Day 18
Thirteen and a half hours, and 816 miles after leaving Flagstaff we pulled into the Fairfield Inn in Weatherford, OK. We were a little tired, but not in bad shape. Although we were on I-40, we were following along the old Route 66 the entire way. It was dark when we passed through Elk City, OK, which claims to have the World’s Largest Route 66 sign. We were disappointed we missed it……..maybe sometime down the line we can take in that roadside attraction.
We got an early start (5:40 local time) on the day and had two planned stops. They both came early in the journey.
Just 50 minutes from Flagstaff is the small town of Winslow, Az. It’s a generational thing, but the mere mention of Winslow, Az. may start a tune playing in your head. It certainly does for Beth and I, but Sarah our daughter wasn’t so moved. She knows who the Eagles are, but not the lyrics from “Take It Easy”.
At the intersection of East Second Avenue and North Kinsley Avenue is a corner dedicated to the great line “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona”. It’s complete with statues honoring the co-writer’s, Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey (a member of the Eagles). There’s also a flatbed Ford, but there wasn’t a girl in it slowing down to take a look at me! It’s a very nicely done tribute that has become quite an attraction. According to the Standin' on the Corner Foundation website, hundreds of thousands of folks stop by every year to take in the scene. Many plunking down a few dollars to buy merchandise from the two stores on opposite corners. They sell all types of goodies honoring the song, Winslow and of course Route 66. When we were there it was 15 degrees; the stores wouldn't be opening for several hours, so we hung out with Jackson and Glenn for just a few minutes before hitting the road again….with a particular tune playing in our heads!
Standin' on the Corner Foundation
Holbrook, Az was just a short drive further along our planned route. It is the gateway to the Petrified Forest National Park Although it’s desert now, millions of years ago the landscape was more tropical with an inland sea, huge trees and dinosaurs. Excavations have not only uncovered animal skeletons, but also the remains of a forest of trees Thanks to millions of years of being buried in the right conditions, instead of rotting, they petrified Crosscut sections of these trees are on display in the Rainbow Forest Museum. Once cut and polished they look very similar to marble or granite. All wood within the National Park is protected. There are penalties for removing the wood. Also, it is rumored that if you do sneak some of it out that you'll be cursed with bad luck until it is returned. There were several letters on display in the museum that accompanied pieces of wood that had been taken. One was from a young boy begging forgiveness and hoping to break the curse of bad luck that had befallen him. Since taking a piece of wood, his bike had been stolen, he got blisters on his feet from having to walk everywhere and his girlfriend had broken up with him. There is also a short but interesting trail that meanders through scattered petrified tree trunks. We thought it was amazing to see, but we had no temptation to try to sneak a piece out of the park. As we made our way north on the drive through the park, there were numerous overlooks with great views of the Painted Desert.
Petrified Forest National Park
The park drive also took us back to I-40 and by 9:45 we had the Silver Bullet pointed in the direction of Weatherford, Oklahoma. The rest of the day it was "pedal to the metal (mostly obeying the speed limit) driving All stops were “triple plays”….(gas, bathroom, food and beverage). A long day for sure, but a fun day, nonetheless. For me, most of the day I had a song about a corner in Winslow, Arizona playing in my head.
Day 19
We were up, and on the road again well before sunrise, knowing that we had another long day of driving ahead of us. As with the previous day, we were blessed with great weather. We've had plenty of road trip days in the past where the weather didn't cooperate so well, which makes us appreciate them even more. Thanks to Tag team driving, "triple play stops", cooperative weather and of course the reliable Silver Bullet, we kept on schedule throughout the day. Route 66 veered north towards St. Louis, but we changed highways and continued eastward. We were excited about our destination for the evening, Shepherdsville, Kentucky, 842 miles from where we woke up. Shepherdsville is home to our niece Kimberly. She's been so kind to host us in the past and is such a great host with such a warm and welcoming home that we keep coming back.
We'll hit the road one more day on this three-day drive from Flagstaff to Slippery Rock, Pennsylvania. Compared to the last two days, this drive is just a hop, skip and a jump (451 miles). We'll enjoy a long weekend with Ben, celebrating his birthday a few days after the fact. Tuesday we'll leave the Silver Bullet in his care for a while and fly back to Florida with plenty of great memories from an amazing road trip that included a whole lot of kicks on Route 66!
