Day 12 - Route 66 Day 10 Tuesday March 16, traveled 242.1 miles today

Today looks like a nice bright day. We went for breakfast at the motels cafe, good coffee started out the morning, served by Margarita. Shirleen ordered the western omelet with fried potatoes, I the Huevos Rancheros, a tortilla with two fried eggs on top covered with green and red sauce with brown beans and Spanish rice. A good way to start the day. Those southwestern flavors are really tasty for me. A couple sat close-by and said there son recommended that dish and he was there two weeks ago, she ordered them also.

Down the road, and close by on the route were these animals, one looked like a horse the other a mule or close.
We crossed to the other side of I40 and headed down the road, route 66 was flooding over and we thought better of driving thru it. The car in front was about a foot and a half deep.

Off the route to the interstate and off the next exit and we find this 1920’s metal bridge over a 295 foot gorge. We walked over it and looked down, there was 10 tires, wood beams, car parts, I suspect from flooding when a big rain came.

Down the road was the town of Joseph, named after Mormon Prophet, and is the oldest Mormon community in Arizona. This was taken for Priscilla.

We ran into the Jackrabbit Trading Post right across. It is similar to Wall Drug, built up the expectation by putting signs along the way. Those original signs are on ebay for 2,500$. Jerry, the guy who wrote the travel guide we follow, had one in his living room and I think he bought it for 35$.

Now for the find of the day or maybe even better?? Winslow AZ, the La Posada Hotel and its partner café, The Turquoise Room Restaurant. The hotel was an old Santa Fe building housing there support staff for many years. It was first a café and hotel run by the Harding Gals, a group that would give soldiers and guests a hand when passing through. The building was originally designed by Mary Jane Colter the most renowned female architect in the States in 1928. The website would be a blast to see I am sure: http://www.laposada.org/ . We were blown away by the beauty of the furnishings, paint schemes and use of wood and concrete. Noticed a nights stay starts at 109$ and up, not bad for the area. The noon lunch served by Sharon was just something to see. We ordered a St. Francis cabernet, I remember I had a bottle of this on our 2005 cruise, I a Route 66 Cadillac margarita, El Tesoro Reposado Tequila, fresh lime juice and a drizzle of Grand Marnier around the top. First she brought out a cornmeal square drizzled with mesquite sauce. You can tell the chef and owner was born in England and practices there and Austria.

Shirleen’s Fish and Chips were like from England; two thick pieces of deeply browned color cod with hand cut thin fries and a creamy coleslaw. She didn’t even offer me a fry but I batted clean-up on the fish.

I the Carnitas Lunch; the Carnitas pork was baked then taken off the roast in pieces and fried for crispness, like the Austrian pork shanks, three white corn tortilla – I had 3 more – with the red and green sauce with black beans – great flavor – the side of corn tamale covered with roasted corn and a complimentary sauce served on the corn husk. What would the event be with out a dessert as per Shirleen; she chose a hazelnut gelato dished in an almond cookie drizzled with chocolate and white powdered sugar.

A delight as each of us said. It turns out that The Turquoise Room received a 2009 "Best By Food" Award and a 96.9 rating from Conde Nast. A must must eat at if close by, within 200 miles.

Tonight we are in Williams AZ, at a Comfort Inn, cost is high because of school being out. We tried to book a room at the Red Garter but the bordello was full.

We did eat at the recommended eatery by Mary and John who ate there a couple weeks ago. The Red Raven Restaurant. They never steer you wrong. We so full all we could do was split a fillet mignon with doctored up red potatoes and asparagus. I had a salad with greens and a delicious vinaigrette house dressing. I am bushed and tomorrow we do an all day train ride thru the Grand Canyon and back at 5:45 pm. As Shirleen went to buy the tickets for the train I pulled in front of the place and looked out my left window, staring at me was the south end of a north bound horse statue. I said, look there is two of us next to each other.

 Another long day. Jerry