Thursday, November 6, 2014

Romantic notions

We planned a lighter driving day yesterday so that we would have time to explore portions of Route 66 between Barstow, CA and Winslow, AZ.  

I'm not sure what the boys were expecting, but Eric and I were hoping to find a quaint diner from yesteryear where we could sit in a booth with vinyl seats, play the jukebox at our table, be waited on by a gum chewing waitress named Flo and order a nice slice of pie or a soda.  

Eager to slip back in time, we took the first segment we could find out of Bsrstow, at a town called "Newberry Springs."  Lesson #1:  Radiator Springs, from the movie "Cars" was NOT modeled after Newberry Springs.  Amazingly, the Rusty Scupper stayed with us on a 10-mile stretch of rutted and unimproved road that felt more like a Shiatsu massage than a drive.  We were so glad to finally have an opportunity to get back on the interstate!

We eventually found some more idyllic stretches of Historic Route 66 with beautiful scenery and smooth road surfaces.  The stretch between Kingman, AZ and Seligman, AZ was well worth the detour, and the natural terrain in and around "Peach Springs" kept the eyes out the window and off the iPads and other electronic devices.  

We never found that quaint diner, but it was a trip back in time and a history lesson for the boys.  

Owen's observations of the day:  

"I think the American Desert Southwest is amazing, though a little more population would be nice."  

"We made our way through the Mojave Desert.  We never found Radiator Springs on Historic Route 66, but we did manage to catch a glimpse of the Grand Canyon." 

Here are some photo highights from yesterday:






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