Day 14
April 18
We headed out around 8:30am, which seems to be our departure time, under chilly temps and gloomy skies with a threat of snow flurries. After we crossed the Rio Grande, the temps continued to drop as we gained more elevation across New Mexico. The snowcapped mesas and lower grounds across I-40 made for spectacular views. When we crossed the Continental Divide, the temps started to warm up as we headed into Arizona. We arrived at the Take It Easy RV Park around 12pm and gained another hour of sunlight! This campground had the least amenities of any of the places we’ve been. The Park took over an old Drive-In theater and hasn’t done much to change the existing layout. We were crammed in, nearly touching each other.
After unhooking, we immediately hopped back in the truck in search of the iconic ‘Standin on the Corner in Winslow Arizona’ street. What an impressive tribute to the co-artists and song lyrics of ‘Take it Easy’ recorded by the Eagles. Not only did we stand on the corner, but we also ate at Relic’s Pub and Brewery across the street from the famous corner. The waitress filled us in on the history of the creation of the public park in 1999 and how it has helped to revitalize tourism since the opening of I-40 in the 1970s wiped it out. Sitting at the restaurant watching the steady stream of tourists snapping pics and singing the song, we would have to agree!
After lunch we headed down to Clear Creek Reservoir Park, just south of Winslow, to check it out. What a beautiful little park with unique rock formations and geography. We had fun exploring its banks, marveling in the topography and taking pictures. We watched families BBQing, fishing and dropping in Kayaks. What a great spot.
We headed back to the campground to scoop up our little travel buddy, who was relaxing in style in his luxurious travel trailer. He was super excited to find he was going to join us on our next adventure up north to The Little Painted Desert County Park. In about 20 minutes, we found ourselves in one of the most spectacularly breathtaking places we’ve ever seen. We pulled up to the rim of this magnificent place and stood in awe of the beautiful colors and formations that created this place. Words and pictures cannot even come close to describing this hidden gem off the beaten path. There were no formal hiking trails, but we knew we had to find our way down to the desert floor to explore on foot and have some fun. And we are so glad we did! Tucker had a ball sprinting ahead and waiting just long enough for us to catch up before taking off again. The changing light and moving clouds painted deeper and richer colors across the landscape. As the sun began to set, we climbed back up to the rim just in time to watch it sink behind Humphrey’s Peak and the San Francisco mountain range off in the distance.
We finished up our quick stay in Winslow by heading back to the iconic corner to take a few pictures under empty street lights. We had the whole corner to ourselves. What a great ending to our visit. We are off to Lake Powell, AZ tomorrow.
