High on the Mountain

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The early New Mexican sun continued to encroach upon my slumber through Saturday morning, even in Arizona, waking me around 5 a.m. ( 7 a.m. Oklahoma time). We were road ready having packed, hooked, and secured everything on Friday night. My only task was to disconnect the utilities and head west. For some reason, when I was planning this trip, I seemed to have been convinced that each of my planned overnight stops were reasonable driving distances apart. As it turns out, Holbrook and the Meteor Crater Park were actually situated only two hours apart. This resulted in an “extra day” available for a side trip.



The first stop outside of Holbrook is an unassuming small town by the name of Winslow. For those Eagle fans, this should cause you to break into song - “I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine site to see; it was a girl my Lord in a flatbed Ford, slowing down to take a look at me.....” But, more on that later, as our first stop was for a quick breakfast at Mickey D’s. I guess that food is more expensive in these outlands, as a breakfast normally costing $12 or so, rang up for $17 and some change. Being cheap as I am, I canceled my order, and let Cynde enjoy her Egg McMuffin and juice. We did not take any time to further explore Winslow, instead, heading for the Meteor Crater RV Camp (MCRVC) some 12 miles to the west. The distance between Winslow and MCRVC seem to have been calculated in some four different manners. Although the first sign indicated the distance to be 13 miles, the second sign some three miles down the road indicated the distance to be 13 miles (again). Whatever the measure, it was a long drive over a short distance.



Since we arrived at 10 a.m., we had thought we might not be able to check into our camp site. However, the folks were extremely nice and made arrangements for us to check in early. This camp is owned by the same folks who operate the Meteor Crater. The camp and the Crater are both situated on a 300,000 acre ranch, the second largest operating ranch in Arizona. After settling, elected to head to Flagstaff for an exploratory trek.



Flagstaff sits at the base of the tallest mountain in Arizona, Mount Baldy. The elevation of Flagstaff is around 7,000 feet and Baldy is over 12,000 feet. Our trip to Flagstaff actually had several purposes - to have my bicycle tire repaired, to find an RV store to purchase a windshield sun screen for Stormy, to have lunch, and to just explore and experience the local life.



We easily found a bicycle shop to repair my tire. My bike is an Electra Townie, so I was concerned the tire might be a special size. Siri helped us to find a shop that sells and services Electra bikes. It was right on Route 66 in the heart of downtown Flagstaff. The staff were exceptional, making a recommendation for lunch that we were quick to follow. Kachina Mexican Restaurant on Route 66 was just a short two block walk. Although they did not serve alcohol (not sure why as our waitress was actually Mexican and we could not converse very well). Cynde ordered a quesadilla and I had fajitas. Both were excellent!







After lunch we headed west on I-40 toward Camping World where we successfully located a sun screen and Cynde purchased some much needed toilet paper. Then it was back to the downtown area to explore and experience. The main three block area has many amusing restaurants and bars and shops. As you could well imagine, there are many sports outlets here - carrying camping gear and supplies, skiing equipment and clothing, climbing equipment, and on, and on. Cynde’s first stop was a little shop that had it not been somewhat nice, would have been called a “head shop”. There she found a pair of earrings that she now wears constantly, possibly even sleeping in them. The streets were lined with people and planters full of blooming flowers and plants. It was just beautiful.



Since Superman hit the theaters on Friday, we had to check the times at our local (Flagstaff) Harkins. Sure enough, the movie time was at 4 p.m. and again, Siri guided us directly to the theatre with no problems. I just find it amazing that Siri knows her way around so many different states and cities. And, she even knows the street names! Although Superman was good, there was a little too much gratuitous fighting between the aliens, the earthlings and Superman. However, the ending certainly left a great gateway into future movies with this cast. I would give Superman 3.5 out of 5 stars.



After the movie, we returned to the Meteor Crater RV Park for a great sunset and peaceful night.

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Photos

Kachina's Mexican Restaurant
Yes, Kenny does seem a little excited over Mexican food. However, this little restaurant on Route 66 was EXCELLENT!

Mount Baldy
The highest peak in Arizona. A little closer and you can see the ski runs on the eastern face.

Just Strollin' Around
Kenny tried to do a self-portrait of us and a guy on the street thought he was taking a picture of him.... then he offered to snap this photo for us. Beautiful old historic Flagstaff.

Willie Goes With Us Everywhere!
Will is our pet monkey. He watches over us as we travel on our day trips as he is mounted on the dash of the FJ. We adopted Willie when we were in Las Vegas last month. He is now a part of the family!

Comments

[ferrn Hill]

High on the mountain
Sounds like a wonderful time is being had. way to go!!!!!!!