We had planned to go through the Mojave early so that we would get to the east side in Needles before it reached 114 degrees. Yikes!
The Mojave is such a varied desert landscape, with mountains and large swaths of open land. We saw the old lava flows along the way.
And really cool formations
There were trains full of Stuff. Prime was a noticeable trailer along the way.
We finally arrived in Flagstaff around noon, much cooler at 7000 foot elevation, though still quite warm. We enjoyed a lovely walk through a Ponderosa Pine studded meadow. It’s good to take breaks and walk whenever we can on these long days.
On the horizon were great thunderstorms off in the distance, and more trains, more Prime…
We were headed for a landing spot in Winslow, AZ. I know, standing on the corner! But we wanted to go to the La Posada Hotel, the old Harvey Girls hotel and restaurant begun int he late 1800’s. Edle and Bruce have always said it is worth the trip, so this was a good time to check it out. It is also the Amtrak stop for the current Southwest Chief, my favorite train. This particular hotel has a long history, full of ups and downs, fires and closings, and finally a revival in the late 1990’s into what it is now.. It was originally designed by Mary Colter, an amazing architect and designer from the late 1800’s to the mid-1900’s.
It truly is a unique place. It has a gift shop, restaurant, a museum, and many art galleries and unique furnishings. It feels homey, comfortable. And somehow from another time. There are beautiful gardens planted according to Mary Colter’s old designs. And many freight trains passing by at all hours of the day. Very grounding!
Each room has a designated movie star or celebrity assigned to it. We had the Gary Cooper room.
There is a small museum attached to the hotel that houses the largest Navajo rug woven in the late 1930’s. It was impressive.
By the time we left Thursday morning, we were full of warm, nostalgic memories of a past we had known little about. It was like being transported into a world all of its own that has been nurtured and preserved in time.