Wednesday, April 29, 2026

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













Tuesday, April 28, 2026

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











Monday, April 27, 2026

2026 Western Route 66 - Day 9


 Winslow AZ

Breakfast was a PacTour parking lot breakfast, expect it was too cold to stand around outside, so Conner set up the buffet in his room and it was a grab ‘n go breakfast. Of course before that, yours truly scraped the frost off the Sequoia’s windshield to head to the Circle K for coffee! The Brewed Awakenings coffee shop was not open yet, so we had coffee while we packed before breakfast.
Yes it was cold, but not as bad with the sun out, here it was probably about 38 degrees. 
It’s a straight shot on the I-40 from Williams to Winslow, but our route took us on old sections of Route 66. Based on the width of this road, I would guess this was the 1931 alignment.
This poor horse had a leg stuck in this fence. David and Mike helped get the leg out, but the wire was caught on the horses shoe. Dan checked the farmhouse in the background but no one was home. 
This old shack was on the property. Short of going into that corral to free the horse, there was nothing we could do. We headed out, and within a few hundred meters, a car came up and we flagged it down. We told the driver about the horse, and she said she knew the owners and would check it out.
An actual convenience store in Parks Arizona, with Route 66 emblems and an old car out front.
Riding along on the gravel that now covers the old road, I spotted a medallion on a concrete culvert. Yup, its the 1931 alignment! 
These old cabins were just beyond the 1931 culvert. They look 1930’s vintage.
We joined the I-40 outside of parks for about six miles. Along the way I spotted this section of old road just south of the freeway. I pulled over and climbed down the embankment to check it out. The cue sheet noted earlier that there was about 2.5 miles of old frontage road that ended in this dead end. The old road disappears under the I-40 just a few hundred meters from the barrier. Probably could have ridden this section, however you need to slip under that barbed wire fence, no barbs on the bottom wire thankfully!
Debby had left Williams well after me and was driving the I-40 to Winslow. She saw me scrambling back up to the freeway after I checked out the old road. She thought I had just stopped for a natural break! A little further we hit the high point of today’s route on the Arizona Divide and would be on downhill rollers all the way to Winslow.
Too bad this truck decided to park here. This is the Flagstaff Amtrak station and visitor center.
Lunch was on your own and Miz Zips was the recommended stop.
With my signature slow start, and old route exploring, most of the group was already here.
And best of all, Debby decided to stop and meet me for lunch. We enjoyed a patty melt sandwich for the main course and this delicious peach pie à la mode for dessert.
Ah yes, the historic Museum Club on Route 66. Established in 1931, it probably accounts for most of the DUI’s along this stretch of road! This was a favorite hangout for me and my colleagues from Arthur Young back in 1981 when we were auditing the Northern Arizona University.
The City of Flagstaff made this section of old Route 66 into a little park/bike path.
About 15 years ago Hunt Construction Group built the new Twin Arrows Casino resort a few miles from the old Twin Arrows Trading Post. I visited the jobsite during construction. When I visited, the old trading post building was remarkably well preserved and both of the Twin Arrows were standing. Now only one arrow remains and the white stucco walls have become canvas for whatever that is!
Stone ruins in the Two Gun area. The old Route 66 passed by those buildings. Shoot-outs, property disputes, and even a Mountain Lion exhibit are part of the Route 66 story in this area.
An Old Route 66 bridge visible from the I-40 freeway.
A roadside attraction, The Dino Drive-thru offers the chance to drive through a bunch of dinosaur exhibits. There is also a shooting range, paint-a-bug, gemstone mining, and the chance to hold a real meteorite! 
I didn’t stop. I was more interested in checking out the dates on highway structures! This one is 46 years old and on an I-40 culvert.
After 45 miles on the I-40 today, I was very happy to exit the freeway and roll into tonight’s destination of Winslow Arizona.
St. Joseph’s Catholic Church constructed with native stone was built in 1921 and is still in operation.
Just a few more blocks and here we are at the ‘Standin’ on the Corner’ park in downtown Winslow. I traded cameras with another couple and we took each others’ photos.
So what had Debby been up to while I was making my way to Winslow? She decided to check her grandmothers old house in Winslow. At one time this house was a Trading Post on the Navajo Indian Reservation. It was moved to from Old Route 66 to its current location in 1967 when the Interstate came through. It was on condemned land and part of the agreement to give up the land was that government would move the house. During the move, the family dog was run over by the house movers, and the petrified wood fireplace was damaged. Too much for Merle Hohn, he had a heart attack and passed during the move.
Deb also went to the cemetery to pay her respects. It took some doing, but she found their grave and some other aunts and uncles. Nora keep going until 1983, just three years after Deb and I were married. One of our favorite memories was visiting her in Winslow. She took us to the Elks Lodge for drinks and to show us off to her friends. It was pets on parade, but we loved every minute of it.
We are staying at the La Posada Hotel. Built in 1930 it was the last of the Harvey House railway hotels. The Santa Fe tracks are just outside our window. The room even includes ear plugs for those guests that don’t ‘appreciate’ the railway traffic! 

The hotel was closed in 1957 and gutted in 1961 to make way for Santa Fe regional offices. In 1997 the hotel was purchased from the railway and restored into a very nice hotel. We just finished a fine meal in the Turquoise Room. Reservations only! It certainly earned its reputation as one the finest restaurants on Route 66. 
We are making progress on our journey. Tomorrow morning Debby heads back to Tempe. It’s been great having her join me for the last few days. We have a short run to Holbrook tomorrow to sleep in another Teepee Motel. We will be treated to a Harvey Girls presentation tomorrow morning here at the hotel, and we will have lunch in Winslow before heading out Holbrook. No worries the Teepee’s won’t be ready for check in until 4 pm and it’s only 40 miles away.

Breakfast at 7, Harvey Girl presentation at 8:30, load and roll at 11:30 for lunch at the Falcon Restaurant in Winslow.

Steve