Arizona :: Along the Way with J & J

Archive for Arizona – Page 2

Special Post – Won’t You Take Me to…Donkey Town!

By jayjazz · Comments (0)

Thursday, May 15th, 2014

We had been looking forward to Oatman since we arrived in Arizona. Jay remind me several times as we travelled through the state that we would have to stop and buy some carrots to feed the donkeys. I wasn’t really sure what to expect but I knew that feeding the wild burros would be fun.

We have been using an excellent book to help us along on 66 called “Route 66 Adventure Book, 4^th Edition by Drew Knowles. In a small paragraph after Kingman, Mr. Knowles warns that the “scenery & terrain begin changing” and that there are “lots of dusty, gravelly switchbacks” to be mindful of. Until yesterday afternoon, I had no idea what a switchback was. Well, I certainly do now! Neither of us has ever experienced anything like traversing that terrain. We ascended & descended what some would consider treacherous roads, especially in a 28-foot motorhome! Narrow, 90-degree turns and elevation changes of 1000 feet or more in a matter of minutes made for an interesting afternoon drive. Jay will be posting some video from my dash cam for your enjoyment but first, we have to edit the cuss words 😉

After what seemed like an eternity, we finally reached Oatman. In only a few seconds, we realized that the journey was worth it. Picture an authentic old west mining town, with small country stores along both sides of just one dirt road: Old Route 66. Several burros casually strolled around the place in search of the tourists holding brown paper bags which contain alfalfa treats. After all the reminding, we never stopped to get carrots but we did purchase a couple bags of the aforementioned treats to entice the animals. Oatman also puts on daily gunfights at Noon with completely authentic outfits.

We took several pictures and then perused some of the most interesting shops we have seen thus far. I purchased a handmade agate donkey trinket from “Outlaw Willie” (www.outlawwillie.com) & Jay & I picked up a couple of cool knives for our collections at Jackass Ron’s. We also stopped at a place called Fast Fanny’s to get our passport stamped. We were greeted by Rich, who is originally from Ware, MA. We chatted with him for a spell about our hometown, Lowell MA and he gave us a brochure for the Topock Resort & Marina.

After leaving Fanny’s, we took several more pictures, some of them silly, and then made our way back to the rig. Oatman is my favorite single place we have visited so far and I would recommend visiting there to anyone who has the guts…well, do ya punk?

Comments (0)

Categories : #RoadTrip2014, Route 66

Tags : Arizona, Route 66, RV Travel

Day 13 – California Dreaming

By jayjazz · Comments (0)

Wednesday, May 14th, 2014

This morning, we explored Route 66 in Kingman, AZ and got our passports stamped at the Powerhouse Visitor’s center. While there, we met a guy from Brazil who was traveling 66 from San Diego to Chicago and then back to San Diego. Hardcore! He asked us to take a photo of him with his phone and we gave him our blog address. Hopefully, he visits us…he also had a blog but we didn’t get the info.

From Kingman, we headed west in search of Oatman. Oatman, AZ is an old mining town where wild burros (donkeys) roam freely in the streets. We were excited to see them but until we arrived in Oatman, we had no idea what we were in for! Read more about our Oatman expedition in our special post on Tuesday.

We continued on the Old Route 66 all the way to the California border, stopping once in a while to see the older towns and take a couple photos. Some of these towns are so small and barren that if you blink, you will miss them. We stopped for lunch just on the border at the Topock Spa & Resort, which sits on a marina at the base of the Colorado River. We had our lunch and watched a pretty cool speed boat dock for a visit to the bar.

California! We reached the border just a minute after leaving the Topock resort. Setting our sights on Barstow for the night, we were able to find a pretty long stretch of the original Route 66 and we took in the surrounding landscape which again, can’t be justified with photos.

Driving the Mojave Dessert was a sight in itself. Mountain ranges way off in the distance and nothing but brown grass & bushes, some cacti, and the occasional palm tree. After a couple hours, we stopped in Ludlow, CA to let Lady T rest and use the facilities. Jazz left her sunglasses in the bathroom and they disappeared. They magically reappeared on some lady’s head that was just about to drive away. Luckily, I noticed and Jazz was able to get them back without any violence.

Apparently, there are strong beliefs in this area that there is a portal to interplanetary space travel. A man who was driving through Ludlow in 2010 witnessed some strange activity and started a website to inform people: alienalerts.com. Of course, Jasmine picked up a postcard with the web address. On the way back to Lady T, I had to break the news to her that we lost a wheel cover somewhere is the desert. She wasn’t happy but now a piece of Lady T will be on Route 66 forever!

We decided to get back on Route 66 and we wished we hadn’t. For about 15 miles, the road was so bad that we had to drive between 10-15 miles per hour. The only redeeming part of this was that we saw the beautiful sunset. We hopped on the freeway as soon as we could and stayed there until we got to Barstow.

Gas prices have been pretty decent all the way to California. We have been able to stay in the 3.21 – 3.49 range except for one or two occasions but immediately after we crossed the state line, we saw signs for $4.99 and one place in the middle of the Mojave Dessert was $5.24!!! I used the Gas Buddy App to locate a cheaper rate, which ended up being $3.99 at an AMCO station is Barstow.

Our home for the night is another Flying J/Pilot travel center. This one has lanes specifically for RV’s so hopefully it won’t be so noisy!

~J&J

Comments (0)

Categories : #RoadTrip2014, Route 66

Tags : Arizona, California, Road Trip, Route 66, RV Travel

Special Post – Our Time in Friendly, Arizona

By jayjazz · Comments (0)

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

Ok, there is no such place but you wouldn’t know it. All of the people we have met have been super friendly, despite the harsh Arizona landscape in which they live. From the folks manning the visitor centers to the proprietors of each small shop, we have seen nothing but smiling faces. Here are four standouts:

Pita Pit Pete

This is the guy who took our order at the Pita Pit in Flagstaff, AZ. This young man evoked something that most super chains have failed to teach their employees about sales: anticipation. After listening intently to how my pita would be “designed”, I couldn’t have wanted anything more at that moment. We also talked about our trip a bit and he invited us to stop back in on the way home. His name really wasn’t Pete, of course, but I’m sure he won’t mind.

KOA Kevin

Kevin is the gentleman who assisted us yesterday at the KOA campground we chose to refresh out tanks. Just so happens he is a tech guy and he and Jay discussed nerd stuff for a bit. Kevin asked if we had a blog and he have us his. He and his wife use it to post info about their hiking adventures and business. Kevin suggested we visit Google AdSense to try to make some money off of our adventures. We told him we don’t have enough traffic coming through our blog but were working on it (HINT).

Tape Ball Chuckie

Chuckie is the young guy that changed our oil at the Firestone garage in Williams, AZ. He was quiet but nice and was a good sport when Jay asked for a picture of him and the giant tire tape ball that the station has on display. Chuckie mentioned that the tape ball was at one time in the Arizona Highways Magazine.

Mustard Girl

As I mentioned, we have met a bunch of different people on our trip so far and among those, there are a few who have really stood out. Mustard Girl is such a character. She was the young girl who took our order at the famous, wacky Snow Cap Drive-in in Seligman, AZ. In the span of about three minutes, she pulled more gags on us than any circus magician and we all had a good laugh when I countered with a couple of my own (I have been known to be funny). I, unfortunately, didn’t get her real name but it wouldn’t matter if I did. We will always remember her as Mustard Girl.

~J&J

Comments (0)

Categories : #RoadTrip2014, Route 66

Tags : Arizona, Road Trip, Route 66, RV Travel

Day 12 – The Grand Canyon State

By jayjazz · Comments (0)

Tuesday, May 13th, 2014

After spending the night at a Walmart in Flagstaff, we set out to find the visitor’s center to get our Arizona 66 passports stamped. Downtown Flagstaff was so cool that we decided to hang around a while and explore the area. We stopped at several little shops and picked up a few goodies to take back with us.

We hadn’t planned on eating out but we walked by a place called The Pita Pit that looked too good to pass up. The service was super friendly and our pitas were made fresh right in front of us, kind of like Subway but way better. I guess you could call them “Pita Artists” ;o) After lunch, we needed coffee. There is no shortage of coffee shops in the area so we stopped at the first place after the Pita Pit, an organic café called Flag Buzz. Jasmine got an Americano and I had a Mocha Latte. The barista even made a yummy looking flower in the foam. Starbucks never makes a flower for me!!

A priority for us today was visiting the local Camping World to get an oil change for Lady T and refresh our tanks. Unfortunately, the store in Flagstaff didn’t offer dumping or propane and had no availability for an oil change. We quickly searched the internet and found a Firestone service station in Williams, AZ that could take us right away. Heading west, we also found a KOA Campground to dump and refill our water and propane. We met a nice gentleman named Kevin who helped us and chatted for a while about traveling and blogging. More on him in our special post to follow.

The Firestone station was right off the highway. When we arrived, a nice kid named Chuckie hooked us up on the spot with an oil change and refilled our wiper fluid. More on him in our special post for today.

The town of Williams is considered the gateway to the Grand Canyon. We visited the Grand Canyon several years ago so we instead cruised the “66 loop” downtown. There was so much to see and photograph so we parked for a while and enjoyed a cool walk around town.

Between the next two towns, Ash Fork and Seligman, the longest stretch of uninterrupted original Route 66 carries road trippers all the way to California. This was excellent news for Lady T, as her stamina has definitely been tested this last week and a half!

Our next stop was the town of Seligman, which is a pretty popular 66 area with lots of unique shops and restaurants. We arrived a little late for most of them but luckily, both the Snow Cap Drive-in and Angel’s Route 66 gift shop were still open. We got a passport stamp in the gift shop and had some “smiley” fries and a hefty helping of 66 kitsch as the Snow Cap. Look for more about the Snow Cap in our special post for today. From Seligman, we continued on Old Route and admired the stunning landscape at dusk. We took lots of pictures but unless you see it in person, you can’t truly appreciate what it looks like and how it feels.

The Kingman Flying J truck stop will be our home for the night. As we pulled into the lot, we noticed a few huge buses parked horizontally at the entrance. I commented that they must definitely have someone famous inside. Sure enough, we saw a man in the store who was wearing an all access pass for the 70”s band Earth, Wind & Fire!

We now have less than 80 miles to go before we reach the California border. We are amazed that we have come this far in only 12 days, with the promise of more adventure to the end of the Mother Road and beyond. We have seen so many wonderful places and have met so many nice people. Our hope is that our blog will serve as a tribute to those who continue to preserve this amazing experience for future travelers.

Don’t forget to follow us on the Blog, FB and check out our special post for today.

~J&J

Comments (0)

Categories : #RoadTrip2014, Route 66

Tags : Arizona, Road Trip, Route 66, RV Travel

Day 11 – Standing on a Corner…

By jayjazz · Comments (0)

Monday, May 12th, 2014

Happy Mother’s Day!

This morning we explored the Indian village of Lupton and visited the Teepee trading post. Lots of cool looking Teepees and gifts. There was also a painting on one of the canyon walls with fake animals attached at the top. The wall itself had a giant indent which made for a cool looking cliff. Before hitting the road, I went up to the roof to secure the solar panel so the 50 mph winds wouldn’t jar it loose.

Heading west, our first stop was The Petrified Forest, which is the only national park on Route 66. The park provided breathtaking views as far as the eye could see, with several opportunities to stop and admire the artist that is Mother Nature. The wind was nasty already and the wide open spaces made it very difficult to take pictures. We almost got caught in a dust devil and when we both tried getting in the rig at the same time, our park pass got blown clear across the road. We recovered it and moved on.

Heading into Holbrook, we stopped at the famous Wigwam Motel, where the rooms are shaped like teepees. This location was added to the National Register of Historic Places back in 2002, ensuring it will be around for many more folks to enjoy for years to come. We also got our Arizona Route 66 passport stamped at the Holbrook Visitor Center.

We made a quick stop at the Geronimo Trading Post to see the world’s largest piece of petrified wood and I tried a few cowboy hats to take some pictures. The Geronimo had several beautiful pieces of petrified wood that were polished to make tables and chairs Very nice and very expensive.
The Jackrabbit Trading Post, home to the famous “Here it is” sign, was unfortunately closed by the time we arrived. However, we took advantage of a traditional 66 photo opportunity astride the giant jackrabbit sitting out front. Good times!

We completed our day with, you guessed it, standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona! For anyone who is not familiar with the reference, it’s a line from the Eagles song “Take It Easy”. The brief mention of Winslow in this popular sing-along has basically guaranteed an infinite stream of visitors from all around the world. There “Standing on the Corner” gift shop offers tons of trinkets and their radio plays the Eagles 24×7. When Jazz asked the proprietor if she ever plays anything else, she replied: “what else would you want to hear when entering the store?” Point well taken. Winslow is also the home of the largest Route 66 emblem painted onto the road heading east on 66

Tonight, we will rest at a Walmart in Flagstaff. We plan on exploring the area in the morning then will sneak over to the local Camping World for an oil change and general inspection. After that, onward to California!

~J&J