Day 10: NM to AZ – My Route 66 Road Trip

Once again Route 66 has been overlaid by I-40. We took a few stretches off of I-40, but none on the dirt roads marked in the guide book!

More breathtaking scenery was followed by visiting the Petrified Forest National Park and even more breathtaking scenery. I’ve driven by the National Park several times in my life but never stopped. This top I stopped.

Wow! Who knew? Words cannot describe. There’s more to the Petrified Forest than wood that crystalized 17 million years ago. Highly recommended.

Next, Meteor Crater. It’s fantasticly huge. I’ve seen it before but worth seeing again. The $22 admission price is pretty steep to look at a big hole in the ground, but they do have great displays that tell the history, both geologically of how it was formed and man’s attempts to study the crater.

Back on I-40, then exiting onto Route 66 before Flagstaff and a drive through town. What a cool city! Looks like there’s a lot of cool places to eat and stay.

After quite the little side-step through Park, it was on to Williams to fill up the tank and get a room for the night. I went sightseeing through turn at dusk. It’s a cute little town! Definitely worth staying the night.

The Scenery

The drive from Gallup westward is a huge change from the farmland of Illinois and the hilly roads of Missouri. Vast spaces and only a few small towns, coupled with the wide passes through the Rocky Mountains make this section of the drive faster than sections to date.

If you like to drive and see beautiful country, you will like this section of road. The painted desert in New Mexico is fantastic and the Route 66 off-shoots from I-40 are worth the drive – both for the driving experience and the views. As you progress into Arizona, the land flattens out again, with mountains in the distance. If you want to see lots of small towns that take you back in time, turn back east. The countryside has changed and the population along with it.

While there are fewer places to stop and look at, the places to stop at pack a lot more into the package.

Winslow, AZ

Small town, very cute downtown. We stopped to eat on the east side of Winslow as we pulled into town, the fajitas were fantastic, but I wish I knew the downtown area was there and how nice it was. I would have eaten there and strolled around more.

The song by the Eagles has made this town famous and I thought it would be bigger! The scenic backdrop is painted on a wall – not the side of a building, just a wall – on a corner facing a side-street between the two one-way sections of the main drag. They certainly have leveraged the song to their advantage! Although the backdrop needs a refresh. The doorway where I’m standing needs the door replaced, and touching up the paint is a good idea. Still, it’s a cool touch and a great photo op.

I always thought the Petrified Forest was a bunch olf logs that have petrified. Was I surprised when there’s more than that!

Breathtaking is a word I keep using and it’s still true. Seeing where millions of years of erosion have revealed the strata of the various epochs of this planet’s history was really cool. I’m sure geologists go crazy seeing what’s there!

It’s a 20+ mile drive through the park with several scenic views, and a couple of side roads to points of interest. Such a fine sight to see.

The Wigwam Motel, Holbrook AZ

Driving through the Petrified Forest led us to the south entrance on Highway 118, which took us into Holbrook. We made a left turn and there was the Wigwam Hotel!

Of course, a photo op. Many old cars which gives the place some character. They’re older cars that look like they haven’t been driven in a while, fitting the ongoing theme of the old road that has been passed by, with the decline of business and life in the small towns along the way.

It’s a cool place to see, had we arrived closer to night instead of in the middle of the afternoon I would have wanted to stay there!

There’s no denying that Meteor Crater is a big hole in the ground. It’s impressively big, and I cannot fathom what would happen if something like this happened today. What’s amazing to me is how close this is to the Petrified Forest – less than 80 miles as the crow flies. Considering the earth is over 25,000 miles in circumference, that’s nearly a direct hit. What would have happened to the Petrified Forest and the natural geology that is on display if the meteor hit 80 miles to the east?

My favorite town on the trip so far, and based on the Likes and comments on the Facebook post, most everyone else’s favorite town as well. After checking into the hotel, I took a stroll through town and immediately stumbled on a street scene where four gents were staging a comedy gunfight. Quite entertaining!

A walk up the main drag and a walk back, visiting a few shops, buying a few signs for the garage, it was quite the trip. There is a blend of Route 66, the old west and a touch of the Grand Canyon. If you told me this town had those three themes going on, I would think they would clash, but in Williams they blend seamlessly. Somehow it doesn’t seem strange to see a saddle next to a Model A Ford, or a buffalo statue next to a 50s Oldsmobile.

The many hotels look like they’d be fun to stay at, and the eateries look charming. I think a great vacation would be to get to Williams in the afternoon, stay at one of the period hotels/motels, take the morning train to the Grand Canyon, spend the night at a hotel there, take the train back and spend another night in Williams, then hit the road. Perhaps a new bucket list item…

Wednesday, Aug 17 – Gallup, NM to Williams, AZ

The Scenery

Winslow, AZ

The Wigwam Motel, Holbrook AZ

A Big Hole in the Ground

Williams AZ

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