore the beach walk again. I'm so proud of us, we didn't buy anything except lunch. What a wonderful, exciting place. We walked and talked to people. We walked and looked at some really good, and some really bad art. We walked and stopped for lunch. We walked and walked and walked some more, then decided that we should take our really heavy beach bag back to the hotel and come back to the beach walk to rent bicycles! We had absolutely no idea how far we had walked, and temporarily lost our way back to the room. Once back on track, and becoming aware of just how far we had walked, we made the decision to sit on the beach one last time. We walked some more...on the sand, just to make it a challenge...and found an appropriate place to set out our towels and once again enjoy the view.

It wasn't long before I was in the water again bouncing in the waves. I managed to convince Hazel that she should at least wade in up to her knees. It didn't take long and both of us were way out in the water getting bashed about by the breakers. We had a wonderful time! Time to finish our trek back to the hotel to change and think about some dinner. By the time we drug our wet and sandy bodies into the room, we were pretty ready to get out those bathing suites. Oh...My...God! The fronts of Hazel's legs are scarlet, and the backs are white! My forehead is pretty red and we both look like raccoons! We had been out about 6 hours and only put sunscreen on 1 time. We did have enough presence of mind to wear shirts!

We're sore, burned (only on one side), chafed, and lovin' every minute of it! What a great way to spend the day.

Mikey, put a light in the window 'cause we're starting home tomorrow!

Penny S. Head

End of the Line

We are at the end of the line...and there is still so much we have not seen. The California Route of Route 66 is very nice. It is well used and easy to travel, going from old run down areas to very high end malls and homes. We had the opportunity to go to the BNI International Headquarters and see some of the team there. Ivan Misner, founder was at his place on Big Bear, so I took the opportunity to sit at his desk. VERY NICE! BNI HQ is right off of Route 66 in Upland.

We had a great time driving Baby down Sunset Blvd, through the 90210 zip code, and through Bel Air. We took a few shots but traffic is heavy and we did not stop, most of these were taken from the car. We had a lot of fun, kept the top down and snapped lots of photos, unfortunately now I am paying the price of a sunburn again.

We forgot to get the Route 66 end photo so we will go back tomorrow to do that. But we did get photos of the pier. Look at that Beach.

We are staying at The Inn at Venice Beach, a very nice hotel, well decorated and very reasonable rates. Penny is so excited because we have a balcony that she can go out and have a cigarette with out going down to the parking lot. Only problem the hotel only had one room left, and the Holiday Inn found it for us, the only room has one queen size bed for us to share. Good things we are long time friends! LOL

Venice is so very different from Sana Monica. When we got there it was very family oriented, very clean with lots of kids, parents and general tourist. We decided we wanted something different so we went to Venice beach, my favorite beach. What a dramatic changes. Lots of street vendors, authors, singers, artist, head shops, tourist junk, and places to eat. It is like a Carnival and if you like people watching this is the place to be. Today, Penny and I are going to spend the day on the beach watching people or maybe they are watching us!

Gettin our Kicks on Route 66

Hazel M. Walker

Queen of the Road

Day 23: Woo Hoo!!!!! We Made It!

Day 23, and we made it to the end of Route 66! We left San Benardino this morning and made our way to the end of our journey! Since we took a trip on the double six to Upland to visit our friends in the BNI Home Office yesterday, we decided to take the interstate back to that point this morning, and then scoot back to pick up the journey on the actual Route 66 pavement. We have often made bad decisions on this trip, and this was truly a double edged sword! Route 66 goes through Los Angeles. Not on the highway, but through the city of unique individuals. The interstates were glorified parking lots, and Sunset Blvd, never stops! No place to park and get out and walk, and if you did get a chance to pull off the road, you will have a heck of a time getting back in the flow. And the flow moves along at a break neck speed! No time to take pictures, so Hazel just held the camera over the windshield and started snapping! The other side of the story is that we gawked just like the tourists we are at EVERYTHING! The people, the buildings, the everything is just so very awesome!

We buzzed through Pasadena, Highland Park, and through the heart of downtown LA, on through Beverly Hills and down to Santa Monica! The traffic thinned out considerably through Beverly Hills and Belle Air, but once through there, it was Nelly Bar The Door...again! After that whirlwind drive, we were just numb. We walked along the pier stopping in at several shops, but buying nothing (told you we were numb), and decided to move on down the road to Venice Beach. It wasn't until we were back in the car that we realized that we didn't take one single picture of either of us under the Santa Monica Pier sign going woo hoo, or any picture of the Flat Boys celebrating the moment. Our penance is that we will have to go back there on our way out of town to record the momentous event.

We are now in Venice Beach/Marina Del Rey. Stepping onto Venice Beach is like walking into a carnival. The people; tourists, street performers, vendors of all sorts of odd and exotic wares and foods, and local residents combine to perform an endless promenade of gawkers and hawkers. It was after 6:00 PM when we started our search for a room. Once again, bad, bad decisions. We finally found the last affordable room and are finally getting the opportunity to stretch out and relax. We have booked the room for 2 evenings and plan to spend most of tomorrow at the beach getting sand between our toes. I have promised Hazel that I WOULD NOT feed the seagulls.

Before I sign off for the evening, I would like to send out a shout to Manoj Patel. On our way to Upland to visit BNI, we stopped at the famous Wig Wam Motel. Unfortunately, we had already taken a room for the evening, so did not stay there, but Manoj was fascinated by our tale and gave us the tour of 2 of the tee pees. These are really cool, and I highly recommend a stay there if you get the opportunity. The rooms are surprisingly big, with pillow top beds, and beautiful headboards. The grounds are well kept and tidy, and if Manoj represents the rest of the staff, it's a very friendly place. Thanks for the tour Manoj (http://www.wigwammotel.com/).

~ Penny S. Head

Day 23: San Bernardino

This evening I met an incredible man whose name is DeMarco. He is originally from Istanbul, but is also an American citizen currently serving in the US Army and stationed in Turkey. I'm now sure exactly why he is here, but I'm sure it some type of training. By the way, his Grandmother is Greek.

I went to the patio behind our hotel to smoke a cigarette and listen to a J.D. Robb audio book, and of course, a total stranger noticed the headset and started up a conversation. I swear, there is sign on my forehead that says, "tell me your story." Fortunately, I took the time to listen. We shared some Belgium chocolate, some Native American cigarettes (yes, they are legal...no additives just tobacco and boy did it go straight to my head), and I received quite the education about Turkey. It seems that the bible, as we know it today, was created from 2,000 gospels there. It is home to the largest cathedral and mosque in the world. He told me about the "early" Christians, and showed me the elaborate homes, and a church, they carved out of the mountains. He had his laptop with him, I was treated to a visual voyage through Turkey. We had a wonderful conversation about philosophy, ideology, and "just and unjust."

Thank you DeMarco for a very insightful hour and a half. It is these impromptu meetings that have made this trip a true education.

Penny S. Head

Mohave Desert

We made it through the Mohave Desert! We drove almost 260 miles today to make up for yesterday complete lack of mileage. We even left the hotel at 9:00am which is a full hour and half earlier than usual. (those beds were not conducive to sleeping late...but hey we only paid $57 for the room).

We got on a desert road and headed out! The Mohave is awesome, the road is long and straight with lots of Dips that make Penny screech! Most of the road is smooth and well cared for. It is a lot of fun to drive and there is little traffic so there is plenty of time to stop and take photos.

It is important to have a full tank of gas and plenty to drink on this leg of the trip.

Here are some of the sites that we saw in the desert. Can you guess what they are?

By the way, check out our friends blog, he is traveling Route 66 too. http://therealwombat.wordpress.com/tag/route-66-in-007/

We are in San Bernadino at the Fairfiled Inn tonight......can't wait to tell you what we do tomorrow.

Gettin our kicks on Route 66

Hazel M. Walker

Queen of the Road

Cowboys, Deserts, and California

I did not blog yesterday because our connection was to slow. We only drove 75 miles yesterday from Kingsman to Needles. We got hung up in Oatman as you can imagine from Penny's post. Puppies, Donkey's and cowboys Penny was in heaven.

This is the GPS system showing the road we were traveling.

She paid the price to get there, because that mountain trip was amazing. I only thought that the mountains the day before were good but these were the best. Penny hates heights, this was not only high but the drops offs were on her side of the car and the roads were old and narrow and they were hairpin turns and old bridges, but it is the only way to get to Oatman and once Penny read about the wild Donkey's and I heard about the mountain roads it was a MUST do.

There is a Vista at the top where you can stop and see Nevada, Arizona, and California. It was pretty hazy, but very cool to look at.

Oatman is well worth the drive, it was very entertaining and we had a great time hanging out there. Penny bought a bag of carrots as soon as we arrived and began the search for the Donkey's, I on the other hand was looking for the cowboys! Fortunately both of us left happy. Mike Fox is the Cowboy he had lunch with us and gave us the history of the settlement of the west and the history of Oatman. He is very, very knowledgeable, he grew up in this town. If you get a chance to visit this little town, find Mike, he loves to share his knowledge and he is very friendly. A good ambassador of the town.

We had lunch in the hotel Saloon, there are Dollar Bills all over the walls, ceilings, doors and any where that you cans staple a dollar. The estimate there are about 30,000 dollars with peoples names or slogans written on them. Now, BNI and the Queen of Networking has one on the wall too! While Penny was donating money to the Donkey food fund, I was writing on $$$ bills and putting them on the wall!!

On our way to Needles, down the mountain we stopped in the desert to look at stuff, you know, Penny and I stop to look at everything. We were amazed by the way that locals use the desert as their dumping ground.

After we left Oatman we only drove to Needles, Barstow would have had more to choose from but it was to far to drive to and there was nothing in between. At least that put us in California. Route 66 goes right through this town and there are many of the old hotels along the route. Most are not kept up and many of them closed. Needles is a small town, not a lot to choose from in the way of hotels so we stayed at the Travelodge Motel, at least it is not in the slums, the room was clean and quiet. It looks like the Days Inn is under some major remodeling due to a storm.

We are in California even if we did only go 75 miles!!! YEA!

Gettin our Kicks on Route 66

Hazel M. Walker

Queen of the Road

Day 20: We Got Us a Cowboy!

Oh my, oh my, oh my! Today was a great day for the Women Road Warriors! We have been up, down, up a whole lot more, and down, down, down twisty, curvy, narrow mountain roads. I mean, for someone who hates heights, today's trip through the mountains was a true test of fortitude! Baby loves the road, and sticks to the road like glue. Thank you God. In addition to road signs warning of hairpin curves, wiggly roads, and flash floods, we started seeing signs warning of burro crossings!

Our EZ66 Guide mentioned Oatman, AZ as an old gold mining town "but now digs for tourist dollars with shops an cafes, staged gunfights and live music all crammed into its one burro-lined street." Gunfights generally mean cowboys, and since this was our current goal, we decided to make the stop. Oatman is about halfway down the current mountain, and at first peak, you just might want to keep on goin'.

The buildings are probably original from the gold rush days, the street (Yes, just one) is dirt, and the "sidewalks" are wooden walks raised up from the road. There's places to eat and buy the normal tourist things like T-shirts, rocks, etc. But, most of the shops also sell bags of carrots so you can feed the wild burros! Well, of course I had to buy a bag at the very first store we came to. I then carried the bag into every store to the end of the street. I was beginning to think the burros were just a come on, but soon enough, word got out on the street that the burros were in town. They just come wandering in off the road to get handouts from the sight seers. Poor Hazel, she humors me (it's her penance for scaring the pants off me on those mountain roads). I was like a kid in a petting zoo, and simply loved communing with the fuzzy beasts. Mamas and babies walk through town and sometimes right into the stores looking for gullible guests like myself. I loved it!

I donated money to the Burro Food Fund, Burro Vet Fund (they sometimes get hit by cars flying around the curves), bought carrots, and donated to the Public Restroom Fund. All worthy causes!

As you know by now, one of our goals was to find Hazel a cowboy! Well, I did it! After feeding the burros, we made our way up the other side of the street, and what should cross our path but a big ol' cowboy! Good looking, and serious. Being the extraordinary assistant that I am, I approached tall dark and handsome, and explained that the redhead over there (she wasn't paying any attention) needed a cowboy, and would he please give her a hug for a picture....And he did!

We were actually on our way back to the car and out of town when we noticed that our cowboy had gone into the saloon. We were instantly hungry and needed to stop for a bite to eat. It was time for a cigarette break as well, so I went outside to feed my monster while Hazel placed our order and admired our cowboy from afar. Just as I stepped out the door, a shot was fired and I about died right on the wooden planks! The gunfight was about to start!

The sheriff asked for volunteers to help block the street, so of course, I stepped right up to the challenge. Then the boys got to talkin' about robbin' the bank and shootin' up the town, and one by one, down they went. It was so hot out that one bad guy moved to die in the shade of a van, and another jumped right up as soon as he hit the dirt! What fun! Then they passed the hat for donations to the public restroom fund, and I got this nifty kerchief!

When I got back in for lunch, Mr. Good Lookin' cowboy came by the table to say whatever good lookin' cowboys have to say. Much, much later, we really did get back to the car and resumed our trip. Mike Fox is a great ambassador for Oatman, AZ. His calling card states that he is a photographer (some really first class photos of the area), gunfighter (one of the original Ghostrider Gunfighters), Stagecoach Driver, Roustabout, Electrician. We got quite the history lesson around Oatman, the Indians, Mormons, and mountain men. Thanks Mike! You truly made my day! [sigh]

We crossed the Colorado River and are staying in Needles, California this evening. It's hotter than...most hot things...and I've just about lost my sense of humor with this heat. However, Mike reassured us that this is a pretty mild summer for this area, and a little more humid than normal. Hmmmm, maybe we can get him to come to Indiana some summer day and show him what humidity really is!

It would be more fun

To go by air

If we could put

These signs up there.

~Burma-Shave

Penny S. Head

Day 19: Goodbye Sedona

Slide Rock and tourists notwithstanding, Sedona is just simply beautiful. Our path took us through the Coconino National Forest and into Oak Creek Canyon. the view is simply breath taking. We walked the tourist path, and got some wonderful pictures!

From there, down the mountain into Sedona. It's a very tourist driven, but the shops are a lot of fun, and the bronze statues all up and down the street are beautiful. Hazel found The Orchard Hotel, and we instantly made the decision to stay an extra day. I spent every moment I could sitting on our balcony watching the changing colors on the mesas. The Orchard is such a cool place. Real glasses in the bathroom and bed room, sliding screen door so you can turn off the air conditioner and enjoy the evening breeze. Trust me, we didn't use this feature much, but is was very pleasant last evening. Lauryn was great, and we thank her for a great stay.

The first evening, we decided to do some laundry (guess who was out of dry panties), and met the owner of The Laundry Basket, George. What a great guy! We learned that The Laundry Basket is the result of George making some major life-changing decisions. George mentioned that since we were already off our path, we should go to Jerome, AZ. What an amazing place. Unfortuantely we were unable to any pictures of the town, but take my work for it...it is amazing. First of all, the town is experiencing a re-birth. Many shops line the streets, and I think that's where all the hippies have gone to grow old! This little town is literally built out of the sides of the mountain! I don't mean that they found a flat place in the area for a nice little town, I mean each building is built sticking out of the side of the mountain! If you rolled out of bed in the middle of the night, you would just roll down the side of the mountain. It is just incredible! We didn't get any pictures because the streets were so narrow, and there really wasn't any place to stop and snap. It was too hot to park and walk around, so we just wove our way through the place in wonder and awe!

From Jerome to Seligman where we were presented with our very own Official Route 66 License by Linda Howard, owner of the Ruty Bolt (http://www.rustybolt66.com/). She has a wonderful store with many, many items we have not seen in other R66 stores along the way. There are some great manaquines on top and in front of her store. The flat boys had a ball posing with the girls, real and staged!

So, we're back on track and back on the mother road! Wanted to give a big hello to our friend Wombat (http://therealwombat.wordpress.com/tag/route-66-in-007/). He's out there doin' the mother road as well. He makes a lot more stops than we have so far, so give his blog a look and let him know you're friends of the Women Road Warriers from Indiana!

Love from the Road,
Penny S. Head

Out of Sedona

As much as we loved Sedona, we packed up and left today. Sedona is not part of the Route 66 trip, but it was so close to Flagstaff that we decided to take Route 89A and check out the beautiful Red Rocks. It is well worth the side trip.

Today we took 89A around the Mountains into Jerome. Again, not part of the Route 66 trip but what the heck we are already off the path. Jerome is phenomenal, a whole town build on the side of mountains. Jerome has a rich history of copper mining and when the copper mines where closed the town was all but abandoned. Today it is growing and draws a lot of tourist. It is so different from all of the other towns we have encountered in Arizona. No way could I ever live in this place, if you fell off of your porch it would kill you! If you ever get a chance I would recommend that you take the opportunity to visit the old town!

Now, let me tell you about the mountain drive. It was so exciting, we were climbing up the mountain zigging and zagging, great hairpin curves, uphill, downhill and sheer drop on the drivers side. Baby was a blast to drive on this road, at the top most point we were at 7500 feet. Remember, what goes up, must come down, and we did. Penny did great, she hates heights, but did well, we had the top down on the car and the temperature was wonderful. This was the most beautiful part of the day to me, it was also the most exciting and therefore fun.

We got of the longest portion of Route 66. It is 150 miles of straight two lane highway, the temperature was still below 95 degrees so we kept the top down. That was a mistake......it is not feeling so good now! Much of this part of the drive was interesting but not beautiful.

We went thru this little town called Seligman, Arizona. Very fun, several of the local places have really gone out of their way to create a fun place to stop and buy geegaw's. We went to a little DQ like place, (not DQ) we had hot dogs for lunch....Bob hot dogs...short and fat. Not the John hot dog which is long and thin. Their description not mine. The guys taking the orders where very very funny! Stop here if you get a chance!

We continued on, top still down..........not a good idea, did I tell you were are sunburned! LOL

Tonight we are in Kingsman, Arizona, tomorrow we go thru the Mohave Desert. Our guide books says fill the tank and take plenty of water. We will also ride with the top up!!!! We should be in California tomorrow night!! YEA!

Getting our Kicks on Route 66
Hazel M. Walker
Queen of the Road