6 States
6 Days
3,100 Miles
26 Restaurants
8 Bakeries
6 Ice Cream Shops
1 Drink stop
9 Sonic America’s Drive-In (total is now 178 in 23 states)
5 Whole Foods Markets (total is now 63)
Thursday, November 24th, 2011
Took a swing through Tempe and Chandler before heading into Phoenix. It proved to be a visitor centric city from an active convention center, professional sports complexes and attractive shopping venues.
The traditional state capitol picture had to be duplicated with the State Capitol Executive Tower and State Capitol.
Southwest Arizona featured….well not much.
The historic past of Yuma drew me to the southern corner along the California border.
Dateland has a RV park and the Dateland Travel Center which supplied Thanksgiving dinner with their trademarked World Famous Date Shake.
Checked into the Tucson Sheraton and got upgraded to a suite. It was the size of the first floor of my house.
Friday, November 25th, 2011
Achingly charming breakfast at Tucson’s Millie’s Pancake Haus.
Was able to find a couple bakeries in this state with an alarming shortage of them.
Drove north along the Pinal Parkway admiring the mountain ranges fronted by scruffy vegetation.
The Hohokam lived at Casa Grande from 450 to 1450 AD.
Back in Tucson.
Several places in Arizona claim to have invented the chimichanga. El Charro is the most likely victor.
The modest exterior belies the refined series of dining rooms.
Had to combine their invention with their signature carne seca- marinated Angus beef, dried in the sun, shredded and then flash grilled with green chile and onions. A marvelous taste punctuated with intricacy.
Easy choice at La Cave’s Bakery.
Border towns have always fascinated me. Nogales rippling hills allows for easy viewing of the fence and squalor beyond.
On October 26th, 1881 a blaze of gunfire immortalized the OK Corral. Doc Holiday and Wyatt Earp became fodder for countless movies recreating this 60 second incident that immortalized Tombstone as...a tourist trap.
Tucked into a rolling valley Bisbee was my favorite Arizona town.
The tight, twisting streets retained the atmosphere of this former boom town.
Another border town Douglass was, in contrast to Nogales, small and tranquil.
The day concluded with driving through New Mexico and back to east central Arizona.
Saturday, November 26th, 2011
While a tough drive, highway 191 twisting turns and escalating altitude provided some of the best scenery in America.
Greer is a mountain community catering to outdoorsman. And home to the gourmet Rendezvous Diner.
Their version of Eggs Benedict with green chiles, gravy, scrambled eggs, ham and biscuits. A creamy, flavorful delight!
The best scenery in America continued along highway 60 in the central segment of the state.
Roosevelt Lake. Named after one of the 3 greatest men of the 20th century. (Theodore Roosevelt of course, not his socialist cousin.)
In central Arizona, Montezuma Castle was occupied from the 12th to 14th centuries and is one of the best cliffside dwellings found in the southwest.
Flagstaff’s historic downtown has morphed into a refined destination.
Sunday, November 27th, 2011
Glen Canyon Dam near Arizona’s central northern border. Cool!
Legendary director (and legendary acerbic) John Ford first used Monument Valley in 1939 for westerns.
Couple hours making an arch through Utah.
Four Corners Monument allows you to be in four states at once.
Utah / Colorado
Arizona / New Mexico
Through NW New Mexico and back in Arizona to the Hubbell Trading Post preserved by the National Park Service to educate how these supermarkets of yesteryear looked and functioned.
Painted Desert.
Petrified Forest National Park preserves (pun intended) these prehistoric trees.
What were they so scared of?
Holbrook is one of the famed cities of Route 66’s golden era. Another Route 66 highlight, Winslow now has empty neon clad hotels or even empty lots where they once stood.
Oak Creek Canyon was a spectacular drive culminating in the destination towns of tony Sonoma, old west Cottonwood and mountain side Jerome.
Breaking from the usual chain hotels tonight’s accommodations were in Prescott at the circa 1927 Hassayampa Inn, a boutique hotel since 1985.
Monday, November 28th, 2011
The morning run was around Prescott’s town square, once home to Morris Goldwater’s store. That store later became a chain and his grandson became a Senator, 1964 Presidential candidate and father of modern conservatism.
More vast views.
Heading northwest with Joshua trees and mountain ranges.
Kingman is home to the 3rd Route 66 museum I have visited. This one focuses on the mother road’s Great Depression era. (The ones in Clinton and Elk City, Oklahoma and are way better.)
Oatman went from a remote mining town, to ghost town to tourist destination.
And burros wander the streets. They are quite friendly.
You’ll never know what you might see in the middle of nowhere.
In 1968 Lake Havasu City's founder won the bid for the 1831 London Bridge and had it disassembled and shipped via the Panama Canal to Long Beach, California and then trucked to Arizona.
Few hours driving westward and back into Phoenix. The Arizona Biltmore’s highlights are its Frank Lloyd Wright design and being the honeymoon spot for Ronald and Nancy Reagan.
Old Town succeeds in preserving Scottsdale’s original settlement.
The pink and chrome at Sugar Bowl elicited a smile. A fat free vanilla/chocolate swirl was enjoyed while strolling around Old Town.
In contrast to the previous night’s lodgings the Hyatt Regency Scottsdale Resort sprawls across 27 acres with every amenity. I used a GPS to find my room.
Tuesday, November 29th, 2011
Did a circle of Scottsdale finding 2 bakeries for Paradise’s acclaimed cookies and a glory in textures Pumpkin Muffin.
Regrettably didn’t have time to tour Taliesin West; Frank Lloyd Wright’s studio and home.
