Gallup, NM to Flagstaff, AZ

GET-YUR-MOTOR-RUNNIN'  ROAD TRIP

(Astoria - Santa Fe - Death Valley - Astoria)

November 1, 2013  (Day 18 of 44)

Gallup, NM to Flagstaff, AZ

Miles Today: 199 / Trip Miles: 2,431

Click on Map to Make Larger

The morning was cold (low-30s), and the air crystal clear. Daytime temperatures warmed to comfortable (low-60s). 
From Gallup to the Arizona border, Route 66 has been renamed New Mexico Highway 118. The highway passes through dirt-poor villages, rock formations and a dry river bed cut 12-feet deep. 1940s music seems appropriate for today's drive, so I turned satellite radio to the 40s Channel. I even listened to 'Route 66' sung by Nat "King" Cole.

YellowHorse Trading Post:
YellowHorse Trading Post (Navajo Land USA) is located in Arizona at the border of Arizona and New Mexico. In the 1950s, the YellowHorse family started selling Navajo rugs and petrified wood from a roadside stand. (photo below)

The terrain from the New Mexico border to Flagstaff is high desert grassland. South of the YellowHorse Trading Post, I stopped to check out what appears to be a tiny post office that has been converted into a church -- the "Little Post Office Sanctuary" (photo below).  Down the road, a highway sign reports the elevation to be 6,000 feet.

Jack Rabbit:
No trip along Route 66 is complete without stopping at the Jack Rabbit. The Jack Rabbit Trading Post is a convenience store and curio shop located on Route 66, five miles west of Joseph City, Arizona (Exit 269 on Interstate 40).  Started in 1949, the trading post was a part of Route 66's glory days, and is still in operation. It was famous for numerous billboards up and down Route 66. The billboards showed a jackrabbit silhouette and the distance from that sign to the trading post. In front of the store is another billboard with "HERE IT IS" written next to the jackrabbit. (photo below)

Two Guns:
About thirty miles east of Flagstaff (Interstate 40, Exit 230) is the ghost town of Two Guns. Two Guns was one of many tourist stops along Route 66 with a gas station, overnight accommodations,  cafe, and a souvenir shop. Later a "zoo”, which included mountain lions, panthers, and bobcats, was added to this popular tourist stop. An old bridge still stands crossing Canyon Diablo. This old bridge was part of the National Trail and Route 66. There are numerous ruins associated with the zoo, as well as the remnants of a gas station, campgrounds & swimming pool. Originally called "Canyon Lodge", the name was changed to "Two Guns", after Henry "Two Guns" Miller. Reportedly, Miller was an eccentric hermit who lived in a nearby Canyon Diablo cave, and was hostile to visitors. He was also said to be wild and violent. Another report says that he owned the service facilities in the town and that was the reason for using his name. After I-40 bypassed Two Guns, like so many other popular Route 66 stops, it died a quick death … it sits lonely and abandoned today. (photos below)

Twin Arrows:
Twin Arrows Trading Post opened around 1949 as the Canyon Padre Trading Post, named for the gorge that cuts nearby,  It was renamed Twin Arrows Trading Post during the 1950s when two gigantic, slanted  20-foot-high arrows were erected. The cafe attached to the east end of the main structure is a prefabricated Valentine diner (circa 1950s). Like many Route 66 businesses, the construction of the interstate through the area in the 1970s was the beginning of the end for Twin Arrows. Despite having I-40 Exit 219 designated "Twin Arrows" the gas station, cafe and gift shop began to fail, and closed for business in 1998. Since closing, this wonderful part of Route 66 history has badly deteriorated. Fortunately, in 2009 the huge, trademark arrows were restored in a cooperative action between the Hopi tribe and Route 66 buffs. Today, a concrete barrier fences off the front access to Twin Arrows. To take photos, I parked on the shoulder of the frontage road, and climbed over the barrier.  (photos below)

Valentine Diners:
Arthur Valentine operated dozens of lunchrooms in central Kansas in the 1920's and 30's. As metal became plentiful at the end of World War II, Valentine acquired a manufacturing company, and began selling the prefabricated diners across the nation as a "Golden Opportunity for Your Golden Future."  The little restaurants were delivered fully equipped on a flatbed trailer for about $5,000.  If the new restaurant owner financed his purchase, he would deposit a percentage of his sales receipts to make up a payment of about $40/month into a safe near the restaurant's entrance for the Valentine agent to pick up.  If the receipts were not deposited as agreed, the flatbed truck would return to the site and pick up the restaurant.

Elevation is deceptive in the flat terrain of this high desert; a road sign reports the elevation to be 6,000 feet. Heading west toward Flagstaff (elevation 7,000), the beautiful San Francisco Peaks stand out in the clear desert air. This volcanic mountain range, located adjacent to Flagstaff, hosts the highest point in the state of Arizona (Humphreys Peak at 12,700 feet). 

Today's Route:
Scenic Rating = B
Driving Fun/Road Rating = C

Tomorrow's Route:
West to Kingman, Arizona.

Photos
    © 2014 Leon Jackson

(Click on Photo For Larger Image)

Navajo Land
YellowHorse Trading Post is located on historic Route 66 at the border of Arizona and New Mexico. The YellowHorse family started trading along Route 66 in the 1950s. 
[flickr.com]

Holy Spirit Mail
Located on frontage road paralleling Interstate 40 west of New Mexico/Arizona border.  
[flickr.com]

Here It Is
Billboard advertising the Jack Rabbit Trading Post located five miles west of Joseph City, AZ. Jack Rabbit Trading Company opened in 1947. Some claim this billboard is the most famous sign on Route 66.  
[flickr.com]

Two Guns Zoo
Two Guns, Arizona was one of the numerous tourist stops along Historic Route 66. Located 22 miles west of Winslow, Two Guns offered travelers a gas station, overnight accommodations, a food emporium and a zoo. The old bridge that crosses Canyon Diablo can be seen in the background. The bridge was part of the National Trail and Route 66.  
[flickr.com]

Graffiti Pool
Swimming pool at abandoned campground - Two Guns, Arizona.  
[flickr.com]

Abandoned & Tagged
Vintage Twin Arrows Trading Post was located on old Route 66  midway between Winslow and Flagstaff. Note the Valentine Diner on the left.  
[flickr.com] [flickr.com]

Surreal Peek 
Peeking through glass-less window at abandoned Twin Arrows Trading Post. Visible are an octopus in a wall mural and a drawer & wood debris on the floor.  
[flickr.com]

Twilight at Twin Arrows
During the heyday of historic Route 66, these massive arrows attracted tourists to the now abandonded Twin Arrows Trading Post.  
[flickr.com]