Final Post on Route 66 and other Adventures

After the sandstorm east of Flagstaff and many many miles to Kansas City. Look at what I ran into.

The pix on the left is in Rancho Mirage, next to Palm Springs. It is me and I thought my long lost twin.

Low and behold, I run into him again, pic on right, him and I again this time in Kansas City. Apparently he did not eat as much as I did making the miles in between.

We ran 7,145 miles of which 2,400 were Route 66, the rest was visiting relatives, friends, route 66 and its memorabilia, those from other countries, presidential museums, Getty museum, the many places people thought we should visit and the places many people took us when visiting them.

Again, Shirleen and I Thank You for all the Fun. There is no better place to visit than the US.

Stayed in Santa Rosa drove 443 miles; going to Pratt KS today

April 12 Monday Sedona – Jerome – Had to stay in Flagstaff a high winds and blowing dirt blocked the highway 45 miles east

I exchanged the word hieroglyphics with petroglyphs in Frank Lloyd Wrights write-up.

Boy did we find a good breakfast restaurant.

The Heartline Gourmet Express and Market in Sedona. It is a self serve coffee, but server served breakfast,

Shirleen had the Tradition breakfast, two basted eggs, two pieces of bacon with roasted potatoes with red and yellow peppers.

I the Sedona Sunrise a blackened piece of salmon on a four inch square of quarter inch cream cheese, two basted eggs on top of a grilled pita bread with a onion sriracha sauce. Mine was exceptional – one of three best breakfasts I have ever had.

One of the most picturesque places in the southwest is the Sedona area, the red of the bluffs cannot be seen in our pictures. To me this is the place to be, if you can afford it.

Jerome AZ, This turned out to be a great side trip; I would recommend it to everyone except the faint of heart who trembles at heights and no ditch just down the hillside.

Off to Jerome

http://www.azjerome.com/ at 5,200 ft. elevation; an old copper mining town up the side of a mountain. Founded in 1876 on land that is at a 30-degree incline of the mountainside. A two mile run up a 2,000 ft hill with many tight corners at low speed 20 MPH and the usual back and forth to make it to the top.

Parking is almost anyplace you can find, many dirt lots with there sides lined with big rocks so you don’t go over the side, that’s where we found a spot. We wanted to watch a movie on the city, from copper mining days to today with its many hippie’s – now my age – living here.

We also went to the top of the hill to look at the Grand Hotel and the Asylum restaurant. To bad we ate a little while ago, as the view from the restaurant is over the entire valley below.

The Grand Hotel used to be a hospital and ran empty for 50 years or so.

Went through the Oak Creek canyon to Flagstaff; it is a twisting narrow roadway with corners of 15 to 20 MPH, nice ride. As we got closer to Flagstaff we saw a group of vintage numbered race cars and their sports car counterpart, three 1960’s Jaguars, a 1952/3 Jag, a couple of really old – 1950’s Ferrari’s, some mid 50’s vintage Mercedes, a Ford GT 40, and a couple other unidentified cars out for a joy ride down the canyon. What a fun ride we had and watching these expensive old race cars was a real plus.

About then we saw a tow truck was pulling a vehicle over the edge out, later on in the news it was a truck, a guy and his dog, both OK. Looked like a bad accident when we went by he was 150 ft over the side but slowed down by the trees he hit.

We walked to the restaurant, about a half mile, me in a t-shirt and a 50 MPH wind blowing and about 50 degrees. Should have taken the car but had a good parking place. We finally got to Mamma Luisa Italian restaurants. Shirleen a Lasagna with ham sausage and beef,

I the Veal Scallopine Francese four pieces of veal dipped in egg batter and sautéed in lemon butter and white wine over spaghetti.

The bread served was unique, a large round ribbon of dough, raised and baked, easily broken from the resulting loaf.

I had a bowl of spinach and egg drop chicken broth soup.

April 11 Sunday, Carefree, Cave Creek and Sedona area

We started off the day with a late mass at Our Lady of Joy in Carefree. The message was that we can confess our sins to God but to make sure they are forgiven we must go to confession with a priest. The music was by a gifted singing pianists and an accompanying singer.

Now off to meet with Jerry and Pat K. he was a grade/high school classmate that I walked to school with. He lives in Cave Creek which is a small town – 4,000 people. It is in and around the hills, finding his place was a challenge but found. It is in the hill looking over the city at the end of a dirt road. The Vette made it alright.

He gave us the tour of the home and outside seating which is up against the hill. They have lived there for 10 years or so. Jerry is quite the painter, he painted their master bedroom. One day he took all the left over paint and started with blue at the top, light in the middle and sandy brown toward the bottom, looked like a outdoor scene. Of course Pat had to touch it up a bit. Jerry also paints in the Grandma Moses style.

He also made an arch as you approach the house from desert rocks. He has a devil rock, two good luck rocks and a bears claw rock he found out there.

We ended up at The Horney Toad, not the place they wanted to take us but because of all the cycles there it was hard to get into the Mexican restaurant. The toad’s special was fried chicken which Shirleen and I split. Pat a French Dip, Jerry a BBQ Beef with fries. We ere fortunate to meet there daughter Emily who lives outside Phoenix off I17, she had the BBQ Pork with fires. We all ate and talked.

Back to the house for a couple hours of reminiscing. As we did this Emily said if we had facebook we would not have to ask about all the people we wondered about. Cleaver idea, Pat followed it u[ with the thought that for our 50th class reunion we wouldn’t have to talk together as we have caught up today. We discussed the deaths in our classes, the surgery’s we had and ended up hoping we would see each other in September. A fun time but we must head off.

We stayed at the Radisson in Sedona with the mountains behind us.

April 10 – Saturday, Mesa area

We went to the Scottsdale Botanical garden for a walk through the garden. Again, it cost nothing because we have the U of MN Arboretum pass.

As we approached the ticket area we see three spires which looked like glass saguaros and a lot like Chihuly's work – and it was. They are looking for a million dollars to pay for them; they are half way there now.

There was a desert garden in full bloom, which is a high point for the facility.

Throughout the garden are many bronze statues set in and among the gardens.

A quick lunch both a big hotdog and an order of fresh garlic fries and a glass of lemon aid.

One of the most interesting exhibits was a local Apache Indian who was a riveting story teller. He talked about how the Great Spirit made the rabbit. The story goes that he pulled some hair from its side and put it on the back end and that the rabbit wanted to hear well, so the spirit pulled its ears long. The rabbit wanted to run like a deer so the spirit pulled the back legs. He then noticed that an owl was watching and he should not have been. The spirit made its eyes big so it could see better, pulled its feathers at the top to look like ears. He pushed down the neck so he could pivot his head. It then told the owl it could only fly at night so he could not watch the spirit make the animals. The owl flew away and the spirit looked around and the rabbit was gone. It was aiding behind some brush and its nose quivering, much as it does today. The spirit never finished the front legs and that is why the backs are longer than the front.

It was a warm day and as it approached noon it became really hot. The cap I was wearing did little to keep me cool. We finally left around 1 or so and headed back to the hotel. There I took a nap as I was bushed.

For dinner we were going to Cletus and Rosie’s place. We were offered a beer and it was happily accepted. We decided to go to Zur Kate restaurant, a fine German restaurant was recommended by Cletus, and it is in the same shipping center as the Bavarian Top restaurant. The restaurant is run b a couple who came from Hamburg.

Shirleen got the smoked pork chop with spaetzles. The rest got the pork schnitzel’s with red cabbage and spaetzles,

Rosie – the mushroom gravy,

Cletus the Holstein – fried egg on top,

and I with onions but with sauerkraut and a light dumpling with gravy. A fun night.

April 9 Friday, Mesa area

Today we were to meet with Mike and Sharon T. at 11am at there home. We found there place easily. We sat and talked for a while about his and our family, nice to see how the families are.

We decided to go to lunch at Dirtwater Springs, an old western bar and restaurant in Apache Junction. It is a quaint place to visit, busy. We sat down and the waitress recognized Sharon as regulars. Mike had his double cheeseburger without the cheese, forgot what Sharon and Shirleen ate , and I the chimichonga. Good food for all. If really ungry you can order a 72 ounce steak 52$; but you have to order a day ahead – they serve it on a pizza tin. We sat for quite a while again talking about old times and the fun we had growing up, along with the nicknames we had been given. Mike was Mikey and some still call him that, when we first met today I held back and called him Mike, although I thought about Mikey. We again talked more about our children and grandchildren.

On the way to Taliesin West we stopped at Blue Adobe Grill in Scottsdale, it was a place we stopped at 4 years ago when we went to Taliesin West. Shirleen had a cab I a margarita, they have tri colored chips with a fire roasted tomato salsa, thick and gooey – tomatoes and onions are blackened over pecan wood, dark and earthy. We split a shrimp cocktail – 5 - with a fine red sauce over a bed of finely sliced cabbage served in a martini glass.

This evening we went to Frank Lloyd Wrights - Taliesin West was there winter home built in 1937. http://www.franklloydwright.org/ It is now used as a school for an accredited degree in architecture. We took the twilight tour and have the unusual opportunity to view Wright’s desert masterpiece in a nighttime setting. the evening the site assumes a luminous, jewel-like quality. The desert masonry structures, lighted from within, appear as sculptures. The reason we attended was to see the dragon breathing fire. If one wants to visit his home do it during the day as the flowers and home take better to pictures.

The fire-breathing dragon is lit and the lights from the valley below create a dramatic, romantic setting. The tour includes everything on the home tour plus light refreshments.

As we approached the house there were petroglyphs on a rock; when you look at it you see the writing on the rock. Look at the bottom line and the second petroglyphs from the left is what looks like two straight sided 6’s. This is what he later used as inspiration for his initials.

We say a red clay piece that had his initials in it and he used FLLW, his mother called him Frank Lloyd Wright but because at that time everyone loved Lincoln he added it to his name and initials.

The layout is southwest and is taken as the bow of the ship. The layout of the house is such that in the beginning it had no glass windows, they were added when he was diagnosed with a lung problem. The bedrooms were adjacent,

hers with a oriental screen painting in 8 sections lining two sides of the bedroom; his had two beds in it, no not what you think, it was when he was in the front bed he could be bothered with questions, the one behind it was for sleep and no bothering. Most rooms were low ceiling so that it made people sit down. The lighting was semi-dim but enough to converse in.

There are a couple people who were with Frank in the beginning, now in there 90’s. When they are present the guides cannot say anything about there brash treating of people, the students or patrons. He was almost always broke, he loved cars and buildings. When he built a home he would position the furniture, if you moved it he would notice it even though it was years later and he would move it to where it was originally. If there was a problem with the house he built for you, as one person, they had roof leaks and he said well put buckets under it. He was arrogant and aloft. But because of his sweet talk and loveable nature they let him get by with almost anything.

The lady that makes the bronze statues lives there yet and has made her bronze’s to signify her first impression of the statue, she see’s it rise out of her mind into it shape.

In the dark it is hard to get a good pix but I tried. As we walked through the statue area we could hear the crackling of the wolves and the baying of the local dogs. Neat addition.

Thursday April 6th

I can finally upload pictures without timing out we are at the Radisson Spa - Sedona.

We were told that a visit to the monastery south of Florence, 60 miles southeast was a nice experience. http://www.stanthonysmonastery.org/ it was a nice bright sunny day as we drove there.

Dions is painting the sign. We were warned that it is easy to miss the turn as it is not well marked, so watch for exit 124. Pretty sure we would have seen it, the turn that is.

We find a lightly shaded spot by a tree and park there. It is warm at 10:30, 78 degrees. We were warned also that I wear long sleeved shirt and pants.

Shirleen needs a skirt, which they provide and long sleeved top that would not show curves. It turned out that she had to wear a scarf and they provided it. The one we waited for had a Bluetooth hanging out of his ear and he is chattering in Greek with someone all the time. We are handed to another monk for the tour. But before that we run into a person who is living there and deciding to become a Greek Orthodox member, William.

William is the person in the background with the long beard, with his 84 year old brother and wife from Northern Wisconsin. He took to us and quickly befriended us with a booklet that gives the history and more of the church. He then wanted to gift us a book also, I refused and he quickly gave it to Shirleen, he loved her name saying it many times. He asked do you know anyone with that name, yes a couple but never met. The gift shop has many religious items and a snack bar with cookies and breads that are given free with water – nice touch, as there is no place to eat.

As the Monks are not in a hurry, but doing what needs to be done at there own speed we waited about 15 minutes for a group to gather. We head off to the first church. He mentioned that we are not to take pictures of the Monks; I thought the ones praying or working and excluding him.

The second picture is St. Nicholas. If one has never seen an Orthodox church they are a sight to be seen. There are icons all over – a painting of a Saint with a lot of red and gold leaf; crosses; hanging candles in brass holders with red lenses; and seats for the clerics.

The buildings and churches are designed with neat brick layouts.

On one icon hung many necklaces and trinkets, a request for a favor from the Madonna.

We walked through the three churches and saw where they are building more. It is a hot day and we did not dally.

I took a couple pictures of the monk that is giving us the tour, not realizing I should not take his either, oh well.

Further away from the main area is a white church with blue domb and high on the hill. we drove over to it to see the overlook as we could not get inside it.

A dramatic overlook.

It is well past one and we need to grab a bite, it was recommended that we try Mount Athos restaurant in Florence AZ, seven miles back. it turned out to be the right call.

Shirleen had a perfectly grilled Swiss Cheese on Rye bread.

I the Beef and Lamb, mixed; cooked on a vertical skewer. Sliced and Wrapped in Pita; served with Slice Tomato, Onion; Tzatziki Sauce mine was the deluxe - Served with French Fries; Greek Salad. I have steered away from these for years, this is the test. Am I ever glad I ordered this, what was different? It was the sauce; he said it depends on the yogurt used. He was right that made the difference. The salad was well dressed with Feta cheese and a spicy flavored dressing.

Remember the books that William gave us? We left the nice pictorial of the Church yard, buildings and history. As I have never forgotten anything – Ya – we doubled back to buy a new one. We waved at Dions at the entry sign he was still painting. We entered the courtyard and asked if we could enter without Shirleen wearing her sirt and scarf, turned out the only language the lady understood was Greek. She indicated to the guy with the Bluetooth hanging out of his ear that we had a question. After his conversation he turned toward us and another guy tried to talk to him and the monk said wait and walked toward us. He said we could enter the gift shop and that he would give us another one gratis. Who do we see when we open the door William? This chance meeting gave us time to say a proper goodbye to a gentle man who has found a new way. After the goodbye, I mentioned we left him a note, our card with a donation for him.

Casa Grande National Monument Prehistoric Ruins
http://www.nps.gov/cagr/index.htm

Mesquite fills the desert and it is said that it can live to 12,000 years old. One lady commented that her grandchildren should touch it as the Indians may have also. The ruins were built in 1350 BC. Shirleen got another stamp in her National Parks book. Nice visit.

This evening we went to see the Arizona Opry. The event starts off with a roast beef, gravy, mashed potatoes, and cooked carrots with a sweet apple sauce with a piece of chocolate cake. The music, skits and such were just great. The western songs were followed by songs with many different instruments from the stage – looked like a hundred different ones.

It was a night worth while, after I wondered if I would like it. jerry