Edward Is Everywhere

Winslow, Arizona welcome sign on the west side of town   Welcome to Winslow.  There is enough in this town that I split it into two posts, you can (and should) read Winslow (Part 1) . That post was mostly about downtown and places being actively maintained. This post is has more out-of-the-way and less maintained or even abandoned places.   The subway in Winslow   You might thing that Winslow is too small to have a subway, but you'd be wrong, there are several signs like this that clearly say "subway" so they must have one.  They aren't talking about an electrified commuter underground rail line like everyone else, but they are talking about an underpass that takes Williamson Avenue underneath the railroad tracks. Yup, the "subway" is just a road, sorry.  It was built in 1936 to cross the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe railway (now BNSF). Highway Diner   The nondescript brown building (the one closer to the camera, not the one just beyond it) wasn once ...

  The corner (taking it easy) Winslow, Arizona is well known from the Eagles song "Take It Easy" which has the line "I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona".  They have really leaned in to that publicity and tied it in to Route 66.  There's a lot to see here so I'm splitting it into two posts, this will cover some of the newer or more well known spots and the second post will cover the relics and abandoned places.  This is by far the most well known and popular spots in Winslow. I don't think this corner was empty the whole time I was there.  On the right side you can see a "flat-bed Ford" parked at the side of the road, and in the intersection is a huge "Arizona US 66" shield.  Yup, this has been designated "the corner" from the song. La Posada hotel La Posada Hotel is a former Harvey House and also the site of the Amtrak station. It is well worth walking around it if you are in town.  Delta Motel Delta Motel has b...

  Mountain Lions Two Guns does have a casino and gas station, but everything else is basically abandoned.  Since I like abandoned and ghost towns, I was excited to go here. This is the view from the freeway (I don't advise stopping on the shoulder, traffic is going fast).  You will immediately see the "Mountain Lions" sign on a stone wall. This is the entrance to abandoned the Harry E. Miller Zoo, which, as you might imagine, had mountain lions.  Behind it, the rock cliff you see is actually the far side of Canyon Diablo, and it is deeper than it appears.   Ruined animal enclosures Call them animal enclosures, pens, or cages, this is where the animals lived.  There is a low rock wall in the front and a taller one in the back which is higher since the pens are built on a hill.  There was fencing around them but most of it has collapsed. Canyon Diablo bridge This bridge carried Route 66 over Canyon Diablo.  I didn't cross it, but I wish I had since ...

The single twin arrow of Twin Arrows, Arizona There isn't much to Twin Arrows, it is mostly just this abandoned trading post/diner/gas station.  There is a casino and active gas station on the other side of the interstate, but since I am mostly interested in Route 66 this trip I didn't explore them. Twin Arrows gets its name from these two giant arrows mounted on the ground. The shaft of the arrow is a utility pole.  You might notice that there is only a single arrow here.  The second one was mounted on the other red base you can see behind the arrowhead. According to Google Streetview, the other one disappeared sometime between April 2021 and June 2022. Wikipedia has an unsourced claim that it fell in February of 2022.  Twin Arrows trading post This is the view you get as you drive up to the graffiti-covered Twin Arrows Trading Post after getting off the interstate.  On the right is the interstate and what's left of Route 66.  Directly ahead, with the graf...

Visitor Center and train station Flagstaff is the largest city on Route 66 in Arizona with a population of over 75,000. It is home to, among other things, Northern Arizona University.  I spent a couple of nights there but focused on Route 66 in downtown. One side of the Flagstaff railway station which houses the Visitor Center in addition to the Amtrak station. 1 East Route 66, Flagstaff, Arizona 86001. Motel Downtowner There are, unsruprisingly, a lot of hotels and motels in Flagstaff near Route 66 and the railroad station.  Motel Downtowner has an unusually large sign, maybe since it is on the other side of the railroad tracks from Route 66 it needed it to attract guests.   Motel DuBeau Motel Dubeau is another motel with a S.O.U.S. (Sign Of Unusual Size). The neon sign is taller than the adjacent tree. Orpheum Theater The Orpheum Theater was built in 1911 and expanded in 1917. It was originally the Majestic Opera House before becoming the Orpheum. In 2002 it re-opened ...

  Richfield gas station, side view   Bellemont is really small, and, the interesting part (from a traveling Route 66 perspective) is even smaller. It is really just one or two places. Get off I-40 at exit 185 and go towards Camp Navajo. Once there, take a left.  You'll drive  less than two miles then you'll get to the main stop (for me, anyway).  Richfield Gas Station / Pine Breeze Inn is our stop.  It's the white building with a sign saying "Richfield" on the front.   Here's the side view. Note the ghost sight, above the gold bar it says "Pine Breeze Inn" (not that you can read it) and below the gold bar it says "All Credit Cards Accepted" (I'd suggest using one that expired in the 1960's).  There is a single gas pump remaining on the pump island under the overhang.   This old Ford It is rare to see a car in such bad shape. I wasn't sure it was even a Ford, but that is what it says on the step by the driver's door.  I suspe...