Route 66 - Day 12
I am writing this and our day is not over. Trying to take advantage of GOOD WIFI. We are staying at a KOA for the next two days and not sure what the internet will be like. The last KOA was not very good.
Last night was colder than we expected. Woke up to 45. I wish I would have gotten that closed cell pad I was going to purchase. We did get up and the KOA serves breakfast. Kirk was going to run and I decided to give it a try. 2 eggs, 2 sausage patties, and coffee. It was not bad. They were cooking on a Blackstone.
I headed back to camp and got cleaned up. Kirk went and ran. I packed up my stuff. He got back and showered. Once done, we put up the tent and finished packing the bikes.
We left a little before 10. We wanted to go find the Wigwam Motel that is located in Holbrook. We found it.
And per usual it seems out west, we had to jump back on the interstate (this seems to be a habit out here).
Next stop is Joseph City for the most well known and iconic billboard, "Here It Is" with the rabbit. This was a marketing genius back then. Before getting there, we had to stop at the largest petrified log.
They posted for hundreds of miles in either direction with a silhouette jack rabbit and the miles to it. This generated so much curiosity, people just had to see what it was and so the legend began. This was one main stop on my list. I saw it - live in person (even got a t-shirt).
After that, we headed west. Yes, mostly interstate but still incredible views. On our way to Flagstaff, we rode through Winslow (yes, like the Eagles song). We stood on the corner of Winslow Arizona with a Flat Bed Ford.
The landscape is changing again. We started off with plains and a few mesas but now are in mountains with lots of pine trees. It is actually quite green. We are headed to Flagstaff (and then Williams) as this will be our next two night stay as we ride around the Grand Canyon.
On our way, we passed the Meteor Crater. We decided to ride over to see if we could get a picture. Nope. They want $30 to enter. Pass. I can find an image on the internet BUT I can say that I have been there.
We headed back out on the interstate to Flagstaff. We wanted to go to the REI and also Mother Road Brewing for lunch. We were able to leave the interstate finally and got to the brew house. Did not open until 2. So over to REI we went. I got my sleeping pad and Kirk got more Pro Meal bars.
Headed back over to the brew house and ate lunch and tried a beer. The food was actually good (food truck) and the beer very nice. I will not stop drinking PBR but was still quenching. One cool feature are their coasters. They are postcards and if you fill one out while there, they will post it for free.
Now we head back out to Williams and then north to the Grand Canyon. We will stop at the KOA just outside the park and setup. It will be nice to have camp for two nights. The drive to the campground was quite pretty. We were able to take a back road for the last bit of the ride. The KOA is 6 miles from Williams and 54 miles from the big ditch (Grand Canyon).
We checked in and they gave us a nice spot way in back. We got setup, met our neighbor, met the staff, started to have drinks, and ate dinner.
It is going to get cold again tonight (about 44). We got cleaned up and headed to bed. We have noticed that we go bed earlier that usual.
On a side note...the trip to REI paid off. I bought the Nemo accordion style insulated sleep pad. It makes a HUGE difference on the cot. I did not feel of the cold and actually felt like I was sweating at one point. If you use a cot, get one. They are not expensive and make a world of difference in cooler temperatures.
Total miles today? 149