US I-40 Roadtripping
In an effort to avoid snow and mountain passes as we drove from BC to Tennessee we opted for the LONG way around… after dropping almost straight down to Las Vegas on a whole lot of small highways, we ended up driving on US I-40 for 3 very long days heading eastwards. In an effort to break it up, we looked for silly stops to make. Our best three were:
Winslow, Arizona
Winslow, Arizona is actually just off I-40 where historic Route 66 was. It was made famous by a famous Eagles song called “Take it Easy” with the line “Well I’m a standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
Such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl my lord in a flatbed Ford slowin’ down to take a look at me…”.
There is now a small park at an intersection in Winslow and corresponding tourist shops to buy lots of souvenirs. The poor staff in those stores as the Eagles soundtrack plays over and over and over – both inside the store and out! We were definitely singing Eagles tunes for the next hour…
The Blue Hole
In Santa Rosa, New Mexico there is a sink hole that is 80 feet deep right in the middle of the small town. It is spring fed so that the water is always around 60f (15c) and so it is used by Scuba Divers year round and locals/tourists for a refreshing swim during the warmer months.
We pulled in late at night and boondocked in the parking lot. It allowed us to see some HUGE catfish and a boatload of crayfish hanging out that we didn’t see again the next morning.
Cadillac Ranch
We’ve seen photos of Cadillac Ranch from many friends over the last few years so this was a definite stop. It is a public art installation of old cadillacs that people then spray paint over and over and over. We were actually quite surprised to discover that it is in a farmers field just off the highway.
What you also don’t see in the photos is the incredible number of spray paint cans that are littered around the field from everyone that has come to visit. It was super windy while we were there (Hunter is holding a tumble weed that he chased across the field) so our stop was fairly short. It’s a good excuse to stretch your legs but I’m not sure I would drive out of my way to check it out.