Artistic La Posada

We are slowly making our way from Gold Canyon to the Denver area, a route we have taken many times before.  Right now we are in Gallup, New Mexico.  Again, we have been here many times before.  Sometimes it is difficult to find something to photograph.  Two days ago we were in Winslow, Arizona, and we visited the La Posada Hotel.  It was one of the original Harvey House hotels along the Santa Fe Railway line.  Here are some artistic (we hope) pictures of the enclosed garden at the hotel.

Ivy on a wall

A peace rose

A fountain in the wall with ivy

A doorway in a wall                                                                                                          

A bench with a view

Good Bye, Flying J

It wasn't good until yesterday, but we are finally repaired and out of the Flying J parking lot. It hasn't been grand and we hope we don't return soon, but thanks for the space.

We spent 12 days, 11 nights in the Flying J parking lot and we are delighted to be away from the noise of trucks and the crowded parking, the smell of rubber and exhaust, the oily pavement. The Holbrook KOA looks absolutely pristine and spacious by comparison.

A Goodyear commercial truck shop is not the ideal location to have a 5th wheel RV repaired but they eventually got the job done and everyone there was very friendly and pleasant. But we really won't miss them or the location. It feels so good to be back on the road!

Remembering Those Who Served

Today we went to Denny's for a late breakfast-early lunch. Sitting near a window, we saw streams of motorcycle riders coming into the parking lot--and looking for the bathrooms. Seems they are part of the Memorial Day Run for the Wall, an annual motorcycle ride to Washington, DC, and the Viet Nam Wall. Obviously, many of the riders had served in the military during the Viet Nam War--old white guys riding Harleys. (We can say that as old white folks who were around during that war.)  Others are vets of more recent military actions. This is just a small part of the crowd.

We learned the group had left California yesterday. Riders travel several different routes. Winslow is along the Central Route. The ride is very organized. We saw men and women directing the traffic and parking here, as well as lots of signs on sleeves and windshields indicating various teams helping everything go smoothly.

Riders sported patches showing the motorcycle group and which Run for the Wall events they had participated in or ridden the whole way.

There were trailers full of snacks and beverages for the riders to consume during their break here.

The men and women who have fought for our country and our freedom and for freedom in other parts of the world deserve our respect and gratitude. It was inspiring to see so many people who are really aware of the debt we owe these folks and who are willing to take their time to demonstrate that to others for Memorial Day.

In case you are wondering why we are still here at the Flying J in Winslow, the new shipment of parts for our RV arrived late yesterday afternoon. Unfortunately, one part is missing. So we wait while someone drives to Flagstaff to pick up the part from NAPA--apparently the closest place that had the part in stock. We sure hope it is the correct part and we are back on the road by the end of the day.

Living in a Truck Stop

We have been parked and living in the Winslow, AZ, Flying J since Sunday. Most of the other people who sleep here are only in the lot for 10 hours or so--their required rest period after driving for up to 11 hours. One night, we thought we were limited in space because we had to keep one of our slides pulled in. Look at one of the truck cabs were 18-wheel drivers sleep and sometimes eat and watch TV.

We see drivers sitting in the drivers' seat looking at their phones. They are there all day to drive and during part of the rest period, as well. The truck stop offers a restaurant, showers, laundry facilities, game room and TV room.

Most of the drivers are male, but I have been surprised at how often we see women drivers as well. At least one looked like she was my age or older! Glad that's not my life.

Navigating the parking lot can be difficult at some times of the day. In the morning about 7 to 8, during the lunch hour, and from about 5 pm until dark there is lots of traffic. These big trucks can make amazingly tight u-turns and most of them are skilled at backing into parking spots. We are parked on the back row so we encounter lots of trucks moving at certain times as we are out walking. The drivers don't wave as they are driving or parking, but they smile and even talk to us at times in the store or outside.

Our first night here, one trucker drove up and parked in the site we were planning to go into. When he got out, he asked if we needed help parking. Were we looking for a spot?  Yes, the one you are in. He apologized and said one tip was to put on your hazard lights when parking. Then other drivers know what you are doing. Another trucker, an extrovert, said hello as he walked by. John said, "It's cold." The driver started talking--"I forgot to turn on my bunk heater last night. It was 41 when I woke up this morning." He then talked to us for nearly half an hour.

We see all sorts of different loads on the trucks here. One was hauling bees from drought-stricken California to Colorado.

We have seen new Airstream trailers and vintage trailers being hauled.

Then there are standard 53 ft trailers containing who knows what. Many are refrigerated. Other trucks are carrying heavy equipment or automobiles.

The noise level at night is pretty high, with generators and compressors operating to keep refrigerated loads cool or the sleeping driver comfortable. Every time a truck is turned on or off, there is noise from the air brakes, I guess. Of course, our generators are noisy, too. As loud as the trucks. We are right next to I-40 and it doesn't have near the noise we have here in the parking lot. I'll never take seriously RV park reviews that complain of highway noise after this.

We are grateful for this safe, free place to park while we wait for repairs on our RV brake. And everyone here at Goodyear and Flying J have been friendly and helpful.

But we really hope we get to leave later today after our repairs are completed and working!

Waiting--with water

Yesterday, the bolts we were waiting for were delivered for our brake caliper. Mike was soon under the rig, installing them.

That's the good news.

Now, the bad news. As we pulled out of the shop bay, there was a terrible sound. The brake was locking up! They removed the bolts so we could return to the shop. An examination and a phone call to the business that sent the bolts showed that there should be a sleeve in each of the caliper holes where the bolts go. The sleeve prevents the bolts from going in further than they should. The sleeve had fallen out as well and the bolts and marred the brake rotor. (I wish I understood what I just wrote. I am just repeating what I was told.)

Now we wait again. The parts have been ordered and are on the way.

John put water in our fresh water tank (yea)

and we moved to a new parking spot, right behind the service shop.

Notice in the photo that another RV pulled in right next to us.  As we were setting up, the man came over and said it looked like a good spot and they would join us.  Look at how they parked--taking 2 full parking spaces.  We are only here because we are having work done on our RV.  We know that many RVers do park in truck stops, rest areas and Walmart parking lots.  But the Escapees Club has outlined proper etiquette for doing that.  I'm sure taking 2 spaces isn't included.  I know putting out slides and using generators are not considered proper.  We feel we can do it, since we are captive here.  Obviously the other RV wasn't concerned.

Before the bolts arrived we were uncertain if we would be ready to go or be staying another night. We decided we really needed to shower. So we popped $12 for a team shower at Flying J. This is what is available for truckers for free if they buy diesel and have a rewards card.  Not bad at all.

And these are our generators.

We have had them for years. When used together, they give us about 30 amps of power. However, we haven't used them for several years and I was thinking as we left on this summer trip that I would really push John to get rid of them next fall. NOT NOW. They are what makes it possible for us to charge our electronics, keep the batteries charged and have a fan and lights and watch TV. We won't get rid of them!

Waiting

Now it's a waiting game. At 5 am this morning, I called Lippert to see if they could send us the bolts we need to reattach the brake caliper to our wheel. No, not without a serial number of the axle. Since we don't have that number, I made several other calls. At 7 am I finally reached Kodiak, the company that manufactured the caliper. Jesse there referred me to Shadow Trailer Parts in California. He knew the company had what we needed and they are located closer to our location than Kodiak.

I have talked to Frits at Shadow Trailer with the part number Jesse gave me. The bolts have already been shipped, FedEx overnight. Hopefully, they will arrive by mid-day tomorrow.

As most of the 18-wheelers that spent the night here in the Flying J lot pulled out, we moved to another slot. This time, we have enough room to open all three slides, giving us a lot more room than last night. We have traded a truck neighbor for the trash dumpster. Usually we avoid dumpsters, but in this case it makes out life much more convenient.

Last night we were only able to open one slide, making for a pretty crowded living room. And with the off-door slide retracted, much of our storage and one door of the refrigerator are unavailable. We also couldn't open the bedroom slide, so we couldn't walk around the bed and the drawers were blocked.

Today, we are feeling more comfortable with more space inside. We have the generators for power but we are dry camping. We never travel with water in our tanks unless we know we are going somewhere we need it. We didn't know that yesterday when we pulled out of Homolovi State Park. It took awhile, but we are remembering what it was to camp in a tent or popup with no water.   All we need is a jug of water so we can heat water on the stove and we have what we need to washing dishes and taking a spit bath.  The RV fuel island has water so we can go there as often as we wish to fill our 3 gallon jugs. We checked at the Flying J today and found we could take a shower for $12, and we could both use it. Still, $6 a person sounds really high.

We had lunch at Denny's again today. The secret to good food there is to order something they have to cook to order. We both had the Santa Fe skillet--breakfast for lunch. The food was good and John ate every bite of his.

Something New

We never park for the night in rest stops, truck stops or Walmart parking lots. We are always, and I mean always, hooked up to electricity. We don't boon dock in this 5th wheel and rarely in previous RVs we have owned. But this is where we are today.

We are parked behind the Flying J in Winslow. When we pulled into Homolovi State Park on Tuesday, one of the other campers reported hearing noise coming from one of the RV's wheels. As we pulled out today, headed for Gallup, New Mexico, I drove and John listened. Yes, there was definitely a noise coming from the rear street-side wheel. The closest place we could find was the Flying J just down the road. The service is handled by a Goodyear Tire shop on the same lot.

They are used to working on 18-wheel tractors and trailers, but they agreed to look at out Mobile Suites. When they pulled the tire, the brake caliper was just swinging free. The two bolts that hold it to the wheel (or axle, I'm not sure) was swinging free. Ooops!  They went to both auto parts stores in town and couldn't get the necessary bolts. Lippert, who supplied the axles, is closed till 8am EDT, of course. It's Sunday.

We dodged big trucks coming and going as we found a spot to park. This is the view out our back window.

This was the view out our side window--before the moving van pulled in next to us.

We went to the Denny's in Flying J for lunch. My quesadilla was good. John had a club sandwich. He is a person who always, always cleans his plate. This shows you what he thought of his sandwich and fries.

Tomorrow may be a long day. We will try to make it as good a day as we can.

Winslow Visit

Homolovi Ruins State Park, where we are staying, is just outside the small town of Winslow. The main reason to visit Winslow, other than taking a picture at the Standing on the Corner statue, is La Posada Hotel. We did take the picture.

But first, we went to the hotel for lunch. La Posada was built in 1930 by the Santa Fe Railroad. It was one of the last great railroad hotels and one of the grandest along the railroad route.  It was designed by Mary Colter. Just look at the entrance.

A year ago, I posted a more complete tour of the hotel. You can see it here.

We had a good lunch in the Turquoise Room at the hotel.

The place mats are fun to look at.

John had the French dip sandwich.

I had the Don Francisco quesadilla with beef Machaca and cheese.

Both were very good and the service was excellent.

We also stopped in the Winslow Visitor Center, located in the old Hubbell Trading Post. The lady there told us the building was once the headquarters for the Hubbell system of trading posts. Local artists and suppliers would bring in goods through the front door or the loading dock on the side, then the merchandise would be shipped out by rail on a spur track at the back of the building.

This is a graffiti wall inside the building. It became a tradition for workers to sign their names on the wall and date the signature. They wrote with coal ash from the stove used to heat the building. The signatures date from 1920 to 1967. The wall was in a work area of the trading post, not a public area.

The Hubbell Trading Post that was established in 1876 in Granado, Arizona, is still operating and is a National Historic Site.

A Grand Old Place

La Posada Hotel was the last and most elegant of the Fred Harvey Hotels built by the Santa Fe Railroad. Built between 1927 and 1930, it is a must stop when you visit Winslow, Arizona. It was closed in 1959 and converted into offices. In 1997, to prevent the hotel from being torn down, it was purchased and restored to its former grandeur.

The grounds are really nice.











They even have a hay bale maze. We wondered if that was for visiting children.

There is a fabulous gift shop with many fine native craft items located off the lobby.

Look at the chandelier in the shop.

This hallway with iron doors is very interesting.

The hotel interior is decorated with many beautiful works of art. Here is a short movie of some of them.



We think this would be a great place for a short get-away sometime next fall or spring. We love old hotels.