Day 28: La Posada

http://www.laposada.org/.

I start this post with the website for La Posada Hotel as much for you, dear reader, as for me to reference when we get home. This hotel is one of the most amazing treats of this trip!

We left Needles, California today (yes, we stopped there again, and boy is that another story) and resumed our trek eastward. It was 104 degrees when we left, but the temperature went down to the low 70's by the time we got to Flagstaff. We only stopped for a bite to eat there, and hit the road again. We are doing a combination of Route 66 and US 40, and we have managed to see some of the sights we missed on the westward leg of the trip, like the Amboy Crater (we have lava) and the giant tiki head. We figured we make a stop back in Winslow, Arizona because we had such a good time last time we came through. AND we needed to make a decision about where we would stay this evening. If we stayed in Winslow, it would be an early stop, but if we continued on to Holbrook, we would be stuck in a place we didn't like very much on the way out west. The next stop would be Gallup, and that was just too far to go today.

We paid a visit to Diane Patterson, owner of Roadworks (http://www.roadworksroute66.com/), for a recommendation for our night's lodging and she suggested we go down the street to La Posada. She said they have the best food in town. That's an understatement! The food is out of this world! We had fried squash blossoms stuffed with a sweet corn mixture, prime rib, and a chocolate souffle! YUM!

But the real treat is the hotel itself. We checked in around 4:00 thinking what a great time to catch up on some blogging and get to bed early. HA! We spent 2 hours touring the facilities, and almost 2 hours over dinner, and another hour watching a video about the hotel! It was 9:00 before I started this chapter.

La Posada is the last of the famous Harvey Houses...hotels that were built along the Santa Fe Rail Road to accommodate cross country travelers. This particular hotel was designed by Mary Jane Colter and opened in 1930. In the 20's, the Harveys planned a resting place in Winslow, AZ as it was the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe RR. They asked Mary to design the building, decorate the interiors, plan the gardens and oversee construction. Keep in mind women couldn't even vote at that time. Mary came up with the concept of a Spanish aristocrat's home, and built this rambling hacienda based on that concepts, right down to the Catholic background. It is truly an incredible place, and I'm sure at it's height, it was simply fantastic.

In the 60's, the railroad reclaimed the building and turned it into offices. The beautiful floors and adobe walls were covered with vinyl tile, drop ceilings, and asbestos coated walls. The wonderful interiors were removed, destroyed, or covered up for years! The railroad left, and the building was left to ruin. Allan Affeldt bought the building in the 90's and is lovingly restoring this magnificent piece of history to its original splendor! The gardens are still a work in progress, but are wonderful just the same. Many of the original floors have been uncovered, and what could not be restored, has been recreated. Please take some time to visit their website. You will be amazed!

And to think we thought the Eagles made Winslow famous through their song! This one building has provided us a look into the past and the beauty and imagination that made this desert stop famous.

We will see you all soon,
Penny S. Head
Woman Road Warrior

Day 17: Ridin' the Wild Hare

We left Holbrook, AZ yesterday and made a brief stop in Jackrabbit. This little town is about as big is it's name, but after seeing all the huge yellow and black signs encouraging us "RIDE THE JACKRABBIT" we just couldn't pass it up. Fortunately for us, this big ol' guy was pretty tame and didn't feel like hopping around very much in the heat. Even the Flat Boys had a good time riding while we shopped.

From Jackrabbit to Winslow. Hazel gave you the background for this great small town, so I can give you a bit of the color. Diane Patterson, owner of Roadworks (http://www.roadworksroute66.com/), has a great gift shop, and gave us a very warm welcome. She's such a nice woman, and loved hearing about our trip. She stocks lots of Route 66 items (the good stuff), as well as Eagles CDs, jewelery, scents of all kinds, books and art work. If you are looking for the "crap" type of trinkets, this is NOT the place. Diane's wares are unique and worth the stop.

Although we have not had that first problem with the police in ANY town we have stopped in (well, there was that incident at the El Rancho Hotel where the police told me to go inside), Hazel thought it would be fun to take this photo. Mom, it's OK. I was out back smoking a cigarette and there were some intoxicated guys out front. The police were just patrolling the area and thought it would be in my best interest to go inside.

I do seem to have a propensity for attracting cats, dogs, and people with stories to tell. We dropped in to a little coffee shop and there was a great big black cat to welcome us at the door. He loved me and spent some quality time in my arms. Down the street, we met a big, curly dog and his owner. The guy was celebrating his birthday and had consumed a vast quality of coffee and nicotine (and I'm thinkin' something a little more special). Hazel and I stopped to pet the dog, and the guy had a story to tell..and tell...and tell...to me (it's the human sacrifice thing that Hazel does so well).

Next stop, Meteor Crater! Our blog pictures just cannot do justice to this place we almost passed by. It is HUGE! It is simply called Meteor Crater, but should be called something like LOOK AT WHAT MISSED KILLING ALL MANKIND! You just can't imagine how big around and deep this is! This picture is me standing on the edge of the crater. Anyone that knows me, will understand the courage this took. Notice that I'm NOT holding on to the railing. There is pretty much nothing behind me...or below me! I'm so cool!

Hazel took this picture from an upper level of the observation path in hopes we could get some perspective. A large thunderstorm was brewing and the shadows you see are from those clouds.

Between our hike through the Petrified Forest the day before, and hiking up and down this observation trail around the crater, I was pretty worn out, but I'm still around and didn't keel over! I know our gentle readers have noticed the lack of Flat Boy pictures. It is incredibly hot out here, and carting my fellas around in this heat is just too much.

Our next stop was Flagstaff. From the sand and heat to the coolness of the national forest! Hazel and I are just dumbstruck at how quickly and how dramatically the climate and landscape has changed. This a beautiful town, and I can't wait to get out there and explore.

More to come, so stay tuned!

Penny S. Head