Gribblenation

The second half of Day 4 was exploring parts of Old US 66 in Arizona.  We stopped at old 66 towns like Winslow, Holbrook, Jackrabbit, and Joseph City. The whole photo set (88 in total) is located here on flickr . We'll start with the Interstate 40 part of the trip.  First within Navajo County, there are still plenty of button copy guide signs. This is where we turned around - Exit 245: The mountains and Flagstaff will have to wait another trip. It's all east from here: Now for the fun..Old US 66 - First stop - Winslow: "...such a fine sight to see.  It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford..." The town of Winslow has very much embraced its place in Americana with a park commemorating US 66 and also the song that will make forever famous, The Eagles, "Take it Easy." There's also a replica US 66 shield.  Some will like, some won't: From Winslow, it was on to Jackrabbit.  It's Route 66 lure comes from signs ad

Day Four of the trip was into Arizona - and it will be broken down into two parts.  Part One is a visit to Petrified Forest National Park & the Painted Desert. Of course the entire set is on flickr, 117 photos in total . Petrified Forest National Park is located off Interstate 40 - Exit 311 - in Arizona.  Normally, the cost is $10 to enter but we were fortunate to visit during National Parks Week - and all entrance admissions at national parks are waived during the week. The first series of overlooks and stops feature the Painted Desert.  The colors are simply amazing. There is a brief paved trail from Tawa Point to the Painted Desert Inn. It's just over a half mile long, and it's worth the hike.  (Here's a hint: If you are in a group of two or more and at least one person doesn't want to walk the trail, have them drive to the Inn while you (and others) take the hike.  Joe wasn't interested in the walk so I just met back up with him at the inn. )

I saw a number of yellow NY 80 shields yesterday in Fort Plain and Nelliston, on NY 5, NY 80 and local streets (possibly on NY 5S as well, but I didn't see any). While I have reason to believe that it may be a supplemental way of showing there is a weight limit on the NY 80 bridge over the Erie Canal and Mohawk River connecting Fort Plain with Nelliston, I am pretty sure this is not MUTCD compliant. See a yellow NY 80 shield in question...

Day 3 included sites in and around Albuquerque and Santa Fe. For the entire day set - head to flickr - over 200 photos! The first stop was Sandia Peak .  I took a journey to the top of the mountain in October 2007 , and was excited to take the trip to over 10,000 feet again.  Unfortunately, this time the skies were overcast and gloomy but it was still home to many great views! The tram ride is about 15 minutes to the top and costs $17 to ride.  You begin at the base of the mountain at around 6500 feet and the journey ends at an elevation of 10,378 feet!  Usually the surrounding mountains and valley below are in clearer view, but the Albuquerque skyline can be seen rather clearly from here. Here I am at Sandia Peak. It's pretty much the top location for out-of-towners to visit while in Albuquerque. Next, we headed down to Central Ave. towards Downtown Albuquerque.  Central Ave. was the main drag through town during the Route 66 era.  Though it's now bypass by I-