2026 Western Route 66 - Day 12

 Gallup New Mexico

Paul Foley, what are you doing here!

What a classic Route 66 day, seeing old friends and meeting new ones. We’ll get to old and new but first we’ve got to get going.

Favorable winds were in the forecast but they didn’t work out that way, it was more of a swirling come from everywhere day. Not bad, and with more great wind days than not on this trip I really shouldn’t complain. After all I could have put my life savings into this place! Based on the age of the pumps this looks more 60’s vintage. This station is just off the interstate and on Route 66; so it does not seem to be a bypass casualty. There were much larger stations just up the road and maybe that did them in.

On an old Route 66 alignment, notice the curbs that come and go. Today’s route follows the Puerco River and valley and the old alignments wandered back and forth along the path of least topographic resistance. Of course, the Interstate made more direct shot, blasting way the topography to make way for the road. 

This is one of the old sections that loops through the Houck Chapter of the Navajo Nation. The road turns to dirt with washboards and deep sand in sections.

I came to a historic bridge and was off the bike checking out this benchmark on the bridge dated 1931. A car pulled up and the gentleman said, ‘hey you know this is a historic bridge!’ He confirmed that this is an Old Route 66 alignment, but that unfortunately this old bridge will need to be replaced because the school busses are too heavy to cross! He said they are planning a replacement bridge, but will leave the historic one standing.

I asked him if I could take his picture and he said that would be great, but he also wanted to take mine to write a story in the Chapter newsletter about our ride on Route 66 and through the Nation.

We introduced ourselves and he gave me his card. He ran for Chapter President in the last election, but came in second. He say that was OK. On the back of his card he explains who he is. The first Navajo name listed is his mother, then father, then grandmother, then grandfather.

He was wearing a cap with a US Marine Corps emblem and I asked if he served. He said he did and that his son served seven years in the Navy on the USS Birmingham Los Angeles class nuclear submarine. 

What a coincidence, one of my sons served the Navy on the USS Providence and USS Louisville, also Los Angeles class submarines. 

The view looking up the canyon from the bridge.

Our first van stop was in the parking lot of the Good News Church, with a message that is standing the test of time.

Many years ago I was driving with the family on our way to Arizona. We were moving from Detroit Michigan to Phoenix Arizona and I was 16 years old. We stopped at several of the Tourist Traps along the way, and I remember seeing, but not stopping at Fort Courage. It had tall timber walls and I think the theme was connected to the F-Troop TV show. It was on the cue sheet, so I was curious and was actually thinking of checking it out. Well, the property is for sale and most of the fort is gone!

Spectacular vistas in the Puerco River valley in northeastern Arizona. The Route 66 alignments are all over the valley. We appeared to be on the 1939 alignment based on the benchmark on an older bridge.

The views are fantastic, but its hard to frame any these fabulous buttes without catching a rail line, freeway overpass, or Indian Curio shop!

I parked my bike at the second van stop of the day and headed over to the trailer to get some snacks and sit in the shade.

I just sat down, and from behind me someone says, ‘hey is that Steve Atkins?’ Paul is from Boulder Colorado and we met years ago on an Arizona brevet. We have shared many great (and not so great) moments together on brevets in Arizona, Colorado, and France. He was visiting family in California and headed back to Colorado. Somewhere along the way, he got added to my blog update list. He has been following along this trip, and figured our paths may cross. He kept an eye out for us today (including driving some Route 66 sections instead of the freeway) and found us!

What a wonderful surprise! Thanks for suffering through my blog updates and tracking me down today!

Just a few hundred meters from the van stop, we left Arizona and entered the Land of Enchantment!

This colt and mare somehow got on opposite sides of this fence and both were quite agitated. One of our guys rode up to the ranch house and the owner headed out to help.

Here is the second muffler man sighting of this trip. He is referred to as “Dude Man” Cowboy Muffler Man. He has been restored, probably 1960’s vintage and is in the classic muffler man style (Square Jaw, arms at right angles, one hand up and one down, ready to hold a muffler). He sits atop the office of Johns Used Cars lot one block off Route 66 in Gallup.

Just a mile or so more and we are at the classic Hotel el Rancho, our accommodations for the night.

According to many local Route 66 guides the two ‘can’t miss’ attractions in Gallup are the el Rancho Hotel and the Dude Man. Sweet, I covered both in just a few blocks!

The hotel is very nice; great rooms, beautiful lobby, and good restaurant. The hotel was built by R.E. Griffith and opened in 1937. It has a ranch house rustic style lobby and is adorned with many interesting artifacts from the film industry at the time. R.E. Griffith was a relative of movie mogul D.W. Griffith, who provided promotional help in making the hotel a haven for the rich and famous and desert location center of a burgeoning movie industry. Many rooms are named for movie stars. Mine is the Wes Studi room. He played the title character in the 1993 movie Geronimo. Scenes were shot just across the Arizona border in Monument Valley, Kayenta and other locations in Navajo territory.

We had dinner in the hotel restaurant to cap off a very full day on Route 66.

Tomorrow we continue east to Grants New Mexico. There is an unavoidable section of I-40 that is under construction and unridable so we will have breakfast at a nearby diner then load the vans and shuttle past the dangerous portion of the route. We will clear the construction at the Continental Divide, remount the bikes and head down 45 miles to Gallup. It will probably be cold on that descent, remember bring warm clothes.

Breakfast at 7:30; load the vans at 9:00; and be on the bikes by 10:30! Oh, check your watches, we changed time zones today!

Steve

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2026 Western Route 66 - Day 11

 Chambers Arizona

These white wild flowers were in full bloom, especially around the Petrified Forest National Park. 

First we rolled though Holbrook for a 3 mile ride to breakfast. We all arrived at the same time and overwhelmed the place, but they cranked the food out and we were on the road by the target time of 9:30.

The next 10 miles of the ride was back on the I-40, and occasionally you could see ruins of the old road. This bridge was closed off to traffic.

Our first van stop was at the Adamana Road exit near the Painted Desert Indian Center. No need to stop there so I reloaded bottles at the van and continued on.

The next 5 miles was on smooth paved frontage road that was on one of the Route 66 alignments. Much better than five more miles of freeway riding!

The only catch was that it dead-ended at this fence. We had to pass bikes and then climb over, scramble up the embankment and get back on the I-40.

There was only 2 miles on the I-40 before the exit to the Petrified Forest National Park. One of the ride options was to enter the park, and pick up Old Route 66 near the entrance.

I flashed my Lifetime Senior Park Pass at the entrance gate and was waived through. At other parks, 2-3 other riders in the group can be coved by each pass. Not here, others in our group had to pay the $15 bike entrance fee. We found the ‘restricted’ entrance to Old Route 66 and bypassed the locked gate and were on our way. We were treated to great views of the painted desert.

Initially the road was in exceptional shape. Packed gravel with some pavement peaking through.

It became sandy in places but was in good shape and went on for the next 10 miles.

Here we are hopping the locked gate that was on the park boundary.

In the distance that white speck is Dotch Windsor’s Painted Desert Trading Post and the main objective of today’s route.

A couple of wrecked cars sit in the Dead River road bed next to a Route 66 bridge just a few hundred meters from the trading post.

We viewed a video last night about the trading post, and ten years ago the roof was gone, most of the stucco and signage had faded away, and the foundation was collapsing. In 2018 the Painted Desert Trading Post Co-op was created to help restore and preserve the trading post. Since that time the foundation has been stabilized, roof replaced, and stucco and signage restored. Visitors are welcome to check it out, the only stipulation is to close the door and gate when you leave to ‘keep the critters out.’

Dotch Windsor and his wife Alberta settled in a ranch house on the other side of the dead River in the 1930s. In 1940 with increasing US66 tourist traffic, they decided to open this trading post. About 40% of the space is personal living quarters and the rest was the trading post. They pumped Gulf gasoline and sold Indian rugs, jewelry, curios, and sundries. There was a wind powered well for water and a sleeping porch for hot summer nights. The Windsors divorced in 1948, but 2 years later Dotch married Joy, who ran stock supply business for area ranchers, they had one daughter Addilade “Dee” Windsor.  

The US66 was paved here in the early 1930’s, and was wearing out with the heavy traffic in the 1940’s. In 1954 plans were made that would bypass the trading post. In 1956 Dotch and Joy divorced and in 1958 the new highway was completed. The trading post closed shortly thereafter. The new highway was called the Lupton-to-Holbrook Highway and would eventually become the westbound lanes of I-40. He stayed at the post for a time after the bypass running cattle before moving to Holbrook, where he died at 68 years old.

There is a great website with more on the trading post; Click here for more info!

There are Indian petroglyphs on the far side of the nearby butte. We had to hop a fence to get here but it was worth it.

We continued on Old Route 66 eastbound and the road is slowly being reclaimed by the desert. Here winter floods have washed out the road. We had to climb down into the wash and hike through deep sand to get back to the road.

Looking back across Crazy Creek, there is not much left of the bridge.

From here the Old Route 66 continues to deteriorate and nearing the I-40 the road turned to sand. We were able to use a large culvert under freeway to cross under. From there Julian and I decided to hop the fence and get back on the freeway for the next 2 miles to the town of Navajo. There is a Subway and convenience store there and we stopped for lunch.

Eight more miles of I-40 landed us in Chambers Arizona. Basically a motel, truckstop, and gas station/convenience store. The outside is dated, but the rooms have been completely refurbished. This is the most spacious room I’ve had so far!

The only food choices are in the convenience store, or the Indian Restaurant (East Indian as in curry). So Lon gave us the option of ordering from the Subway back up the road, and most of us had a second Subway meal!

Tomorrow we cross into New Mexico on our way to Gallup! Lots of frontage/ Historic Route 66 road riding, and fewer miles on the I-40 are on tap. We have PacTour oatmeal breakfast in the motel lobby and roll out at 8:15!

Steve

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2026 Western Route 66 - Day 10

 Holbrook Arizona

Jack Rabbit Trading Post is on today’s route

Before we got on the bikes, we had a wonderful presentation by three ladies from the Winslow Harvey Girls Association. Harvey Girls were young women that worked as hostesses, waitresses, and housekeepers in the restaurants and hotels operated by Fred Harvey. This is Jessica who actually worked as a Harvey Girl at the Grand Canyon when she was attending Northern Arizona University! Basically, if you were single, attractive, and between 18 and 30 years of age you could sign up to be a Harvey Girl. Pay was $18.50 per month plus room and board, and you could keep all your tips. She decided to give it a try with two other friends. When they finished training, there were 3 jobs open; waitress and 2 positions in the laundry. They drew straws and Jessica won and got the waitress job! Jessica said they had a wonderful time, and she was very happy that she drew the short straw!

We rolled out of Winslow after lunch and crossed the Little Colorado River. We crossed it again just before we rolled into Holbrook.

Mike approached our first dirt section of the day. This fence was locked but we passed the bikes through that gap and climbed through.

This is the original 1926 alignment and the pavement was very broken and rough.

We passed this group of horses shortly after getting on this track.

We couldn’t find a date anywhere on this bridge, but it looks like 30-40’s vintage.

Imagine driving your Model T Ford on this track with the engine missing and radiator hissing!

Yours truly on a section that appears to have been improved as we neared the I-40.

This benchmark was on a culvert on the old Route 66, but very close to the I-40. The last two digits of the date appear upside down putting this one in place in 1962. The concrete appeared too new to be 1929.

Many attractions along Route 66 (or any highway) usually have a series of signs to give you plenty of time to decide if you want to stop. Our first van stop of the day was across the street, so we went over to check it out!

Gotta sit on the big Jack Rabbit! The Jackrabbit trading post opened in 1949. It sits on Old Route 66 and there is an exit off the I-40 too so this is one business that was in the perfect spot to continue on, even after Route 66 was by-passed.

The store was unremarkable, but this 70’s Ford with the ‘Starsky and Hutch’ paint job was pretty cool!

Old Route 66 again disappears under the freeway, but Lon routed us on other roads to Holbrook to avoid another freeway section. I saw this sign and decided to check it out.

It is called the Obed Historical Fort. According to ChatGPT, not a military fort, but rather a Mormon settlement with 10 foot defensive walls built around the settlement. The settlers arrived in Obed in 1876 and it was part of a cluster of LDS colonies in the Joseph City area. This settlement lasted only one year; malaria-like ‘chills and fever,’ flooding, and generally harsh conditions convinced the settlers to move on. There are no dramatic standing ruins, only traces of walls that are barely visible!

Hashknife Pony Express and Route 66 monument in town just after crossing the Little Colorado River for the second time today. 

Our Teepee accommodations in Holbrook! 16 units and lots of old rusting cars parked all over the place. From a distance I thought there were other guests staying, because of all the cars. Once I pulled in, it was clear these cars parked outside each teepee were on display. I think we took all the available units. This one is slightly larger than the one in San Bernardino we stayed at over a week ago. The sign asked, when was the last time you sleep in a Wigwam; I thought well, about a week ago!

We had a map talk in the lobby to discuss options tomorrow. We have an option to ride in the Petrified National Forest National Park for a rugged section of Old Route 66 on the way to the Painted Desert Trading Post (ruins). We’ll enter New Mexico and stay in Chambers tomorrow night.

We roll out tomorrow at 7:30 and have breakfast about 5 miles down the road. Better get some rest!

Steve

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