Just Getting to the Phoenix Airport
Santa Fe is stunningly beautiful, but the airport is small — with only two gates and a handful of flights to five cities. And I had booked a tour to China. The best option would be to drive to Phoenix, which is approximately 7 1/2 hours away.
But if you’ve been reading my blog (thank you!), you will know that I usually take the long way, which means many stops and wanderings.
Arizona really capitalizes on the Native American culture, with the iconic teepees — usually made of metal. You spot them at rest stops, souvenir stores, and motels. Arizona has 22 federally recognized Native American tribes, with over 27% of the state's land designated as tribal territory. The largest tribe is the Navajo Nation.
With some petrified wood.
Such a tourist trap, but a must. That corner is the intersection of Kinsley Ave and 2nd Street. in Winslow. You can’t miss it.
Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me
“Take It Easy” by the Eagles (1972)
Meteor Crater or Barringer Crater, because the site belongs to a family owned company, the Barringers. Yes, you have to pay to see this attraction. Depending on how much you enjoy geology, it’s either a bargain or a bust.
It’s an impact crater which is 560 feet below the surface and .737 miles in diameter. The meteor, named the Canyon Diablo Meteorite, crashed into Earth roughly 50,000 years ago when it was an open grassland.
At the same site is the Apollo 11 space capsule. It was believed that the crater mimics the moon’s surface, so it became a training ground for astronauts.
Lake Havasu is actually a large reservoir created by the Parker Dam on the Colorado River.
It is known for the London Bridge. The original London Bridge. Well, the first bridge was likely wooden and built by the Roman during their conquest of London. The next bridge was built in the Medieval times (1209). Then the stone bridge or the “original” London Bridge was built in 1831.
It started sinking, so American businessman Robert P. McCulloch bought the bridge in 1968 for $2.4 millions and had it moved stone by stone to Lake Havasu. That’s when it became a tourist attraction with pubs selling British ale, red phone boxes, and shops selling British t-shirts surrounding it.
It’s believed that the nursery song refers to the structural issues regarding the bridge:
London Bridge is falling down
Falling down, falling down
London Bridge is falling down
My fair lady
Then off to the Phoenix airport, and nearly three weeks in China…
Where am I now? You can find me on Blue Sky.