TRAVELOGUE

WINSLOW - We knew before we left that there was an unusual cold front moving in with chances of snow flurries. I was going to change our plans and go south, but I knew that the photo opportunities would be fantastic. We took or warm clothes and decided to take a chance. The drive across the desert was beautiful. It was cool and storm clouds were everywhere. The desert is always beautiful with clouds in the distance. We didn’t get any hints about just how cold it was going to be until we drove through Flagstaff and there was quite a bit of snow on the ground. That didn’t last too long as we the elevation lowered on our way to Winslow.

We pulled into Winslow about 8 hours from LA. The town was very depressing. We had to find a place to stay, but the entire town seemed empty and dirty. There was however one old hotel called La Posada. Although it looked like it had seen better days, it also looked like the only decent place in town. The exterior was rundown but still exuded a classic charm that time couldn’t destroy. We walked in and the interior was immaculate, gorgeous and funky, my kind of place. We inquired about a room and it also turned out to be very reasonable at $70 and it had what looked like a nice restaurant. It turns out that the hotel has quite a history, which I won’t go into here and is being refurbished little by little.

As I said the interior was wonderful. Full of interesting art and different rooms where one could relax usually by oneself. Our room was just as nicely furnished and was very comfortable. The only negative is the trains that run constantly behind the hotel. We asked for a room as far away from the trains as possible. They don’t blow their horns so it wasn’t that bad. We had dinner in the restaurant, which turned out to be one of the finest restaurants I have ever been to. It is THE major attraction and people come to the hotel just to eat there and I can understand why.

CANYON de CHELLY - The next morning we continued the journey through the desert. We passed of few roadside stops that looked funky and also a couple of state parks but did not stop. Our destination was Canyon de Chelly. After entering the Navajo Reservation things changed dramatically. It started snowing and the snow was already thick on the ground. The road was clear though.

We pulled into the town of Chinle. Chinle is another dusty depressing town. We continued to the Canyon where there is one hotel that is within the park boundary called the Thunderbird Lodge. It was very clean and welcoming. We booked a room and went driving around the south rim of the canyon. Basically you can drive the entire length of the rim and pull into various overlooks on the way. The canyon is the most beautiful I have ever seen and we took many fantastic photos. The storm clouds were gathering throughout the day alternating lightning, hail and snow. It was cold but very dramatic and we were glad to be there.

The next day we awoke and our car had a half-foot of snow on it. We booked a tour into the canyon at the hotel. We boarded the burly six-wheeled truck and took of into the canyon. The tour was great and it took us to most of the main ruins within the canyon. I took some of the finest photos of my career here.

MONUMENT VALLEY - The next day we headed north through some very remote and very beautiful desert scenery. The weather was cloudy but nice. We drove up and into Monument Valley. There we drove the seventeen mile loop road through the valley and again took some spectacular photos. I would like to go there again and take a guided tour, which is the only way you can get off the road.

WUPATKI NATIONAL MONUMENT - After exiting the Valley we drove south to Flagstaff. We spent the night there and found a nice place to eat in the quaint downtown area. In the morning we went to the nearby Wupatki Pueblo National Monument, which also loops through Sunset Crater National Park. The Wupatki area has beautiful scenery and wonderful Indian ruins. The road continues to the Sunset Crater area, which is more beautiful scenery with lots of old volcanic activity.

JEROME - We left this area and drove south back through Flagstaff towards Sedona. The drive through Oak Creek Canyon is one of the most beautiful drives in the world. We passed through Sedona, which has become overrun and overbuilt. It is sad to see it this way. We continued south to a little town called Jerome.

It’s an old mining town that became a ghost town but is now home to many galleries. It’s small, quaint and a very nice place to visit. We stayed at the Ghost City Inn, which is a beautiful B&B with a spectacular view. The town is pleasant stroll although there are many tourists. One of the more interesting sights is the Queen Mine tour. At the end of the main street the road turns to dirt and continues for ½ mile or so. You park and pay a few dollars to enter and then wander around at your leisure.

I cannot begin to describe all of the things that you will see there. It is an incredible collection junk, cars, trucks, animals, old buildings and stuff from different eras somewhat organized. It is a lot of fun to wander around. From there we backtracked a little to the Cottonwood area to see the Toozigoot National Monument. It is an interesting set of Indian ruins in scenic setting but not interesting to photograph.

PRESCOTT - We left there and drove back through Jerome and up and over the mountains on beautiful drive to Prescott. Just outside of town we saw a small herd of antelope. In Prescott we stayed at the beautiful Hasayumpa Inn. It is a nice town with a lot of history. We had dinner at an old restaurant on Whiskey Row that used to host the Earps and Doc Holiday. They had some interesting displays of various items from that era. The next day we drove to Scottsdale and stayed with friends.