Southwest – Day 9 – Michael Elyard

Southwest USA

Retirement Trip

September 2019

29 Days – 6,500 Miles – 19 States

7 National Parks

Several State Parks – 6,000+ Photos

1 Trillion Insects Squished by Car Windshield

From 108 Degrees to Snow

From 282 Feet Below Sea Level to 12,000+ Feet

Bison, Elk, Prairie Dogs, Lizards, Wild Horses

Elvis, Aliens, John Wayne Westerns

Walking In The Footsteps of Forrest Gump

And More!

Exploring Winslow, Arizona

“Well, I’m standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, 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 Eagles, Take It Easy, 1972

Winslow was a busy, thriving town up through the 1960s. Hundreds of trucks and cars passed through town each day. Then, in the late 1970s, I-40 opened and routed traffic around town, and things were suddenly quiet. Very quiet. For many years, the town declined and was on the verge of closing. In 1997, the newly-formed Standin’ On The Corner Foundation started a campaign to rebuild the town to its former glory. The Standin’ On The Corner Park was created, and the downtown area (including the famous and historical La Posada Hotel) was cleaned up and open for tourists seeking to explore Old Rt 66.

It was just a couple of miles from our hotel to downtown Winslow.

Historic U.S. Rt 66. Entering Winslow, AZ.

One more “Welcome to Winslow” sign. Very welcoming town!

You are here —- We’re in the “green” state of Arizona.

Standin’ On The Corner Park
There’s even a girl in a flatbed Ford parked off to the right.

What everyone comes to Winslow for nowadays – a photo on the corner.
Look, in the background, it’s a girl in a flatbed Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me!
“No, Beth, I didn’t smile and wave back. Honest.”

Just across the street is the famous souvenir shop.
Pretty girl on the bench. Can I take her home?

One of three big rooms filled with anything you would ever want related to Rt 66.

Across the street in the other direction, a blues guitarist fills the streets with music.

I thought this would be a neat souvenir but Beth said “No.” Old Crosley from England.

Crosley – A Fine Car
It says so right on the emblem!

A little carpeting and upholstery and it would be good as new.
Just like the Flintstone-mobile, you can stick your feet out of the bottom and push to save gas.

Having struck out with buying the Crosley, we continued down
the street. Hey, this looks like a fun place for lunch.
Again, “No.” Oh well.

La Posada is a historic old hotel that has been a tourist hub for nearly 100 years.
It is a very upscale place that was built next to the old Santa Fe Railroad station back in the days when rail travel was high-class.

We didn’t see this when we made hotel reservations or else we would have stayed here.
Fancy, but not much more expensive than the Best Western we stayed at.

There was a gardener taking care of all the flowers around the hotel. Very nice!

The gift shop had everything from postcards to thousand-dollar rugs.

Interesting metal sculpture animals around the hotel.

For more history on the La Posada Hotel: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Winslow_station_(Arizona)

We’re sure the restaurant would have great food, but the price for lunch was higher than our daily food budget. And, we don’t feel comfortable in fancy places. So, we headed back down the street.

Now we’re talkin’!! Hey, we’re in Arizona, only a couple of hundred miles
from the border with Mexico.

Comfortable surroundings and big, affordable meals. And, they have photos of each meal.

Lunch is served! While we were eating, several locals came in for lunch, too.
This must be THE place to eat.

Tummies full, we continued our walk around town. By now, it was getting hot so we decided to head back to the A/C room for a nap. And laundry.

PROCEED TO DAY 10 – WINSLOW, ARIZONA TO SEDONA AND WILLIAMS, ARIZONA

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