WELCOME!

I decided to start this blog to as an avenue for me to be able to post about some of the fun things that I do from time to time. It could be a Car Show revue, what I did on Vacation, what I like about this or that automobile, my experience with a photo shoot, what I have in my Automobilia collection, or whatever I think of at the moment. I hope you like it! All feedback will be appreciated.

Wednesday, June 20, 2012

Road Trip to Arizona - Day 4 - Grand Canyon

Eastbound Highway 40
After getting a good nights rest from a long day of fun driving on Route 66, we all got up around 5:00 am. I got ready and headed downstairs for some coffee and a bagel, and waited for my wife and my parents to come down. Once they got downstairs, they had decided they would wait to eat breakfast since it was pretty early. So we headed to the parking garage and got in the car. By this time it was around 6:00 am and I needed to get some miles behind us. So we hit the road.




Eastbound Highway 40/66
The weather was a little sporadic along the way. It was raining, not raining, as well as a little bit of snow. We had expected it though. My wife and I had been checking the weather for the past few days and since it had reported snow for the Grand Canyon Village area, along the way, the scenery was pretty nice. So, after a 3 hour drive, I pulled off the highway on the West end of Williams and grabbed some fuel. It was pretty cold. I hadn't really dressed for the temperature it was at the time. But I managed to deal with it. After getting the fuel, we got back on Highway 40 and went to the next exit so that we could hit the McDonald's for breakfast. When exiting, I had liked the arched sign that crossed over the street. So after pulling into Mickey D's, I walked out into the middle of the road and snapped a few photos. Then I noticed that the Mobil station across the street had a nice old gas pump. So obviously that's where I went for a few more photos. Then I went inside to see if I could find any more Route 66 souvenirs. But I was a little disappointed to say the least. So I left and went back to eat some breakfast. After we finished, we jumped back in the car and I headed in through town. I had to! I wanted to see more of the Mother Road. Of course I wasn't disappointed when I got into town. I just wish I could have stayed here all day to check out the shops and the scenery. But, The Grand Canyon was still at least an hour away, so I kept on driving and headed North. 
WILLIAMS, AZ
On the drive to Grand Canyon Village, there was still a nice amount of snow on the ground from the previous days storm. After driving through, we hit the entrance, paid our way in, and headed for the parking lot. We get there, get out of the car, and of course I had to get my gear ready for some photos and video. Then we all noticed this Asian tourist walking around. Specifically this lady that was yelling at the top of her lungs trying to find someone, or the group she was with. This went on for a good 10 minutes. When she finally went away, it was nice to hear the silence we were surrounded in. But then there was some idiot that didn't know a clue about how or where to park. They parked right smack in the middle of the drive line. Which meant that no one had anywhere to go to get through. I don't know about you, the reader, but I know when they say to park "in between the lines", what it means. This driver took it even farther. Park in the area with no lines, in between the lines. But then a tow truck came and solved that problem.

We then walked into a couple buildings to see what was there, then headed out to catch the bus so we could head West to see the various stops. We pretty much hit every stop that was worth stopping at on the way out. But since my parents are up in age, we, my wife and I kept our patience so that we could all enjoy ourselves. Besides, my father had never been here, and my mother had been here when she was a little girl, so it made for a better time for all of us just to relax and enjoy the time. On one of the stops, when leaving we were able to see a good size heard of Elk that were just relaxing, enjoying there day. I have seen plenty, but it's always cool to see them. One of the drivers also mentioned to us about a couple of tourists that had decided one day during a winters day to do a Thelma and Louise off one of the cliffs. She said it took about 5 months before the wreckage was removed from the canyon. And where they took the ride, they now have had to install some large boulders to prevent it from happening again. Then we reached the end at Hermit Trailhead. We relaxed and grabbed some refreshments, I fed the raven that wouldn't stop bugging me, and my wife bought herself a nice piece of jewelry from the store. Then we headed back and hit a few other stops that we didn't stop at. Eventually we stopped at Bright Angel Trailhead. I went into the one place that I just had to check out. I went into the Kolb Studio. I walked around, kind of slowly, and enjoyed looking at everything in the gallery. Some pretty crazy people! But then again, you have to be crazy to explore these canyons. After that I went up to the souvenir store upstairs and decided to buy a book, "The Kolb Brother of Grand Canyon". Someday I'll actually read it.


Our view from the Restaurant
I finally left the studio and went to look for everyone else. Once I found them, we decided we all had better eat something. I had a headache anyways, so we went into the Lodge and found the Bright Angel Restaurant. The service was really good, the food was delicious. I had the Pepper Jack Chicken Melt, my wife had the Santa Fe Spicy Chicken Lettuce Wrap, and my parents had the Packer Stew in a Bread Bowl. All of really liked what we had. So, when you stop here to eat, hopefully you will not be disappointed. Besides the food, the staff was very friendly. Our waitress, we spoke to her for a while, as well as her helper. He was enjoying his time working here in the park. To top it off, he lives across the road from this place. What an awesome experience! Work and live maybe 100 yards from the canyon. I have to say, I would have loved to done that when I was his age.


We finished our late lunch, and then we decided it was time to get back to the car and head back to Laughlin. So we jumped on the next bus and headed back. It wasn't too long before I was asleep on the bus either. I was pretty worn out at this point. Then we got to the car and headed out. But, before we could keep going, I had to make 1 more stop. We stopped for a quick minute at Flintstones Bedrock City for a few photos, and then back on the road we went. It wasn't too long before I was the only one awake. So I just grabbed my headphones, plugged them into my iPhone, and turned on some music to keep my head from being drowned in the boredom. When we got back to Laughlin, we went to our rooms, and hit the bed.  Our last day of the vacation was going to be an early start for the drive home, so it was obvious that I had better get some sleep.
WILLIAMS, AZ
Highway 40 Eastobound
Driving in the sunset

Wednesday, June 6, 2012

Road Trip to Arizona - Day 3 - Route 66 part 2

So the adventure does continue! Well it did the weekend it actually took place. Anyways, After leaving Middle of the Road Antiques, we ended up stopping at the Old Powerhouse Museum. This is one one the cool old buildings that has actually been restored. But it also has the Museum on the upper floor. There is a theater downstairs, and it also hosts the "Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona".

Me! Outside The Powerhouse
With the rain coming down pretty good at this point of the day, it was nice to get indoors. We got to the Powerhouse and relaxed for at least an hour. We went upstairs and walked through the museum. One of the exhibits that really stood out was the set up of John Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath". It included an old Flat Bed truck, a good amount of photos of the day, as well as large pages from the book that talk about the life of those that traveled old Route 66. Besides the "Grapes" display, there were also a few store front displays, and a very cool wall mural. Oh yeah! There is an old Philips 66 pump, a large Chevron sign, Texaco sign, and the 1 sign that I really was attracted to was the old rusted road sign at the end of the "Grapes" display. There is also a Studebaker, and an Classic Sears motorcycle that was originally built in Italy. Well after I had my wife take several pictures of me in the museum, we went back down stairs and I just had to grab some memorabilia. So I grabbed a couple of patches, some postcards, a decal, and of course, a T-Shirt. Once we were done, we went outside and the rain was even worse than it was when we went inside. So, while my wife and parents ran to get in the car, I stopped and took a couple more photos. Then we were on our way again.

So we left the Old Powerhouse and headed West on Route 66. After a few miles I had to stop and make a U-turn to grab more photos. I had come upon a cool lot full of classics that are for sale. I took a bunch of photos with my iPhone and then back down 66 we went. Then again I noticed something I had actually seen before. Not in person, but on American Restoration. There it was! The yellow Volkswagen Bus sitting on top of the building at a auto recycling yard. But, I didn't get to stop. I kept on going West on 66. Then after a couple of turns, we came to a Historic Route 66 sign. So of course I just had to stop and get a picture with the sign. So I got it! Then off again down the highway. And yet again after a few miles we came upon a different Route 66 sign. And yes, I stopped for another photo. Then again, we took off on the highway. After driving actually for several miles, we stopped for some desert shots. We spent about 5-10 minutes taking photos, then we took off again.

While enjoying the beautiful scenery on a rainy day, we came to a place that was suggested as a stop by a gentleman at Middle of the Road Antiques. This place was Route 66 history, but has been completely rebuilt on it original foundation. This place, the old Cool Springs Station. So I stopped to check it out, and of course I spent some time admiring the place and taking my photos of the exterior. The old gas pumps, the Flying Pegasus sign, and all the decals that are on the entry door glass. The details are what I was checking out, more than the building itself. The I walked in the door. The man at the counter was on the phone, which is expected when you're this far away from town. So I just went on to check everything out. There was the usual Route 66 items, but then I looked up. The wall is plastered with some sweet Rolling Stones Records. There must have been at least 50 records on the walls. Besides the Stones records, there is some cool Automobilia for sale. Including pieces of the Mother Road. Of course I had to have my piece. For a cheap $5.00, I just couldn't resist. Besides the asphalt, I also picked up a hat pin, another patch, and a postcard of the old Cool Springs Station.

Be sure to drop a donation for "NEDLEY"
While at the counter, I noticed a donation box. on the box was of course a detailed explanation of what the donations are to be used for. Well, it is for food for "Nedley" and his gang. Who's "Nedley"? Well Nedley and his gang are the local Road Runners. They have a photo on the counter showing Nedley eating from the owners hands. Well I just had to do my part and make a small donation. Hey! Nedley and his gang needs to eat right. Anyways! We finally got out the door and kept driving West. Then I saw a the what is left of "Ed's Place". I stopped, yet again, and took a couple of photos. Looking around though got me thinking again as to how cool this place was in its prime. Yes it's in the middle of the desert, but it is on Route 66. This had to have been a cool place back in the day. Then I jumped back in the car for more driving. But, 50 yards up the road, on a curve, was a tractor trailer that was pretty much stuck there for a while. On the other side were 2 Arizona Sheriffs vehicles. And, on the curve, the driver didn't make a wide enough judgement and one of his wheels was blown out by the sharp boulders that are on the roads edge. So the officers were sitting there waiting. Not sure how long they had already been there, but the were still going to be there for a bit longer.

Me! Inside The Powerhouse
So we kept going up the winding road to towards the top of the mountain, and then we saw some people stopping on the inside of a curve. Wondering why I had to look. Then we all noticed that there were stairs in the side of the mountain. So of course I had to stop to see why the heck there are stairs, on the side of a mountain, in the middle of the desert. So we checked it out. They didn't go up to far, but at the top area, there was a deep pool of water. Come to find out, apparently some miners back in the day had built this pool into the side of the rock. not sure why, but it was there, full of water from the rain run off. I thought it was actually a cool thing to see, so I snapped a couple pics from the view looking East, as well as some of the pool. Then we were off again.

We got to the top of Sitgreaves Pass, and headed down the other side. After a few miles, we ran into the people that stopped at the stairs. One of them asked us to stop. So I did! Like any idiot in the middle of the desert would. Right? Anyways, he told us there is a young Desert Ram Horn that ran across the road. So we checked it out. It was cool to see. So, looking around, I noticed we were surrounded by mine property. So I grabbed a few photos, but, for some reason, I did a crappy shoot here. Oh Well! Then we jumped back in the car, all of us this time, and kept on going. After a bit of driving slow, lolly gaggin' at the scenery, taking more photos of the old run down rock houses in the area, we finally made it Oatman. A town full of Jackasses! Really! This place is known for having jackasses running through the town. The minors left them behind back in the day, and now there quite a lot still here. See the 9th pic below!

After getting through a few mules, I found a place to park. So we got out and checked out a few of the stores. But, at this time of the day, we were very hungry. So we went inside the OLD OATMAN HOTEL. Inside this place is a well known place to eat. When heading in the door, to the left you can grab some ice cream. And, to the right, some history of what this hotel is famous for. Mostly for when Clark Gable and Carol Lombard had stayed here for their honeymoon. Mr Gable also used to come back to get away from the craziness of Old Hollywood for some time of solitude. Imagine being one of the miners back then that used to play cards with him. Very Cool! Anyways, also to the right is the door to get into the bar and the restaurant. You walk through the door, and HELLO! this place is full of money. Bills all over the walls, the ceilings, doorways, anywhere you can put it. Tourists have been leaving their bills here for nearly a hundred years. So we walked through to our seat, and I started checking them out. Mostly U.S. bills, but then you would occasionally come upon some foreign bills as well. Then looking where those that left their bills were from, you would see Canada, Italy, Germany, Britain, Switzerland, and many more places. I thought this was pretty cool, so of course, I had to leave one too. So I asked for the Sharpie and the staple gun. I drew one of my favorite automotive icons on the bill. FLAMES! Then put our names and date on the bill, and stapled it to the wall. Oh yeah! We ate too! No complaints about the food. I was too hungry to care. Then I grabbed some shots around the place, and headed out the door.

After leaving the Oatman Hotel, we did what most tourists would do in this place. I pulled out the camera and took more photos. I got my shot with a mule, took a shot of my wife in the pine box playing dead, and looked around for some small details in areas that others don't look. But I couldn't go too far though. I didn't want to go where I wasn't supposed to be, Especially since people still live here. About this time too, it was getting late and we needed to head out to get back to Laughlin and get our rest for the next day. So we headed out, a bit tired from this long, fun and exciting day.

1966 Italian Motorcycle made for SEARS
Road sign for the "Grapes of Wrath" display 
I'm happy! Really! I am!
I'm even happier here!
Alone on "The Mother Road".
Well not really alone. Someone had to take the photo.
"Cool Springs" Station

Remnants of "Ed's Camp"
I told you there were stairs!
SEE! A JACKASS!
My FLAMED Dollar Bill