Adventures in Arizona: Standin' on the Corner and Late Night Taco Bell (6/23)

In the last post about my visit to Petrified Forest National Park I waxed poetic about how much I appreciate beautiful, natural light for photography.  With that perspective on June 23 shared, I will now tell the rest of the story...

Arizona continues to amaze me in that every where I visit seems to look and fell different.  Just as the Grand Canyon looks different from each overlook, Flagstaff is very different from the Grand Canyon, which is very different from the Petrified Forest, and so on.  While National Parks are certainly photo and blog worthy, I don't want to forget the towns along the way - where Arizonans actually live.

The first stop on the Adventures in Arizona blog series in Winslow, Arizona.  Because the Eagles compelled me and my dad requested a photo of me on the "standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona" here you are:

Here you go Dad!

Laurel enjoying her time on the corner.

Winslow is really milking the Eagles song for all it is worth.

The official Standin' on the Corner corner in Winslow is pretty entertaining, but with more than a twinge of "poor Winslow..."  Although it is the only place with restaurants and gas stations for miles, only one of two places between Flagstaff and the Petrified Forest, Winslow seemed to be reaching pretty far back to its Route 66 glory years to attract visitors and business.  After taking photos on the corner, the Trail Museum proprietor across the street begged Laurel and I to come in.  We had a busy day ahead of us and the museum looked a little sketchy, so we declined his offer.

Although there was not much to do in Winslow, we did make a stop at Sonic for some delicious drinks.  Enjoying cold Sonics in small Arizona towns has since become a tradition on our road trips - Winslow, somewhere near Prescott on the way to the rodeo, and Page so far.

The second stop in this Adventures in Arizona blog is Holbrook, Arizona.  After an amazing afternoon at Petrified Forest and hanging around for the sunset overlooking the Painted Desert, all the park visitors centers and eateries were closed.  So, we headed back west on I-40 and stopped in Holbrook for dinner.  We found a stretch of 4-lane road full of hotels and fast food restaurants.  For some reason, Taco Bell looked the best, so we enjoyed tacos and a Mexican pizza.  It is certainly not the healthiest eating I have done in Arizona, especially compared to delicious Flagstaff farmer's market finds, but it hit the spot after a long day traveling.

So there you go, traveling to National Parks is not all glitz and glamour, but is pretty darn entertaining and I am definitely getting to know my new state!