Agate Bridge.
Jasper Forest showcases one of the largest accumulations of petrified wood in the park.
Crystal Forest.
The Giant Logs and Long Logs.
Inside the Rainbow Forest Museum, these creatures were once alive here. I then waited for Robin in the car and once he arrived, we exited the park on the south end and took US 180 west to Holbrook then Interstate 40 to Winslow\ then stopped at McDonald's for an early dinner.
The author beside Standin' on the Corner Park, commemorating the song "Take It Easy" which was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and most famously recorded by Frey's band, the Eagles. The song includes the verse "Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, and such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me." The park contains a two-story trompe-l'œil mural by John Pugh, a Ford flatbed truck, and a bronze statue by Ron Adamson entitled "Easy" (which resembles Browne, but represents "the troubadour") who is standing on a corner with a guitar by his side. The park is surrounded by a wall of bricks, with windows to peer into; each brick has a donor's name on it, and a story by each of the donors describing their fondness for Winslow, Arizona.
Until the 1970s, Winslow was a thriving town in northern Arizona just off Route 66. When Interstate 40 bypassed the community many local businesses disappeared, the tourism sector being among the hardest hit. While some local jobs remained (Winslow is the base of operation for nearly 1,000 railroad workers), the local downtown was badly hurt by the influx of national chains such as Walmart and McDonald's along the new interstate highway to the north of the town. Twenty years passed and Winslow was stuck in a commercial rut. The Standin' on the Corner Foundation was formed to create a renaissance of Winslow. Determined to build on tourism, the foundation took advantage of the town being mentioned in the song "Take It Easy" made famous by the Eagles. From 1997 until 1999, the foundation sought out donors and planned design concepts. On September 10 and 11, 1999, the park was opened to the public.
Robin had his turn. We filled the car with petrol and drove west into the afternoon rain, coming upon a big rig which had had a major accident at the Interstate 40/25 interchange, afater which the rain started. We found a train and reached Maine just as one was proceeding east.
The eastbound unit grain train.
BNSF 5476 West at Maine. We returned to Interstate 40 and the rain became harder and one could only safely drive at 50 mph for the next hour as the good drivers stayed at the below the speed limit and those bad ones flew by. Once I neared Seligman, I decided to leave Interstate 40 for US 66 with a lot less traffic then as we approached Peach Springs and returned to the sunshine, I stopped.
That was the storm we had come out of and good riddance to it. We went to Peach Springs, found a green signal and waited.
BNSF 6583 West at Peach Springs.
BNSF 6583 West near Valentine. We drove to Kingman in a dust storm.
BNSF 6583 West nearing Kingman. We pulled off the highway and called Elizabeth to ask her to make a reservation for us at the Best Western in Needles since I did not want to stay in Kingman in a dust storm. Once on the move again, we caught up and passed that train then crossed the Colorado River and were back in our home state of California. We checked into the Best Western and it was 119 degrees Farenheit when we did.
On to Home 7/26/2016That blast furnace of Needles was still on when we packed the car and checked out. One last McDonald's breakfast, filling the car with petrol and we were off for home. I exited Interstate 40, taking US 95 to old US 66 to show Robin the way the Santa Fe crossed the desert. The road was open all the way to Ludlow and we did see some trains, then at Ludlow, we returned to Interstate 40 and stopped at the rest area. On the move again at Barstow, we took Interstate 15 to California Highway 60 and construction delay due to a closed car pool lane for about a mile. That highway took me right onto the car pool lane on California Highway 57 to the car pool lane on Interstate 5, to the car pool lane on California Highway 55 and then the car pool lane on Interstate 405, where I exited at Brookhurst. Turning right on Talbert, we and soon we were back to Robin's apartment. He removed his belongings from the car and we both commented that it had been a fantastic trip to Colorado. I drove back to Talbert, then the normal freeway, Interstate 405 south to California Highway 55 north to Interstate 5, exiting at 17th Street then straight up Santiago Avenue to my home. What a great trip it had been, but it was so good to be home again.
| RETURN TO THE MAIN PAGE |