My goal was to spend time getting to know New Mexico but I had to get there first. On this trip I chose to ease up on my pace, experiment with new blogging tools, and carry a bicycle with me. This provided me with the opportunity to learn, the luxury of taking bike rides, and the time to keep pace with my blogging. A mixed bag but a decidedly pleasant change.
The posts which together capture this ride include:
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Dueling museums, competitive car art, tributes to barbed wire, rattlesnake dens, and much more are on display along the southern stretch of Route 66.
For example, as you get to know the Road you learn there is a Cadillac Ranch, a Bug Ranch, and a Rabbit Ranch. These aren’t animals I’m listing, these are cars. In these “Ranches” a series of cars is planted nose down into the ground: seven Cadillacs, five VW Beatles, and three VW Rabbits. Crazy!
A large part of the fun of driving Route 66 is finding these gems from days gone by. Today I revisited a bunch of places I knew would be fun to share with you. Scroll down through the pictures below. I hope you enjoy them.
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Today began a two day jaunt down Route 66. As many of you know, this road is a favorite of mine which I’ve traveled many times. Not having the time to loiter this trip, I just popped into some of my favorites for a quick visit. Below are a few choice examples for you to enjoy.
This old service station is located in Galena, KS and it’s become quite famous. Executives from Pixar who made the movie Cars stopped here and developed one of the movie’s main characters from the truck you see at the left. Some of you may remember the character Tow Mater? Well, you’re looking’ at him!
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Passing through the Cherokee Nation was my way of getting to the second leg of my trip. Given that it was not a primary attraction I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. The northeast corner of Oklahoma is hilly, and green and due to Tenkiller Dam it’s also a great place for water sports. The path I took is being turned into a State Scenic Route. Good choice!
The next segment of my trip is along a six-State stretch of Route 66. It’s such a wonderful trip back to 20th century Americana that when I get a good excuse to drive it, I drive it! A special stretch can be found in Miami, OK but I’m afraid it’s falling apart. After driving it today, I made the following video.
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I know, I know. Walking and chewing gum at the same time. What a talent!
Seriously, this first stage of my road trip is about distance punctuated with bike rides. It started with a couple of rides in Virginia. The following day I rode along rivers in Knoxville and Nashville. Today my river rides were in Memphis and Little Rock … and they were the best yet!
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I woke up this morning wondering “Why the heck did they name this town Johnson City?” Odd thought for first thing in the morning! Maybe I had a sense that answers would be coming.
On my drive to Knoxville I visited Johnson’s Early Home, Johnson’s Homestead, Johnson’s National Cemetery, Johnson’s National Historic Site … have you figured it out yet?
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The first leg of this trip is a series of long driving distances broken up by periodic bicycle rides. Yes, this time I’m traveling with a folding bicycle which I rode today in both Roanoke and around the Virginia Tech campus. It was fun! It sort of fills a space between walking and driving. I could cover ground faster than by walking and yet still get closer to things than I can in my car. Today was a good first test of the bike’s value.
“Folding bicycle?” you ask? Watch the video and learn more!
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New Mexico’s Flag
On it we see a red sun with rays stretching out from it. There are four groups of rays with four rays in each group. This is an ancient sun symbol of a Native American people called the Zia. The Zia believed that the giver of all good gave them gifts in groups of four.These gifts are:
The four directions – north, east, south and west.
The four seasons – spring, summer, fall and winter.
The day – sunrise, noon, evening and night.
Life itself – childhood, youth, middle years and old age.All of these are bound by a circle of life and love, without a beginning or end.
It’s the dead of winter, the holidays are over, and the girls are back at school. Sounds like time for another trip! North? No, brrr! East? No, there’s an ocean in the way of my driving. So why not south and west down to warmer country. Having waiting for the arctic cold to blow past I’m now ready to hit the road.
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“One month, one week, and a half” is how Kelsey describes my 39-day, 10,000 mile road trip which ran from coast-to-coast along northern routes focusing on National Parks and Monuments. A jazz festival on Catalina Island and family visits in the Pacific Northwest were other highlights. Looking back, it was a remarkable and gratifying trip.
As I traveled across the great distances I planned many stops. Most of what was new lie between the Mississippi and the Rockies. Once I entered the red rock country of southern Utah until I left Yellowstone I was visiting old friends. In both instances I came away with the reinforced belief that we really have preserved something special in this country. Our National Parks and Monuments are amazing and there for us all to visit and appreciate … not just one time but again and again.
Below you’ll find a coarse depiction of my route.
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The home stretch and I started the day in a major town along the nation’s first federally funded road. Washington was one of the major roads along the Pennsylvania stretch of the National Pike. Starting in Baltimore, it initially was only 175 miles long to Cumberland, MD but eventually grew to 620 miles. In the end it connected the Potomac and Ohio rivers with a land road.
I’d been on this road a few times in the past. It’s character always caused me to want to learn more. This was my chance. I saw original tollbooths and mileage markers along the way. I visited Fort Necessity where preconceptions of George Washington were shattered: here he was a young officer, here he was a British soldier, here he fought and lost! Fascinating. We’re talking very early U.S. history in these parts.
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