Trailer parking out back
Concrete pouring before the heat sets in
Hauling movie vehicles
We drove through town and got photos of a couple of Route 66 landmarks. Then we headed west on I-40.
The Mother Road
The Famous Wigwam Motel - Cultural appropriation?
Power station in Joseph
A short way down the highway, we took the exit for Winslow.
Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona and such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
They have the corner in Winslow and they make the most of it.
For grandson Jasper
Anyone know what kind of tower this is?
It was 96F as we left Winslow at 9:30 AM. Hard to believe that they sometimes get snow in the winter before we do. We started the long gradual climb towards Flagstaff, which was over 7,000 feet above sea level. On the way, we were passed by a very modern looking bus with the name TEMSA on the back. A little research revealed that this brand of bus was made in Turkey and sold around the world.
The San Francisco Mountains in the distance
The high point just past Flagstaff
The pine trees around Flag were part of a landscape that was radically different from the desert we had been traveling across. As we started to descend again, the arid landscape resumed. We stopped in Williams for fuel and a McD's smoothie for Sandy. The smoothie machine was, alas, broken. A friendly man at the gas station pointed out the the asymmetrical wear on the right trailer tire was finally taking its toll on the tread. Time to get new tires in Kingman.
A couple of old road warriors
Sherm had us get off the big road for a few moments and drive through Ash Fork. This
little desert town is billed as the flagstone capital of the world. Five companies ship flagstones pretty much everywhere by road and rail.
Entering Ash Fork Arizona
Remembering the Mother Road
This is a famous spot
This is not so famous
Flagstones...
...as far as the eye can see
Leaving Ash Fork, we got back on I-40 for a short way and then got off again at Crookton Road, where we began to follow the longest unbroken stretch of Route 66. It was quiet out there, just us and the Burma Shave signs. Then we reached Seligman and found the town overrun by tour buses.
Leaving I-40 for Route 66 at Crookton Road
Still getting our kicks.....
Entertainment from decades gone by
Tour buses in Seligman
The ladies are...
...dependent on the kindness of strangers
Mater
The famous Roadkill Cafe
And Lilo's
We continued along Old Route 66 through the Hualapai Reservation and on to Truxton where we stopped at the Gas and Grub and met Zack. He moved here from Minneapolis. If his goal was to escape the cold, he did quite well because it was now 105F. Our VROC friends Carl and Ed from Kingman ride out here every Friday morning, often accompanied by Sherm, to buy lottery tickets. I had hoped to join them tomorrow but, due to the heat, they were going to take their car.
Truxton Arizona
Not a lot of people around
Sandy meets "the girls"
Continuing on the Kingman, we saw the ambient air temperature readout peak at 109F.
Arizona forest
We arrived at Sherm and Pat's house and found that she had brought a chihuahua named Cha Cha home for a few days from the shelter.
Cha Cha is a little shy
I unloaded the bike and parked it in the bike garage with Sherm's fleet. Then we brought all the gear into the house. Sherm called around and Discount Tire said they could change the trailer tires if we brought it right in. We did and they did. I also checked the tread depth on the Equinox tires because I had read 4/32nds, which was getting close to the end. It seems I misread the low tech gauge and had 4/1000ths. I now have 6/32nds and will probably make it home just fine.
Pat prepared a fine supper of soup and bread that hit the spot. We all watched Jeopardy on TV and then all turned in fairly early.
Today's Route (253 Equinox miles):
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