Saturday, October 23, 2010

Standin' on the Corner in Winslow Arizona

Our alarm woke us to a cloudy but dry day.

Once packed we rode the short distance to the Yavapai Overlook, Arizona. The clouds were very heavy, but at least the ceiling was above the canyon, and we were able to take in the magnificent view, hazy though it was. In some places the sun broke through the clouds and illuminated parts of the canyon in the distance, so we could see some of the magnificent colours in the rocks.



We rode to another overlook a mile or so further on and took in another perspective.

The weather conditions were not improving, so we decided to head off to Flagstaff rather than spend more time at the canyon.

Flagstaff was about 90 miles away, and we managed to put 70 miles under our wheels before running into rain. The last 20 miles int o Flagstaff were quite unpleasant. The road took us to over 8,000 ft so it was not only wet but extremely cold. Our bike said it was 41 F, but it felt much colder. Chris had 4 layers of clothing under his wet weather gear and was still shivering. It was good to stop at the first diner we saw and warm up.

By the time we were back on the road the rain had stopped. We left our wet weather gear on for warmth as we headed east on I-40 to Winslow, made famous in the Eagle's song "Takin' it Easy"

Winslow has been cashing in ever since. There is a bronze statue on the corner of E 2nd St and N Kinsley Ave, and a trompe l'oeil mural of the girl in the flatbed truck. A real flatbed truck is parked in the street.


Our main reason for visiting Winslow was to stay in the famous and historic La Posada Hotel, the last of the great railway hotels, and an icon for Route 66 fans. (E Second St that runs past the hotel was part of Route 66.). This was a birthday present to Chris from a very good friend.










Our room had a luxurious spa bath, great for soaking away the miles. We spent some time exploring the building and grounds before making a booking for dinner in the Turquoise Room, one of the best restaurants in Arizona, according to the reviews.

We had a bath in the spa, dressed for dinner, and went down to the bar for predinner drinks. We both chose elk steaks for dinner, accompanied by a fine bottle of shiraz. In our opinion the cheff is world class. The creme brulee we had for dessert was very nice, nearly as good as Kim or Michel make for us back home. It was a superb place to stay and eat. Very special.

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