Day 8: Flagstaff to Holbrook -- 92 miles
As you can see, today's forecast did not bode well. As it turned out, we stayed just ahead of the rain / snow all day, but had to contend with strong winds -- probably the strongest I've ever ridden in. Since we were traveling slight southeast, though, they didn't slow us down that much. Made steering the bike a challenge, though.
Our first stop was at a rest stop on I-40. I spent a lot of the morning on the interstate, today.
Winslow -- at "the corner." The girl in the flatbed Ford is a trompe l'oeil painting.
In Winslow, we had a proper sit-down lunch at the La Posada hotel, which is a former Harvey House. These were hotels along the rail line that were staffed by young women dressed as nurses and quartered in chaperoned dormitories. Many of them have been torn down, but nearly every town we've stayed in so far had one at some point.
Our van parked in front of La Posada.You can see the clouds beginning to gather.
Anurang checks his tires after jumping a fence on an old section of highway 66.Most flats happen on the interstate, though. So far, I've been lucky.
Brian comes across a bridge that has been taken out of service. This section of the road was closed in 1994.
The Jack Rabbit Trading Post (this is their billboard, which dates back to the earliest days of the road) was one of the best shops I've seen on the trip. I would have liked to spend more time there but was conscious of the increasing dark clouds all around us.
Brian posed on the Jack Rabbit Trading Post's giant rabbit. He asked me if I wanted him to take a picture of me on it. As if!
We are staying at an amazing motel in Holbrook called the Wig Wam. It consists of 14 stucco teepees. Mine's #11. We occupy the entire motel tonight. It was built by the current owner's father in the '40's but was out of commission fromt the early 70s to sometime in the late '80s. My wig wam is actually quite roomy and snug on the inside. No closet, though. By the time we went to dinner, it was raining, and we watched a pretty good snow flurry while we were eating. I hope it stops by morning....