Tuesday, October 20th, 2020
Up early for a
run through downtown Albuquerque – so many famous sites, locations, and history.
I covered about 4 miles on foot and was able to see a number of historic buildings with no one else around. After NM ends their shut down it would be fun to spend some more time along Central Ave. A repeat of photos from the night before and the morning run can be found
here.
The first stop
in the morning ride is the Route 66 Casino Hotel.
It turns out the Casino is open, but only for
NM residents.
It appears that some have
moved into the gas station and parking lot.
A bit of a sad state of affairs.
I hope they can help the displaced and homeless.
A few photos from the stop.
The second
stop is the Continental divide – it’s a bit deceiving as the land feels fairly
flat in New Mexico. I think this may be
one of the lowest points to cross the Divide at 7,295 feet, but it is still a
crossing. A few pics from the stop
Gallup, NM The next few
stops are all in in Gallup NM at the Route 66 Diner, El Rancho Hotel, and Richardson’s
trading company.
The Route 66 Diner was
a great experience – really enjoyed the food, the old time feel of the
diner,
and the people were friendly and chatty.
A few pictures from the diner.
I’d read the
El Rancho Hotel was a must stop and I did, but not sure I’d agree or stay
there. Tough to tell with the shutdown. I did wander into Richardson’s Trading Company
which seems to be growing the pawn business.
I had nice walk around Gallop before getting back on the bike. A few Gallup pictures
Petrified Forest, AZ The next stop
was the Petrified Forest National Park in northeastern Arizona and a stop at
the Painted Desert Inn.
My original plans
included staying at the Inn, but it wasn’t open so that option wasn’t going to
work out on this trip. I did the 28-mile
ride through the park – warm and inviting and not too many people. I enjoyed the various stops and along the
way. Petrified Forest ride pictures
On the way back
to the highway from the Petrified Forest I ran through Holbrook Arizona to the
Wigwam Motel. What a cool place – they’ve
put running antique cars in front of each wigwam to give the real feel of the
hey days. Not very busy this time of
year – they were getting one room ready for a reservation. A few photos from the property
Winslow, AZ Working
towards Winslow and an opportunity to stand on the corner.
This year I noticed a new park for the “Remembrance
Garden” so I stopped – they have beams from the twin towers on display. I then went into town for my picture on the
corner – not surprising than Winslow was a busy town on a Tuesday. This area of Arizona is a fun place to
visit. It was a short stop with many
miles to go yet in the day. A few photos from Winslow
Flagstaff, AZ Another great
ride from Winslow into Flagstaff running back roads through the hills.
Peaks, winding roads, and almost no traffic. Flagstaff is a beautiful town, but the
experience with the locals didn’t make the town very inviting. I spent 20 minutes walking around town before
running west again. It would have been
fun to grab a few drinks and spend the night, but I’ve done that in Flagstaff
before and would like a new experience. A few shots of Flagstaff
Seligman, AZ I was happy to
jump on one last section of Route 66 into Seligman AZ.
I was hoping for open hotels, restaurants,
and bars with low expectations after being in NM. I found a very welcoming small town off Route
66 with character, warmth, great food & drink and a quiet place to relax. The trains ran often, but the exhaustion of 2
days on the road took over. I had the John
Wayne room in the Canyon Lodge – what a trip. A few miles off the interstate –
an amazing find. A few photos from arrival that night
On this 2nd
day I had 447 miles – an approximate view of the route via google maps
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