So, today we spent a little time in Holbrook. On the way in last night, I spotted a store advertizing signage. I was interested in a Route 66 road sign, so we stopped in to see what he had. I got an actual sign from the Mother Road that is in new condition! There are a few around and getting harder to find. We also bought a set of Route 66 coasters; one each from the 8 states that it runs through. Originally the road was maintained by the federal government and when it became too much to keep up with, because of the popularity, each state took the responsibility. From then on the signs had the state name instead of “US” on them. My original is a “US Route 66” sign. Cool!
We had also spotted”The Petrified Wood Company”. Thea is a rock nut, so we couldn’t pass that up. They had the most incredible collection of rocks and petrified wood and fossils and geodes we’d ever seen under one roof. They had so many samples of entire stumps that were polished on the end to show the colors and grains. They had cut into huge geodes, 3 to 4 feet tall, that were brimming with amethyst crystals and they were such a deep purple. Incredible fossils were everywhere! Whole alligators and giant fish…it went on and on! If you are into that sort thing, you should see it firsthand if you are ever down this way. After that we headed down the road to the National Park. When it was first discovered, the area was literally covered with petrified logs. Since then the chunks and pieces have been hauled away by thousands of people over the years and so there are really very few left to see. Even in the park, where it is illegal to pick up even the smallest piece, they are losing about 2,000 pounds a month! The road thru the park is just and asphalt ribbon for 28 miles. It goes up onto mesas and down into dry creek “washes”. As we came down into a rock strewn wash, I noticed a dark shape to my left. It was maybe 16 feet tall and when I looked, I realized that it was a huge creature with its teeth bared and right as it lunged at us, I stomped the gas and heard them clack together as it narrowly missed the back tire on the car! I looked at Thea and said,”Wow, that was close!” She said,”What was close?” Then she said, “When we get to the next rest area, I need you to stop.” How could she have missed that?! Was it real or maybe just my imagination….We found the hiway and headed east towards Albuquerque. As we approached the state line the terrain changed from wide, I mean wide, high plains to rockier rim rock stuff. I felt like The Lone Ranger and Tonto might just ride out of one of the small canyons at any moment. They never did. Route 66 mostly follows closely to I-40 so the sights are the same either way. It doesn’t get much more than a quarter mile away from the hiway. Maybe 20 miles from our destination, it looked like where the movie “Cars’ must have gotten the idea for the backgrounds around Radiator Springs. Check it out. We made good time because like I said yesterday, everyone goes between 85 and 90 mph all the time. We were in need of fuel so we pulled over at Sky City. It’s a casino, truck stop that was just hopping! Most of the people there were Acoma Indians. The place was the busiest place we’ve been so far. We found the restaurant inside and had some dinner. Then we pressed onto Albuquerque to find a room. It seems like a long day. Shoot’n for Amarillo tomorrow.
We had also spotted”The Petrified Wood Company”. Thea is a rock nut, so we couldn’t pass that up. They had the most incredible collection of rocks and petrified wood and fossils and geodes we’d ever seen under one roof. They had so many samples of entire stumps that were polished on the end to show the colors and grains. They had cut into huge geodes, 3 to 4 feet tall, that were brimming with amethyst crystals and they were such a deep purple. Incredible fossils were everywhere! Whole alligators and giant fish…it went on and on! If you are into that sort thing, you should see it firsthand if you are ever down this way. After that we headed down the road to the National Park. When it was first discovered, the area was literally covered with petrified logs. Since then the chunks and pieces have been hauled away by thousands of people over the years and so there are really very few left to see. Even in the park, where it is illegal to pick up even the smallest piece, they are losing about 2,000 pounds a month! The road thru the park is just and asphalt ribbon for 28 miles. It goes up onto mesas and down into dry creek “washes”. As we came down into a rock strewn wash, I noticed a dark shape to my left. It was maybe 16 feet tall and when I looked, I realized that it was a huge creature with its teeth bared and right as it lunged at us, I stomped the gas and heard them clack together as it narrowly missed the back tire on the car! I looked at Thea and said,”Wow, that was close!” She said,”What was close?” Then she said, “When we get to the next rest area, I need you to stop.” How could she have missed that?! Was it real or maybe just my imagination….We found the hiway and headed east towards Albuquerque. As we approached the state line the terrain changed from wide, I mean wide, high plains to rockier rim rock stuff. I felt like The Lone Ranger and Tonto might just ride out of one of the small canyons at any moment. They never did. Route 66 mostly follows closely to I-40 so the sights are the same either way. It doesn’t get much more than a quarter mile away from the hiway. Maybe 20 miles from our destination, it looked like where the movie “Cars’ must have gotten the idea for the backgrounds around Radiator Springs. Check it out. We made good time because like I said yesterday, everyone goes between 85 and 90 mph all the time. We were in need of fuel so we pulled over at Sky City. It’s a casino, truck stop that was just hopping! Most of the people there were Acoma Indians. The place was the busiest place we’ve been so far. We found the restaurant inside and had some dinner. Then we pressed onto Albuquerque to find a room. It seems like a long day. Shoot’n for Amarillo tomorrow.
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