Two LWers go ‘On the Road Again’ through the Southwest
TRAVEL
by Fred Fenton
LW contributor
Willie Nelson’s song “On the Road Again” came to mind as, fully vaccinated, Linda and I set out on a three-week trip by car through the southwest. Our first stop was the Inn at Death Valley, a desert oasis that has a spring-fed swimming pool with perpetually clear, warm water.
After an overnight stay in Las Vegas, we reached our second destination, Bright Angel Lodge on the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. We stayed in the historic Red Horse log cabin, located steps from the canyon. The cabin began as a stagecoach station, then after log-by-log removal to the Grand Canyon, it served as the first post office for the national park. We traveled 113 miles from the Grand Canyon to Sedona, Arizona, where we stayed at Sunset Chateau, a boutique hotel with beautiful views of the surrounding mountains. Sedona’s unique,redrockformationswere thebackdropaswecelebratedmy 87th birthday. On a hot-air balloon ride for spectacular views of the countryside, Linda met a high school teacher, a new friend with whom we and her husband had dinner that evening. On our way to Santa Fe, we stopped in Albuquerque to visit Old Town, the 1706 birthplace of New Mexico’s largest city. We enjoyed the covered walk at Old Town Plaza, which is anchored by the San Felipe de Neri Church, dating back to 1793.
This was our second visit to La Fonda hotel in Santa Fe, located on the Plaza in the heart of the city. The 100th anniversary of the hotel had just been celebrated, but there has been an inn on that corner for centuries. Santa Fe is an arts center, with galleries that bring buyers from around the world. At one gallery near the hotel, we purchased a horse sculpture by Brenna Kimbro, who lives and works in Eastern Oregon. At another, we found a bowl created by Hopi potter Joy Navasie, who died in 2012 at the age of 103.
On the road again, we drove 326 miles to Winslow, Arizona’s La Posada Hotel, the last of the Fred Harvey railroad hotels. It exhibits the genius of architect MaryJaneColterandtheinspired restorationeffortsofAllenAffeldt and his artist wife, Tina Mion. The hotel is our favorite place for a lovely, quiet rest, accompanied byinspiredsouthwesterncuisine. We stayed four nights.
After a four-night stay, we started for home, stopping in tiny Saligman, Arizona. On a stretch of Highway 66, running parallel to the freeway, we spotted a restaurant called Roadkill Cafe. With a sign reading “You Kill It, We Grill It!” I wasn’t about to enter the place. But Linda was curious, so we decided to give it a try. To my surprise, it was clean and well-appointed inside, and we were served the best hamburgers ever.
It was a wonderful southwestern tour, but, as always, we were happy to return home to Leisure World Seal Beach.
