Road Trip Part 2

Saying goodbye to your loved ones is never easy and today I leave sad but in one hour I will be so happy because I will be with my Canadian Family and campground friends!

As my brother and I leave my son and daughter-in-law in Tucson we make our way west on I-10 to Casa Grande, Arizona.  We head to the Desert Springs Ranch where we will be having brunch with some people I love dearly and haven’t seen since Covid started.

Oh the excitement!  The smiles, the never ending hugs, the laughter, brunch, mimosas and afternoon margaritas.   I  wish I had more time than just one day but I will take what I can get and be very thankful.

Saying goodbye to these sweet people was hard as the sun sank into the western sky.  My brother and I headed to Maricopa, Arizona for our nights stay at the Ak-Chin Casino.  Wow what a nice place.  A little on the pricey side but very luxurious. Pet friendly too.

The next morning we were on the road by 9 and on our way for a long day of sightseeing.

We drove up and around the south end of Phoenix to highway 303 then to highway 60, otherwise known as the Joshua Tree Parkway.  The only place to see an abundance of Joshua Trees without going to the National Park which is in California.

Heading north we connect with I-40 and down to the west of Kingman, Arizona to the exit that will take us to Oatman, Arizona.

Maybe you have heard of this old mining town tucked away in the Black Mountains?  One thing it is known for is that it is on part of the original Route 66.  The other,  more important thing it is know for is the burrows that roam the streets freely.  But first a potty break!  HaHa!

We had a great time in Oatman, but the afternoon is dwindling away so it’s time to go see the London Bridge in Lake Havasu City, Arizona.

We have traveled to each planned destination today and now we head to Kingman, Arizona where we will spend the night in a great Route 66 city.

We are staying the night in a true Route 66 hotel, it’s now the Ramada, and the rooms are right out of a 50’s movie and the outside…well take a look for yourself!!

Now let’s explore the rest of Kingman!

Now that we have driven around Kingman and we visited the Museum it time to head east!

We will be taking the original Route 66 to Seligman, Arizona with a few interesting spots along the mother road. The interstate is so overrated, give me the side roads any day!

Who remembers reading the Burma Shave signs on road trips with your parents?

Welcome to Seligman, Arizona

Leaving Seligman for a quick drive through Williams, Arizona then onto Flagstaff, Arizona for the night.

As we near Flagstaff we get a glimpse of the San Francisco mountain range and Mount Humphreys.

It did seem to get colder the closer we got to Flagstaff, Arizona and the Mountains got bigger! We will spend the night here at the Econo Lodge and wake up early to get all we have planned into the day.

By the way the Econo Lodge was clean, comfortable, affordable and pet friendly!

Flagstaff, a Route 66 town and a college town! Very busy place for sure!

It’s going to be a beautiful day! We head north from Flagstaff for the city of Page, Arizona for our first stop of the day.

Horseshoe Bend which can be found on the eastern most side of the Grand Canyon.

We drove into Page for some coffee and breakfast sandwiches and drove to our next destination outside of Page to tour Antelope Canyon.

There are several different tours you can take of the slots canyons. We took one of the lower X canyon. I took so many photos and all are beautiful shots. I hope you enjoy the ones I decided to post.

What a great tour! Our Indian guide was very friendly and informative.

My brother told me that there was one thing he wanted to see on this trip and that was the place where they took the picture that is on front of the Bob Segar Ride Out album that he has. I told him “I know exactly where that is”! So I took him to Monument Valley, Utah.

As we head north to Mexican Hat we see the rock formation after which the town is named for.

MAs we drove along the highway we took a left turn into the Valley of the Gods. This is a 17 mile dirt path that leads you through mesas, buttes, mushroom rocks and towers. Each with a different name.

Cell reception was not the best so it was hard to download a map of the entire area. Definitely a great drive to explore, stretch your legs, hike or have lunch. Best part, it’s free!

We head to Cortez, Colorado where we will be spending the night. We stayed at a roadside motel called the White Eagle Inn. It was clean and pet friendly and definitely in need of a face-lift, but comfortable all the same.

We woke the next morning to this!

In Cortez we found a Dennys and had a great breakfast. We also found some great murals.

We set out wondering if our first destination would even be open because of the weather.

I had gone to Four Corner in 2020 but because of Covid it was closed. I had checked Google and it said they were open and when we got there they were!

We left Four Corners and continued our journey south to Gallup, New Mexico. It snowed the entire time we drove. Thank goodness the pavement was warm enough to melt the snow.

As we drive through Gallup, another Route 66 city, we visit some interesting places.

I will tell you that my brother has been a lot of places, but what? He has not been to the Cadillac Ranch??? We are going to fix that!

As we travel on, the sky’s around Albuquerque, New Mexico were beautiful as it had stopped snowing.

Counting down the miles into the darkness of night we reach our last destination for the day. The Road Runner Lodge in Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Oh my gosh! Of course it was a Route 66 Motel but let me tell you…the Best place we stayed thus far on this road trip. The door was left unlocked for our arrival, the old radio in the corner was playing vintage talk radio and commercials, there were doggie towels to wipe the girls paws, doggie snacks, vintage looking bedding (very clean and comfy) an old metal TV tray with a couple of waters and moon pies. This place was amazing!

We are only a few days from home so we will be driving through the Pan handle of Texas through the majority of Oklahoma.

We did stop at Russell’s Travel Center in Glen Rio, New Mexico. They have a free car museum, sundries, snacks, drinks, gifts and a restaurant.

We did stop in McLean, Texas and visited the Alanreed Museum there. It was huge and the sweet lady who was there gave a great informative tour.

As we head into Oklahoma I see on my Google map a one room jailhouse that must surely check out.

Forging ahead through Oklahoma we didn’t make any stops except for dinner at Cracker Barrel in Oklahoma City. We were ready for this day of driving to be finished and found a hotel in Edmond, Oklahoma.

Today we drive Route 66 into Missouri with our destination hotel being the Holiday Inn at Six Flags St. Louis. But first can we find a Starbucks? HaHa

Starbucks in hand, here are some of the sights we seen today.

Here we are on the road again and there is one more stop in Missouri to check out. Remons Candy Factory and the World’s Largest Gift Shop in Phillipsburg, Missouri.

As we are driving across I-44 we notice these interesting signs…you know we had to stop and see what it was all about!

This is our last night on the road and to be honest, I am ready to be home and not in a car!

The Holiday Inn at Six Flags is like a castle! Very clean, pet friendly, kid friendly and comfortable.

Last Day! We are stopping at the arch in St Louis. I have been up in it before but Tony never has. It is now a National Park so I can get my hiking stick medallion.

Another road trip in the books. It was good to have Tony along. We returned just in time for his 62nd Birthday.

Making memories one mile at a time!

** This blog is dedicated to my travel buddy, my brother, my friend, Tony **