Oh my God this was our last trip! Sweet sixteen and just four states left. This trip had the fewest stops of all the trips and consequently the most driving between stops.
State 45: Oklahoma.
My stop in Oklahoma was in Edmund where there is a statue called "Leaping into History". The statue was sculpted by Mary Lou Gresham and it honors Nannita R.H. "Kentucky" Daisey. She was born in PA in 1855 and moved around from Missouri to Kentucky. As the story goes Nannita like many others headed west during the land rush in 1889 to try and make a claim. She convinced the train operator to let her ride on the cowcatcher, I never knew that is what it was called. Nannita jumped off the train and staked her land in what is today Edmund. She wasn't the only woman to claim land in the land rush but she has become one of the most famous especially with the story of riding the train. The statue was unveiled on July 4th, 2007.
The area with the statue was really nice and seemed like a great hang out area with restaurants and bars. Unfortunately it was also super crowded and there were lots of other dogs so we didn't stay there. Instead we decided to try Whataburger for the first time and then go to a different brewery to have dinner before checking into a hotel. Whataburger ended up being a terrible choice. A lot of people rave over it which is why we went there. We pulled up to the drive through and sat and sat and sat. Maybe they were short staffed maybe there was something else going on. We sat in the drive through line for over an hour. Now the other big maybe is that I should have just pulled away and gone somewhere else- I'll give you that one. Sometimes I am stubborn in all the wrong ways. So we sat and sat and sat until finally it was our turn. We ordered and then got our food and left for our brewery Broke Brewing Co. The brewery had a nice setup with a small patio and a couple of tables. It was a little chilly but comfortable enough. I went inside to get a flight, which came with a bag of pretzels, and on a whim order their dreamsicle orange seltzer. Now I'm usually not a big fan of seltzers but this was so good we bought a six pack to bring home. While I was cashing out the bartender asked what brought me to Oklahoma and I explained about the road trip and told him about the statue of Nanitta. Him and another fellow inside knew of the location but had never noticed the statue before. Hopefully they took a moment to check it out by now.
For a lot of this trip we followed Route 66 and in El Reno, OK we stopped at one of the many Route 66 signs that are set up for Travelers to take selfies/ photos with.
State 46: Texas
This stop was a lunch stop that had been recommended to my Mom. Now it was a little before noon and Sunday so we were unable to order a beer from the brewery. I figured that would be ok because we may have been there long enough to get a beer at the end of the meal or we could always just pick one and get a growler for the hotel that night. The restaurant is The Big Texan and it is home to the 72 ounce steak. The story goes that Bob Lee was the original owner of The Big Texan, known for its Texas sized steaks. Anyway lots of cowboys were coming in and eating the large steaks and other customers were watching as they did that. Bob got an idea and one day in 1962 he pulled a bunch of tables together to have an eating contest. For $5.00 anyone could enter and the winner, who ever ate the most, would keep all the entry money.
The eventual winner ate 72 ounces of steak, a salad, a shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, and bread roll. And the 72 ounce dinner was born. As we were driving Meg was trying to figure out if she thought she could do the challenge. Her dislike of shrimp and the required shrimp cocktail was an obvious problem. By the time we got there Meg decided she would pass on the 72 ounce challenge, a decision that seemed like the right one. There was no outdoor seating but it was early and the large restaurant was empty. I requested a seat at a window because we were going to have to leave Gypsy and Domino in the car while we ate and I wanted to be able to see them. Now the Big Texan is way more than a restaurant. It is connected to a hotel, a gift shop, a brewery, a small arcade/Wild West shooting gallery and so much more.
When we pulled up we walked around outside for a little bit looking around so the pups got to stretch their legs before we went inside. Then we ordered normal sized steak meals.
After eating I went back outside to walk Gypsy Rover again before exploring the gift shop. We took a moment to take the wonderful picture of her imaging what a 72 ounce steak would taste like.
I also left behind a painted rock of an armadillo by a giant crocodile advertising for the Big Texan. And then not thinking anything of it I went back in to the gift shop. I was checking out some Route 66 "The Mother Road" long sleeve shirts when I overheard a conversation between two women. One of them had found my rock, it had only been about 15 minutes since I put it down. She was very excited about it and said she was going to look up what was written on the back (#drivethe48 and this blog url). It made me super happy to hear her excitement at finding the rock. I hope she did look it up and enjoyed some of the photos!
State 47: New Mexico
I love New Mexico! From the moment we entered it I thought the state was beautiful. I never fully appreciated the adobe/pueblo architectural style until I saw it in New Mexico. The buildings, landscape, and sky just worked perfectly together. The state slogan is "Land of Enchantment" and I felt that. We started our visit in Santa Fe at The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis Assisi. Unfortunately the doors were locked because the Bishop had closed all churches to visitors/parishioners due to Covid 19. That was definitely frustrating. It is times like these when people are struggling and the world is crazy that I would think we need Churches more. I would think just asking people to be mindful of social distancing and even putting a limit like stores have. I would certainly be ok with looking in and counting how many people to see if I could enter and then waiting my turn if it meant keeping the doors open.
The first church in that location was built in 1610. The current Basilica was built in 1886. It was elevated to a Basilica in 2005 by Pope Benedict XVI. Inside is the La Conquistadora statue a wooden statue of Mary holding baby Jesus. The statue is dated between the 15-17 century and was brought by the Spanish to America. Unfortunately since the Church was closed we could not see it. The Cathedral stands out because of its Romanesque Architecture style featuring round arches and Corinthian columns. It also has a large rose window featuring the 12 Apostles.
After walking around the outside of the Cathedral we checked in to our hotel and then went to pick up dinner. For dinner we stopped at Tomasita's. I ordered and then waited outside for them to bring the food to the car. The food was fantastic especially the Tortilla Soup.
The next morning we got breakfast from Craft Donuts and Coffee, a food truck with fresh made donuts as you order them.
Next we took a little detour out of Santa Fe because it was too early for our planned locations, they didn't open until 10 and instead of sleeping late and relaxing we hopped in the car and drove to El Santuario de Chimayo. The building is adobe with bell towers on either side. Inside were pews on either side and an altar. Just before the altar on the left wall is a doorway that leads back to a hole with dirt in it. The site draws over 300,000 pilgrims a year because of the legend of healing dirt. One long room had crutches and testimonials of people who were healed after visiting the shrine. Through a small doorway there was another room with the well. The gift shop sold religious items, books, and small plastic containers to hold dirt.
We turned back to Santa Fe but first we had to stop at a fun roadside attraction: camel rock. It's always neat when nature makes its own silly roadside attractions. This one is a good one. As we were driving down the highway we saw signs saying "Camel Rock" next exit. We all looked around and then we saw it right off the highway and yeah... it looks like a camel. I left a painted rock of the New Mexico state flag at the picnic area near the rock.
Once back in Santa Fe we went to San Miguel, the oldest church in the 48 contiguous states. The mission was originally built in 1610 but it has seen a lot of change. In 1640 the Governor and the Franciscan friars at the Church had a falling out. The Friars were forced out of the city and part of the church was dismantled. In 1641 however the Governor was arrested and the Franciscans returned and rebuilt. In 1680 during the Pueblo Revolt when indigenous people rose up against the ruling Spanish, the mission was damaged. It was repaired but only temporarily. In 1710 a larger refurbishing was completed using the original foundation but changing the shape of the apse. In the1830s the bell tower was added but then the church fell into disrepair. In 1881 the church was sold to the Christian Brothers of De La Salle who ran a nearby school. In 1887 the bell tower was repaired, a new metal roof completed, and buttresses were added and support the walls were finished. The last remodeling was completed in 1955. The apse maintained the trapezoidal shape and the church is small at 24 feet wide and 70 feet long. Unfortunately it was also closed like the Cathedral so we could not see the original bell or the reredos, large decorated pieces behind the altar, dating back to the 1700s.
Next we travelled a few minutes away to the Loretto Chapel to see the Miraculous Stair. The chapel was commissioned in 1873 as an addition to the school owned by the Sisters of Loretto. Connecting the chapel to the choir loft is a spiral staircase that has become the chapel's most striking feature. Apparently as construction was on going there was a lot of questions about how one would reach the choir loft. The small size of the chapel meant that a traditional staircase would take up a large portion of the chapel. Legend tells that the Sisters began praying a Novena, nine days of prayer, to St. Joseph for help with the question of reaching the choir loft. At the end of their prayer a mysterious stranger appeared with simple wood working tools and he set to work at building the staircase. There are several mysteries surrounding the staircase:
1. Who was the mysterious stranger?
2. How is it supported with no center pole like many spiral stairs?
3. What kind of wood was used and how was it held together?
Now the most miraculous version of the story of the stairs says that St. Joseph, the patron Saint of carpenters on the ninth day of the novena came and in one night he built the staircase and then disappeared before his identity could be revealed and without requesting any payment.
Because the archdiocese had sold the chapel to a private company which now holds events in the space it was open for viewing despite the Bishops call to close due to Covid 19. Standing inside and looking at the staircase is truly a splendid sight. The stairs are 20 feet and completely twist around twice. An iron rail and a support to a column were added after the stair case was built. The wood used is some kind of spruce but is not native to New Mexico. One thing that stands out when you closely examine the stairs is that there are no signs of nails. The stairs are held together by glue and wooden pegs rather than nails it creates a beautiful solid finish. Most spiral staircases also have a pole at the center to support the weight of the staircase. Instead on this staircase the weight is supported by the seven interior stringers that are interlocked and glued together. The spiral is so tight it gives similar support to a straight stringer. That leaves the question of who was the carpenter? Who ever he was his work is masterful. Carpenters with todays modern tools at their hands have looked at the staircase and shook their heads at the work. In her 2002 work historian Mary Jean Cook may have found the identity of the carpenter. Francois-Jean Rochas had travelled to New Mexico to work as a rancher in the 1870s. The Sisters had an entry in their 1881 ledger paying him $150 for wood and in an article about his death in 1895 it is mentioned that he was considered an expert carpenter and had built a staircase in Santa Fe.
So was Rochas the mysterious stranger who built the stairs? Maybe does that make it no longer a miraculous staircase, I don't think so. The craftsmanship and design leaves todays modern carpenters with more precise tools in awe. Francois was the answer to the Sister' s prayers and his work still stands today giving visitors a beautiful work of art to admire.
Before leaving Santa Fe my Mom wanted to stop at a store she had seen the day before. She had seen the sign advertising "Russian Art Gallery" and noticed a beautiful Matryoshka doll in the window as we had driven by. I parked nearby and left Meg with the dogs and the car as my Mom and I walked a few blocks to the store. As we went in the store was filled a variety of different types of styles of art. There were oil paintings, matryoshka dolls, painted eggs, and lacquer boxes. When we entered Jiri, one of the owners, quickly greeted us. The store had originated in north Carolina but him and Olga, co-owner, had decided to change locations and moved to Santa Fe several years ago. Sadly Covid and raising rent was hurting his business and like many other small businesses he was faced with changing his way of doing business. My Mom and I were looking at an impressive set of nesting dolls and I was counting the dolls up. I said "oh wow nineteen pieces." "How many did you say?" Questioned Jiri. "Nineteen" I repeated a little unsure. "Count again." He said with a smile. I turned and this time I saw it almost right away. The tiniest Matryoshka doll I had ever seen.
Up above I have the link to their website. They are also on Facebook. The hardest part for a store like this about switching online is that no two items are the same so each item would need individual listings. If you are a collector or enjoy Russian/Eastern European art check out one of those links for beautiful authentic pieces of art.
Next up was a long drive to stand on a corner..... in Winslow, Arizona! When I had been looking up information to plan a drive down Rte 66 I had found that there was a photo up street sign, traveling guitar player statue, and a flat bed Ford.
Winslow had been a thriving town until around the 1970s when a bypass for I-40 was built. The traffic no longer had to pass through Winslow and a lot of jobs, tourism, and businesses were lost. In 1997 La Posada, an original Harvey House- string of hotels opened along the rail road lines, was added to the National Register of Historic Places. This proved the first step Winslow needed. The Standin' on the Corner Foundation was formed and in 1999 Standin' On the Corner Park was opened to the public. The goal was to use the popular song to help revitalize Winslow.
Jackson Brown had begun work on Take it Easy planning to use it on his own album but he found himself stuck. He had the line "Well I'm standing on the corner in Winslow Arizona" but had nothing to finish it with. He reached out to Glenn Frey who added "Such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford slowing down to take a look at me." Just like the verse is a joint project between the two singers the story behind it is a joint story between two towns. Jackson Browne had been on his way to Sedona when his car broke down resulting in him spending the entire day in Winslow. At another time Browne had told a story to Glenn Frey about a time when he was in Flagstaff and a young blond woman in a Toyota had slowed down to check him out. A few minor changes and it was that story that inspired the end of the verse.
Originally I had looked at staying at La Posada but the timing didn't work out and we continued to Flagstaff where we planned to spend the night. And it was a good thing that we wanted to stop there because with a light snow falling and temperatures dropping the roads were becoming pretty slick. We dropped my Mom and the pups at the hotel and then went to Flagstaff Brewing Company to order to go and bring back dinner to the hotel. Flagstaff Brewing was located in a brick building with a welcoming decor. The bar had a beer and wine tap as well as a large variety of liquors. The decor around the brewery very much had an outdoor/active feel to it. We enjoyed a flight while we waited and then picked a beer to bring back with us. Right before we went to bed I took Gypsy out for a walk and she got to play in the snow!
The next morning we began our drive to another bucket list location, we reached so many throughout these trips. About three hours after leaving Flagstaff we reached the Grand Canyon!
Everything about it was breath taking the light covering of snow juxtaposed against the red and orange colors of the canyon rock, the bright blue of the sky with periodic clouds casting shadows on the canyon below, and the sheer enormity of it. The canyon is 277 miles long, 18 miles wide, and its depth is 6,093 feet.
The first inhabitants of the Grand Canyon where the Ancestral Puebloans around 1200 BC. The grand Canyon was also home to members of the Cohonina, Yuman, Havasupai, Hualapai, and Hopi cultures with the latter few still calling the surrounding area home. The area is considered sacred by many and looking out at the deep Canyon formed by the Colorado River it is easy to see why.
We also got to see several of the different wildlife species in the park including apparently the reclusive javelina described by American author and environmentalist Edward Abbey as:
"My favorite desert animal, I think, after such obvious choices as coyote, vulture, cougar, ring-tailed cat, gila monster and gopher snake, is the whimsical, cockeyed, half-mad, always eccentric, more or less loveable Pecari angulatus sonoriensis, otherwise known as the javelina or peccary."
Sadly I have no picture of them but as we drove the rim we saw two of these cute fellows walking along in the woods. Speaking of animals we also saw a man walking his cat on a leash in the snow at the Grand Canyon. This made Meghan's day.
We spent the night near the Grand Canyon and then left early the next morning for our next destination. It was November 11th, Veterans Day, and our next stop was the entire reason why we had to take this trip at this particular time. On the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month in 1918 World War One officially ended. The day was originally celebrated as Armistice Day to celebrate the Veterans of World War One. In 1954 the name was changed to Veterans Day to celebrate all who had served in the military and had been discharged honorably. The spelling of the name sometimes has an apostrophe making it possessive however that is incorrect. The day does not belong to Veterans instead Veterans is attributive- describing the person who is honored.
So we drove south from the Grand Canyon to Anthem, AZ to see the Veterans Memorial. The Memorial was designed by Renee Palmer Jones and was dedicated in 2011. It features five white pillars with a circular opening in them representing each of the branches of the military. The red of the bricks, white pillars, and blue sky combine to represent the United States Flag. The names of servicemen and woman are written on the bricks. At 11:11 the circular openings line up with the sun and illuminate the great seal of the United States. Normally there is a large celebration that attracts thousands of people. I knew that the celebration was cancelled because they did not want to attract the crowd but the sun would still be shining. We arrived there early and the first entrance we came to was blocked off. My heart dropped a little bit. I became concerned that they may have closed the park off to really keep away a crowd. That was not the case though and we were able to turn into the next entrance. We parked and walked past a playground and miniature train tracks complete with train that kids could ride. There were several members of law enforcement including a canine unit. We walked around the memorial it was a little before nine and there were already a few people gathered around. The memorial was roped off to keep people back. I settled by the barricade a little bit to the left of the seal. Gypsy Rover had made it past the officers canine and three other dogs really successfully but then she saw a medium sized dog a little shorter than her and she started getting super excited. With the amount of dogs that were there and the amount of time we had to wait Meg decided to hang out at the car with the dogs.
My Mom had started a conversation with one of the sheriffs about several things including what brought him to Anthem. My Mom also told him about our hope to see a roadrunner in person. As time went on the crowd began to grow. We met a group of three woman. One was a local and the other two were friends of hers who had come to town to see the Memorial. One of them was traveling to every state capitol. We discussed Nashville for a bit before settling back to waiting. My Mom at one point had wandered off and I was holding our spot when the sheriff came over to me through the crowd and asked me to come with him. At first I was worried about losing my spot that I had been guarding now for awhile but the people around me promised they would hold my spot. I went with him and there by a little pond he pointed at a bird.... a roadrunner! I thanked the Sheriff and then I snapped a few pictures right before the little fellow ran a bit to the side. He didn't go far and I went back to my spot where most of the people who had been around me kept their word and did not take my spot. One set of people had moved forward but not to the barrier so I went back to where I had been and just had less room than before. My Mom had also returned while I was gone and the others had told her the Sheriff had come to get me. I told her about the roadrunner and pointed her in the direction. She was able to see it just before it ran off. She returned and we settled back to waiting.
The sun was already beginning to move across the Seal and as 11:11 approached it became more and more illuminated.
With the moment finally here the crowd cheered and then slowly began to disperse. I looked around the park and left a painted rock by a tree on it I had painted a poppy, a symbol of remembrance for Veterans. I know that shortly after I left the rock it was found by a child because the parent reached out to me. They moved it elsewhere in the park. So far several people have reached out to me about finding the rocks. I think one or two of them kept them. Others re-hid them. One person who found a rock completely moved it from Ohio all the way to PA which is awesome, who knows how far it could have travelled by now!
As we were leaving I also snapped a picture of a saguaro cactus, apparently what I think of as the stereotypical cactus is only found in a small area in the south west. It made me laugh to think that just the day before I was stunned into silence by the splendor of the Grand Canyon. One day later I was overjoyed to see roadrunners and cacti. One could say I am easily amused however, as I see it, there will be a lot more roadrunners and cacti in my life and way less Grand Canyons. I have to find a way to recognize the joy in small moments.
After leaving Anthem we drove to Tucson. I had originally wanted to go to Arizona in 2019 and planned on visiting with family but I was unable to take the time off. For most these trips we didn't tell people where we would be and didn't try and meet up in fact there wre a couple of times where after making an instagram or facebook post I would get a message from a friend or family member that we had just passed them. Now as the trip was approaching and Covid numbers were rising I did reach out to them a few times just to be sure they would be comfortable meeting up. I didn't want them to feel pressure to meet up, there would be other road trips and other chances. We did end up meeting up at Barrio Brewing for a delicious meal and just some catching up that is always fun when you have family members who you don't see often spread out around the country.
We also had a neat road side attraction to visit in Tucson. It is a statue of an invisible horse. In a median of a four lane road there is a statue of a horse and baby. From a distance the statue is nearly invisible then as you approach it to view from the side it becomes visible. The best way to view it is to get into what looks like a bus lane but after driving by a few times I realized it was there to see the statue.
After leaving Tucson we began heading east towards our final state, Louisiana. Our route took us east and back in to New Mexico. It was late at night when I stopped at a rest stop off highway 10 in New Mexico. I got out of the car and began closing the door when I looked up and froze. Above me was the most beautiful clear and star filled sky I have ever seen. If I had time to just stand there for hours I think I would have. It just further convinced me that New Mexico really is a magical place of enchantment. Next time I drive through I will be leaving plenty of time for night sky watching.
We continued driving east to Las Cruces. A gentleman at the Veterans Memorial had told us about the farmers market in Las Cruces, New Mexico but we weren't there at the right time. We did get to see a giant chile pepper.
Our route took us all the way to the American/Mexican border so not only did we drive in all 48 contiguous states but we also managed to drive close enough to our neighbors to wave hi!
We stopped for lunch in Odessa, Texas at Frisky Brewing Co. The food was good but the best part was sharing our trip with the waiter who brought us out a special dessert and asked if he could take our picture.
And then we were there.....
State 48: Louisiana!
Steel Magnolias is a movie that I watch whenever it is on. As a family we have watched it many times and we saw it performed on Broadway. So this movie about women supporting each other and the relationship between a mother and daughter made perfect sense as our last stop.
At the street was a sign that marked the house as the "Steel Magnolias House." The house is in a neighborhood of similar beautiful homes most of which seemed to be Bed and Breakfasts. We parked on a side street and walked in front of the house. I had hoped to get a picture of us on the porch but a woman who was working on the yard of the house next door yelled at anyone who went near the house telling them the owners didn't want anyone near the house. So I settled for this picture from the sidewalk.
Now Louisiana is famous for its food and I have a whole road trip planned to New Orleans that is basically all eating. So we wanted to get something that would be unique to the area we were in and decided on ice cream at Yum Yum Dessert Bar. We watched as they made to order our rolled ice cream. The owner, Shika Stewart, was behind the counter with a young man who was still learning the technique. She patiently showed him and re-rolled some of the ones he had done. This one he did perfectly well on his way to being a master with an excellent teacher!
The process takes a bit of time since they pour a house made ice cream mix on to a frozen slab and then using spatulas/tools they flatten it into a smooth layer that can be rolled as you see above. It is definitely a skill and amazing to watch as they work the mix into a delicious dessert.
And then we drove home. We accomplished something amazing we saw so many different places of historical or geological value. We saw locations famous because of movies and songs. We visited must see tourist destinations and holes in the wall/ rare gems that no one had ever heard of, even locals.
Thank you to anyone who has shared this adventures with us!
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