The Windmill Posts

It was supposed to be a long day chasing miles from Las Vegas to Phoenix, so I could spend time with my Aunt and Uncle. And it was a lovely visit with them, and we had some banging Mexican food. Also, I was given a painting created by one of my favorite uncles.

I have always been fascinated by Route 66. The Mother Road. Conveyor of not just tourists in the 50s, but generations of migrating families. The Grapes of Wrath, a novel by John Steinbeck, calls it the Mother Road. It helped people move west during the dust bowl, people who had nothing but the contents of their wagon or car. It is an incomplete road remaining of a complete cultural icon. (It’s been a long day, I’m tired.)

It was as I expected it to be. Lots of abandoned motels and cafes, a good number of refurbished motels and cafes. Actual Burma Shave signs. If you don’t know, look it up, it’s amusing.

It was about 68 degrees and cloudy. A bit cool for the top down. But this was 75 miles of Route 66, that top was coming down! And that’s what seat warmers and heaters are for!

I am tired and I am pensive, so it’s a short post. Tomorrow I begin the Great Crossing, driving from Phoenix to New Orleans! I’ll be stopping in some lonely harbors, so will have more time to pontificate.

Deets

• License Plates: AK – Yes, Alaska!
• States: NV, AZ
• Departed: 7:32 am PST, 68 degrees
• Original ETA 12:46 pm MST
• Arrival: 3:20 pm MST
• Warmest/Coldest: Death Valley 90°, Wallace ID 22°
• Weather: Bit of drizzle, bit of partly cloudy
• Food: BLT but they forgot the T, dinner was amazing Mexican
• Music: Route 66 Road Trip playlist

Observations

• What’s less than a drizzle?
• My perspective of scale for mountains is all out of whack, and I think it’s because I’m used to seeing bluffs by the Mississippi, which are much smaller. Looking at distant mountains it’s always surprising to see a thin black line near the bottom – that’s a long train.
• My car is my selfie stick
• I like crows. I’ve been seeing them looking and acting like raptors, and doing rather uncrowlike things.

Pictures