We began Monday in West Amarillo, with a LOT of miles to cover to reach our next destination (Winslow, AZ).
First order of business, however, was to rectify a problem we had with Dick's Model A that began when we left Flat Top Bob's residence the prior afternoon... his shifter was sticking when going from 4th to 3rd gear and would not engage reverse.
We knew it wasn't anything major becuase the transmission and shifter in his car are top notch components: a Richmond 4 Speed and Long Shifter that is built to NASCAR specs. In order to diagnose what was happening we needed to get under the car. So, we visited a local "mom and pop" transmission shop in Amarillo and jacked it up to take a closer look
As expected, it was nothing major... the shifter linkage had picked up some road dirt/grease over the course of the past 10 years which kept it from engaging and disengaging properly. Bottom line: we were good to go in an hour.
Before I continue, it would be remiss on my part to not share the following picture of Chuck Straub toasting his friends (who hail from Texas) with a mug full of Shiner Bock that he drank the evening before while we were in Amarillo
Cheers!
And one more from the night before- Dick decided that it would be a good idea to put his bottle opener in a place where he wouldn't lose it
So, with Dick's transmission shifting "like buttah", we made our way towards Winslow... 586 miles away.
Here's the lyrics to the Eagles hit song that inspired our visit to Winslow
Well, I'm running down the road
tryin' to loosen my load
I've got seven women on my mind,
Four that wanna own me,
Two that wanna stone me,
One says she's a friend of mine,
Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels drive you crazy
Lighten up while you still can
Don't even try to understand
Just find a place to make your stand
and take it easy
Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona
I'm such a fine sight to see It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed
Ford slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is
gonna save me
We may lose and we may win though we will never be here again
so open up, I'm climbin' in, take it easy..."Alright"
Well I'm running down the road trying to loosen
my load, got a world of trouble on my mind
lookin' for a lover who won't blow my cover, she's so hard to find
Take it easy, take it easy
Don't let the sound of your own wheels make you crazy,
come on baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me, ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh,ooh
Oh well you know we got it easy
We oughta take it easy, yeah
Note: these lyrics were pulled from an internet site and not intended for reproduction on our part.
Our first stop as we made out way west towards Winslow was the Cadillac Ranch; for those of you who are unfamiliar with the site it is a bit of true Americana! A rancher from Amarillo actually bought new Cadillacs and, then after driving them for a year, planted them in the ground nose down.
Here are some pictures from our visit
The Crew
As you can see, Ray and I had our rain gear on... the sky's were dark but we actually made it through the day without a single drop of rain on the windshield.
After our half hour jaunt at the Cadillac Ranch, we pressed on. Here are some pics from the road as we made our way to Winslow.
As the lyrics of the infamous Partridge Family song proclaimed "Point me in the direction of Albuquerque"!
Nothing keeps Mr. Applegate from smiling...
Another State Line crossing!
Guys, I don't think we're on the East Coast anymore... What an incredible change in terrain.
We attracted plenty of onlookers at every gas stop
"Big Sky" country!
We finally make it to Arizona
Here we are outside of our final destination for the day- La Posada Inn Winslow, AZ
Chuck (driving the maroon '40 Ford) had stayed at the Inn previously and thought we'd enjoy experiencing it ourselves; he was absolutely correct. It is hard to describe the eclectic mix of architecture, artwork, furnishings and atmosphere at the La Posada, so I am providing a link to their website so you can take a look.
Here is a list of some of the Inn's more famous guests (sorry for the lousy picture- it was shot with my iphone in less than ideal lighting):
I highly recommend the La Posada Inn for a romantic weekend getaway... Unfortunately, our significant others weren't with us, but I vowed to take my wife there someday.
As the sun set, we settled in for a fantastic dinner and much needed rest. Tuesday's final destination is Kingman, AZ with way points at:
1- Downtown Winslow (for a few photos at "THE corner in Winslow, Arizona)
2- The Grand Canyon
Stay tuned for more fun!
No comments:
Post a Comment