Saturday, March 16, 2019
OK it wasn’t that bad. We are at Blake Ranch RV Park and Horse Motel. Yes, you read that right, horse motel. Cowboys can stop here and off load their fillies into on site stables. We had some doubts as to whether we could stay at this highly rated park. We called ahead as was informed that there was no vacancy but that was before check out time. Call back! Okie, Dokies, we called back and yes, they have a vacancy now. Yay! We arrive and the work camper lady behind the desk says “Oh, Oh, we appear to have someone coming in and they reserved that spot.” Crap. “BUT, we can put you in a site over by the horses.” OK then!
So we pull into our site next to the horse stable just as two beautiful horses are being off loaded from their trailer. It’s one of those trailers that houses horses in the back and humans in the front. It looks pretty nice from the outside. Our site doesn’t have 50 amp electric service so we are somewhat limited as to how much power we can draw without tripping the breaker so we’ll have to be a little more frugal with our power usage.
OK back to the title. We just get back to the rig after walking the mutzos and a little dust devil kicks up. No big deal, everyone is inside except me- and I’m wearing my new ball cap that Jil just bought for me yesterday. It’s a Route 66/Take It Easy, Winslow Arizona themed hat and I really like it- GONE! The dust devil got stronger- and I was just able to get the door closed before all the flying debris was blown inside the rig. In the process my cap was blown off of my head and is now somewhere near the New Mexico Border by now. Darn.
I’ll probably spent an hour looking for it and never find it. I think God was trying to tell me something. You see, for some reason I was really tired yesterday. Besides being tired a few things didn’t go as perfectly as I thought they should. That caused a little dust up with Jil and it was all my fault. I felt weird like my brain was just numb. I wasn’t mad but my attitude caused My Sweetie to B.L.E.V.E. (Boiling Liquid Evaporating Liquid Explosion) and I don’t blame her. But I guess my attitude was viewed as close enough to anger by Our Lord. An excerpt from yesterday’s Gospel reading by Matthew states-“But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment”. I think that dust devil taking my cap was actually the Lord warning me- First the hat my son, first the hat……
Yesterday we went to the Meteor Crater blasted out by a meteor strike 50,000 years ago. Man, that hole in the ground is big! It’s a mile walk around its perimeter. The blast debris surrounding it looks like the normal terrain so one would never know the crater is there unless they walked up to the top- and looked way down to the bottom. It is on the National Register of Historic Places but is privately owned, the same owner as the Meteor Crater RV/gas station/mini mart where we stayed.
The claim is that the crater is the best preserved meteor crater in the world. It has been the subject of many scientific studies as is noted by wells drilled down at the bottom of the crater.
At first it was thought that the crater was created by volcanic activity like the majority of them are. Scientist drilled holes looking for the meteor that produced the crater but never found it. Small meteors have been found in the area however.
The site also has a visitors center that focuses on meteors in outer space, how they affect the earth, space travel and much more. Meteor Crater is a must see if you are in the area.
Next we drove 20 miles east to Winslow, you know, this Winslow Arizona:
Lyrics: Take It Easy by The Eagles
Well, I’m running down the road
tryin’ to loosen my load
I’ve got seven women on
my mind,
Four that wanna own me,
Two that wanna stone me,
One says she’s a friend of mine
Take It easy, take it easy
Don’t let the sound of your them old wheels
drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
don’t even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
and take it easy
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
Come on, baby, don’t say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
We may lose and we may win though
we will never be here again
so open up, I’m climbin’ in,
so take it easy
Well I’m running down the road trying to loosen
my load, got a world of trouble on my mind
lookin’ for a lover who won’t blow my
cover, she’s so hard to find
Take it easy, take it easy
don’t let the sound of them old
wheels drive you crazy
come on baby, don’t say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me, oh oh oh
Oh you knoe we got it easy
We oughta take it easy
That song Take It Easy was co-written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frye and made famous by The Eagles. Winslow citizens picked up on the “Winslow Arizona” mentioned in the song and are capitalizing the title- Take it Easy.
In 1999 the small park “Standin’ On The Corner“Park was opened right in the middle of town. It features two statues, one of a dude with a guitar and one of now deceased Glenn Frye with a theme back drop painted on the wall behind.
There’s lots of eye candy in Winslow. Signs, benches, window displays all tout the Route 66 and Standin’ On The Corner icons. But we also walk a short ways from downtown to visit the historical La Pasada hotel.
The town is a railroad town established in 1881. It was thriving partly because of the railroad but mostly because its passengers spent time in town dining and staying in the hotels. The elegant La Pasada Hotel circa 1930, was built specifically for rail passengers by Fred Harvey, who “civilized the west” by introducing linen, silverware, china, crystal, and impeccable service to rail travel. He was so famous that MGM made a movie named The Harvey Girls starring Judy Garland. The Harvey Girls were the ladies who provided that impeccable service.
Passenger travel declined in the 1950’s and the hotel closed in 1957 with the museum quality furnishings auctioned off. The railroad took over the La Posada as a headquarters and moved out in 1994 after which the building was nearly demolished. Allen Affeldt purchased the building and is actively restoring same. Townfolk recognize its importance to their history and volunteer with its maintenance.
Today thousands of visitors, sometimes daily, visit Winslow specifically to visit its little Standin’ On The Corner Park and drink in the Route 66 memorabilia. It’s a nice little town to visit for sure.
We’ll see you once again as we travel farther west. Adios!
Travel With Jil and Mike 