Return to Santa Fe from Cornville

Friday, February 27. We departed Cornville and made our way back to Santa Fe. There's a Stop sign a couple of blocks from the rental house in Cornville, and another Stop sign twenty minutes away where Cornville Road joins Interstate 17 (the highway to Flagstaff). After that, there's not a Stop sign, Yield sign, or traffic light until we get .8 miles from our house (that pesky Stop sign at the dead end of St. Francis Drive).

We arrived 8 hours after leaving Cornville. However, we did stop a couple of times -- for gas, for a Route 66 dining experience, and for photos, below.

Sedona area and the Grand Canyon -- a pretty dang nice, easy trip.


The Cholla Power Plant (coal powered) between Joseph City and Holbrook, Arizona. If it weren't for the steam, there wouldn't be any scenery at all. On second thought, this area is fabulously scenic compared to driving across Texas. Trust me, I know what I'm talking about.


We took the Holbrook exit, looking for a late breakfast, and found the famous Wigwam Motel, on Hopi Street.


I'm guessing it would be fun to stay here one night. Maybe "fun" is a careless choice of words. How about "interesting"? Maybe even "horrible"? Looks like some guests checked in and never checked out.


We decided to go for a real Route 66 experience and pulled the SwanMobile up to Joe & Aggies Cafe. For truckers who are lost, there's a map painted on the side of the cafe showing how to get from Chicago to Los Angeles.


Robin enters the historic Joe & Aggies Cafe.


The historic interior. They don't make 'em like this anymore. Thank goodness.


The good news is, we didn't get sick. The food was really OK. It just would have tasted better if we hadn't seen the cook enter and leave the restroom (and knowing that the restroom didn't have soap or paper towels). But hey, that's the price you sometimes pay to eat at a place with signage this cool.


Our last stop before getting home was for gas at the Route 66 Casino, about twenty miles west of Albuquerque. It's a nice place. The diner was empty, but it looked nice. The casino looks pretty cool, but we were in a hurry and didn't go in. I'd rate it as first-class if they didn't leave arrows laying all over the place.

Red Rock State Park, Kurt’s Mainstreet Grill, and the Javelina Leap Winery

After a slow, lazy morning we drove to Sedona. Stopped at Red Rock State Park on the way. Grabbed some photos there, then continued on to Sedona.


Rock formation in Red Rock State Park.


Robin takes a photo of Louise.


The drive into Sedona.


Entering uptown Sedona.

A couple of days ago, our Grand Canyon tour bus driver had recommended a new Sedona restaurant named Kurt's Mainstreet Grill. We decided to try it, and I give it a rating of 9 (out of ten) javelinas. Delicious and huge servings.

If you're in Schnebly -- I mean Sedona (see the "A Grand day" blog, 2/24/09) -- put Kurt's on your dining places list. It's on the south side of 89A, next door to the Super 8 Motel.


Look for this sign if you're hungry.

On the way back to Cornville we stopped at the Javelina Leap winery for a wine tasting. According to the server in the tasting room, the same guy that started Stagg's Leap and Frog's Leap wineries in Napa Valley also started the Javelina Leap winery here.


It's not Napa Valley, but has a charm all its own. I suppose.

Since John McCain's ranch is somewhere here in Cornville, I'd like to see a Republican Leap wine. Speaking of being in Republican country, the TV here shows a lot more Republican-biased, Democrat-bashing TV commercials than we see in Santa Fe. I hope it doesn't start to brain wash me. Oh, gotta run. It's almost time for Hannity and O'Reilly.

Yet another Zoomify Grand Canyon panorama

Click the photo. Drag in the Zoomify window that opens, or use the controls that appear below the Zoomify window.

Take the last train from Clarksville

I'll be waiting at the station
We'll have time for coffee flavored kisses
And a bit of conversation
Oh no no no, oh no no no

Oops. Make that Clarkdale, Arizona. About thirty minutes from where we're staying in Cornville. We spent Wednesday afternoon riding a train from Clarkdale to Perkinsville and back, through Verde Canyon. Perkinsville has a population of 2 1/2 (man, woman, and 6 month-old child).


Heading northwest toward Verde Canyon and Perkinsville.


I spent most of the trip here, shooting video.


The Perkinsville depot is a fixer-upper.


Robin takes time to brush up her King Henry V.

Another Grand Canyon photo

Photoshop's "PhotoMerge" feature merged four vertical shots into one.

Grand Canyon panorama

Click the photo below (or click the text link below the photo) to see a Zoomify panorama photo of one small sectional view of the Grand Canyon.

To see the entire photo, drag horizontally (left and right) in the Zoomify window that opens when you click on the thumbnail photo below.



View the Zoomify panorama photo.

A Grand day (canyon and otherwise)

We drove to Sedona this morning to meet our minibus tour group at a local resort. FYI, Sedona is actually the name of the wife of the town founder, Somebody Schnebly. Sedona's mother made up the name. A true story. Straight from our guide, a likable guy just full of interesting tidbits. Such as: a Navajo elder was watching astronauts train in a meteor crater (in the ’60s). He approached them. They told him they were going to the moon. Since Navajos believe some of their ancestors stayed on the moon when others came to Earth, he asked them to deliver a message to the Navajos on the moon. The astronauts-in-training recorded the elder's voice as he spoke in Navajo. Later, when they had the recording interpreted, it said "Don't sign anything."


The SwanMobile heads towards Sedona early Tuesday morning.
The tour bus stopped in the Route 66 town of Williams so a couple of our tour group could take the train to the Grand Canyon.


The Williams Depot

I'll post more Grand Canyon photos Wednesday morning. Meanwhile, here are some shots from a busy day.


Robin always finds time to study or work on a project. The minibus is today's office.


Lunch at El Tovar, the historic log lodge at the south rim of the Grand Canyon. We also celebrated Pat's birthday (Robin's mother) with a bottle of Grand Canyon wine (made in Hillsburg, CA).


The Watchtower, south rim. A really beautiful structure, designed by Fred Harvey's (Harvey House Hotels) female architect.


The Colorado River is barely visible in the background.


Inside the Watchtower.


A Navajo roadside shop.


Navajo beader at the roadside shop.


"Raven, sweetheart, if you think this watchtower is nice, you should see the Tower of London."