Spring Western Trip 2017: Joplin to Winslow, Arizona

Thursday and Friday, 4/6 and 4/7:  311 miles and parked at Foss State Park, Foss, Oklahoma

Foss State Park is the original home of several Plains Indian Tribes that lived along the Washita River and hunted the buffalo in the region.  Later the land was farmed and ranched.  An earthen dam 134 feet high and 3 miles long was built in 1962 that created a reservoir of over 8,000 acres.  Foss State Park now encompasses the man made lake.

Friday, 4/7:  Foss State Park

This was a “rest” day for us, so we decided to visit the National Route 66 Museum in nearby Clinton.  Boy, am I glad we did.  It was an amazing, interesting, and educational exhibit.  The museum showcases the history and artifacts of Route 66 from its inception in the 1920”s to its official  removal from the the US Highway System in 1985.  However, many States have preserved parts of the original road and designed them as Historic Route 66.  Wikipedia has a lot of information here.

Then we followed up with a little grocery shopping and back to the campground for a nap.  Later we spent a beautiful afternoon outside reading and enjoying the 78 degree weather and sunshine.  Meanwhile, back home in Gouverneur, it was 35 and snowing.

Saturday, 4/8:  274 miles, parked at the KOA in Tucumcari, New Mexico

It was a sunny, windy and 85 degree today when we arrived at Tucumcari.  We’re now in Mountain Time Zone.   We decided to stop at the "Cadillac Ranch" roadside attraction near Amarillo, Texas on the way . While we were by here in 2015, we didn’t take the time to stop.  Its not a ranch, but rather a funky attraction a group of art-hippies, imported from San Francisco, created in 1974. One more thing to check off the bucket list.  :-)

Sunday, 4/9:149 miles, parked in cousin Jon Mullen’s driveway, Edgewood, New Mexico.

We drove up hill all day.  By that, I mean that Tucumcari is about 4500 feet above sea level, but Jon’s home is 6500 feet.  On top of that, we were driving into 30 mile per hour headwinds.  We arrived at Jon’s shortly after noon.  He has a huge yard in the desert, so parking was no problem, and he even had a 30 amp RV hookup on his storage building.  I haven’t seen Jon since a family reunion in 2005, so catching up was great fun.  Like myself, he is a retired school teacher.  His wife, Sharon, and Judy hit it off really well.  We had a great time, and will certainly visit again.  Jon and Sharon are avid RV’ers, so maybe they can make an eastern trip in the future.

Monday, 4/10:  296 miles, camped at Homolovi State Park, Winslow Arizona.

We arrived on a warm and sunny day.  This is real desert.  It is so different from home.  In the high grasslands of the 14th century, an ancient people found a home along the Little Colorado River.  The Hopi people of today still consider Homolovi part of their homeland.  In an effort to protect some of these ancient sites, the Hopi supported the idea offering Homolovi State Park, which officially opened in 1993.  Archeological research continues to be done here, and the ruins are open to the public.  The campground is small, with only 36 sites.  Most sites have water and electric, and all the sites are paved.

After setting up, we visited one of the ruins, Homolovi I.  It was fascinating to walk among the partially excavated ruins where people lived 800 years ago.

Then, we just had to take a drive down main street Winslow, Arizona.  The Eagles made Winslow famous with their “Take it Easy” song, where “standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” was a popular line.

From here, it is on to southern California and Joshua Tree National Park.