On Saturday we drove into Winslow to stand on a corner. Those of you old enough to remember the band The Eagles will know what I'm talking about. Their first single released in 1972 was called Take It Easy and included the lines
"Well, I'm a standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see. It's a girl my Lord in a flat-bed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me." The song was written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey.
The corner happens to be on historic Route 66. When the interstate was built to bypass Winslow in the late 1970s, the town began to decline. They decided to build the Standing On The Corner Park in 1999 to lure tourists back to the town. The movie Cars also helped to revive interest in Historic Route 66. Their efforts were rewarded with about 100,000 tourists coming to stand on the corner each year. In 2004, the building on the corner was nearly destroyed by fire. They were able to save the wall with the mural. Here's a picture from across the street with some of the many people we saw taking their picture in just the short time we were there.
We waited our turn and some nice people took our picture for us. The park is nicely done with a bronze statue of a young man with a guitar on the corner. I read on one site that it is supposed to be Jackson Browne. There is a mural on the wall that looks like store windows with a reflection of a girl in a flat bed Ford. In the windows on top there is an eagle perched on the sill of one window, and a couple is hugging or dancing in another window. Parked on the street is a red flat bed Ford. There are a few souvenir shops on the corners across the street selling lots of Route 66 and Eagles items. I think the clerks must get pretty tired of hearing Eagles songs day after day.
The La Posada Hotel is also in Winslow. In 1997 it was restored and reopened. It was one of the railroad hotels along Route 66 and was known as one of the fanciest. There were quite a few cars in the parking lot. Winslow seems to be a pretty rundown city, so we were surprised that a fancy hotel like this can survive.
About a mile to the east is a park with a 911 Rembrance Garden. There are two beams from the twin towers. They claim these are the largest pieces of the wreckage given to any city. The flag has flown at the Pentagon. The marker on the left says United We Stand.
Back at Homolovi, we visited one of the two ruin sites. The one we visited is the most excavated site of a village. There are estimated to be over 1200 rooms that close to 1,000 Hopi people lived in during the 1300s. It is thought that they came to this area to farm as the Little Colorado flows nearby. Here is one of the estimated 40 kivas at the site.
There are hundreds of pottery shards on display throughout the site just sitting out in the open. I'm surprised the park service is so trusting. There are signs that it is a crime to take any, but I'm pleasantly surprised that these pieces can be left out in the open at a remote spot, and haven't been stolen.
In our travels throughout the southwest we often see small lizards running in front of us. This guy is the largest we've seen. He was probably about a foot long. Cool!!
We had a great view of the San Francisco Peaks, the highest mountains in Arizona. They are near Flagstaff, which is about twenty miles west of us. The tallest one is called Humphreys Peak. The Hopis believed spirits lived in the mountains with the power to bring rain for the crops.
We'll be traveling the next few days. Our plan is to stop in Lincoln, Nebraska to visit with Korey and Cathryn this weekend. Haven't seen them since October, so am very excited to spend a few days with them again!
Don’t wish upon a star – Reach for one!
Another fine town to visits, thanks for taking us back.
ReplyDeleteWe have enjoyed that area too. I have felt rather reminiscent this week. It's hard to believe how much time has passed and how far we have all traveled since you first posted the "reach for the star" quote. Safe travels, and enjoy your visit with your son.
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