Southern Utah Road Trip - the Road West

Good-bye to Moab: La Sal Mountains (Manti-La Sal National Forest)

Long-term readers may recall that I took a long western USA road trip in 2016. I started in Redlands, California, where I imposed on my daughter and borrowed her station wagon for this trip (over 3,500 miles total). I followed Route 66 eastward as far as Albuquerque and Santa Fe and then joined friends in Moab. I wrote about Arches National Park, Canyonlands National Park, the Syncline Loop in Canyonlands, and the Volkswagen disposal yard/museum. After two weeks of hiking, good food, and fine companionship, I headed west and returned to California. 

This article will continue the road trip back to southern California through Utah and Nevada. 

Southern Utah is a wonderland of geology, spectacular vistas, mountains, and long miles between towns. Signs on I-70 warn you, "No services for the next xxx miles." Be sure you have plenty of fuel in your car as well as emergency supplies. 

Dawn on the Green River, Green River, Utah (2019 Tri-X photograph)

Fremont River, Capitol Reef National Park (2019 Tri-X photograph, Hasselblad camera)

For the first day, I drove west on I-70 and then on Utah 24 to Capitol Reef National Park, a fabulous location. Driving at 90 miles per hour at 7,000+ feet elevation pushed the little engine. After some hiking and a night near Capitol, I said good-bye to my friends and headed south on Utah's Hwy. 12 through the Dixie National Forest.

Dixie National Forest, Utah Rte. 12, approx. 9,000 ft elevation

Utah's Scenic Byway 12 is a fantastic drive. My car's little 5-cylinder engine worked hard at 9,000 ft elevation as I crossed a ridge in the Dixie National Forest. 

Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument

Byway 12 then drops down into the Grand Staircase–Escalante National Monument. This is one of the nation's phenomenal visual treats, a remote landscape covering 1,880,000 acres where dinosaurs roamed and Native Americans drew art on rock faces. President Clinton designated this region as a national monument in 1996 to preserve cultural and scenic resources. The Trump administration reduced the area of the monument by over a half in a scummy attempt to spur a mining and coal boom, although the Utah Geological Survey concluded that the prospects of profitable minerals, tar sands, coal, oil, and gas were very limited (essentially non-existent). On October 8, 2021, President Biden restored the original boundaries of the monument.

The little town of Escalante, in the Potato Valley, is a center for recreation. Route 12 passes right through town, and it is one of the few locations to buy some food or gasoline. The Peoples Exchange on 115 North Center Street is an early-20th century general merchandise store. The building may house occasional art exhibits.

Too pooped on Main Street, Cannonville, Utah

Keep driving west on 12 and you reach Cannonville. It's tiny, with not much there. But turn south on Kodachrome Road and head south through a rugged landscape to Kodachrome Basin State Park.

Kodachrome Road, Utah

Near Kodachrome Basin State Park

Kodachrome Basin State Park is a wonderland of rock spires and canyons revealing 180 million years of geological history. In 1948, a National Geographic Society expedition gave the name Kodachrome to this area after the popular color film.

I returned to Rte. 12 and then went south on 63 to Bryce Canyon National Park. What an amazing terrain of rock pinnacles and spires.  Beware, it is crowded during the peak tourist season.

Route 9, the Zion-Mount Carmel Highway

Court of the Patriarchs (sandstone monoliths), Zion National Park

Continuing west, I drove on the historic Zion-Mount Carmel Highway into Zion National Park. CCC workers in the 1930s cut many of the tunnels along this twisty mountain road. The park is another geological wonder, very popular with international tourists. If you want to visit the main canyon, you must park in one of several lots near the entrance and take a shuttle bus. I took the bus up into the canyon and walked much of the way back to the parking lot. I stayed in the nearby town of Springdale in a funny little cabin, like a remnant of an old-fashioned motor court.

"I am a citizen, not of Athens or Greece, but of the desert...." 

The Mad Greek, Baker Blvd., Baker, California

Heading west out of Zion, the next stop is the city of Las Vegas. I had not been there before and was singularly unimpressed. Much of the city is dumpy and dirty but may have some decent urban decay topics. However, I needed a restroom and used a very elegant one at a casino. And they gave me some iced sparkling water. 

Continuing southwest out of Las Vegas on I-15, the terrain is rather dull desert. But stop! Quick, take the exit at Baker. There are Greeks in the desert! And they will serve you Greek coffee and baklava or a giant sandwich. Ahhh...

I have written before about some of the remnants of Route 66 in eastern California (click the links):

• Eastern Mojave Desert
• Central Mojave Desert
• Central California

This ended my 2016 road trip. I can't wait to head out west again.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 14b, San Jon, New Mexico (2019)

On my 2016 Route 66 trip, I completely missed San Jon, a small town (village) in Quay County, New Mexico. According to Wikipedia, "The village was founded in 1902 and grew after the arrival of the railroad in 1904. It was once an important local commercial center and stop on U.S. Route 66 and home to numerous tourist-oriented businesses, such as gasoline service stations, cafes and motels. However, when Interstate 40 bypassed the village in 1981, the local economy went into a decline, leading most of those businesses to shut down. Today, only one motel is still in operation and all of the gas stations and dining establishments are centered around the I-40 interchange on the north side of town."

Today, San Jon is a superb dump - the quintessential fading Route 66 small rural American town.

The Route 66 handbook claimed that the Western Motel was open for business. Not any more....

San Jon was definitely a "buy gas here" type of town in the old days. We saw at least three now-defunct filling stations on the main drag.

These are all post-WWII nondescript cinder block construction, and I cannot tell what brands were once sold at these stations.

Another station of unknown branding.

The mural on this building looked fresh and was a memorial to some townsman who, I assume, died. I love the curved glass brick at the corner. Note how the curb curves to match the building. I wonder if this was once a car dealership?

Ceramics shoppe, San Jon, New Mexico (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera)

There were a few stores in town - once.

The temperature that morning was skirting freezing and the wind was howling. We left San Jon and headed east at high speed to zip through Amarillo to beat an impending ice storm. 

Room with a view: approaching winter storm, Childress, Texas (Moto G5 digital image)

We stayed in Childress, Texas. I passed through Childress and other Panhandle towns in October on my way west (click the link). The following night, we stayed in Texarcana. I described the abandoned Union Station in an earlier post (click the link).

Finally, home. Unload, clean and sort the junk, unpack, do laundry, wash the car, develop film, pay bills, etc., etc., etc. Prepare for the next trip.

Look what awaited us from the garden: a treat!

This ends my 2019 Route 66 expedition. If you want to read previous posts, please type "Route 66" in the search box. Some day, I want to explore the section from Oklahoma eastward to Chicago. Standby for more adventures.....

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 13b, Santa Rosa, New Mexico (2019)

Will Rogers Drive (Route 66), Santa Rosa, NM at sunset (Tri-X 400 film, Hasselblad 501CM, 250 mm Sonnar lens)

Santa Rosa is the county seat of Guadalupe County, New Mexico. It is an unusual town to be in arid New Mexico because of its artesian lakes. These natural sinkholes in the limestone bedrock bring pure clear cold water to the surface. The pioneers of the mid-1800s must have found it to be a life-saver after crossing to desert. Even Route 66 travelers in the mid-20th century would have found a swim in the Blue Hole to be a relaxing relief on a hot summer day. According to Wikipedia,

The east-west highway through the town was designated as U.S. Highway 66 in 1926, and the increase in traffic made the community a popular rest stop with motels and cafes. Santa Rosa's stretch of Route 66 is part of film history. When John Steinbeck's epic novel, The Grapes of Wrath, was made into a movie, director John Ford used Santa Rosa for the memorable train scene. Tom Joad (Henry Fonda) watches a freight train steam over the Pecos River railroad bridge, into the sunset.

In August 2017, on a 90+° F day, a swim in the Blue Hole was chilling and fun. But on this (2019) trip, the temperature was well below 50° F, so no swim. But I did stay overnight in a Route 66 motel and spent a few hours exploring. The La Loma was clean and cheap, with a 1960s ambience. The Joseph's Bar and Grill next door was pretty bad. Santa Rosa is not a foody place.

Rio Pecos truck stop, Route 66, Santa Rosa (Tri-X 400 film, 80mm Planar-CB lens)

Will Rogers Drive (Route 66), Santa Rosa (Moto G5 digital file)

Sadly, Will Rogers Drive is not very busy now. The old Rio Pecos sign at the closed truck terminal is a characteristic Route 66 photograph topic.

In the morning, I drove around town. Most of it is rather rough, with numerous unoccupied buildings. Some are wood frame, while others look like old adobe block with plaster facing.

S. 9th at Campos (near the Blue Hole), Santa Rosa (Tri-X film)

Shotgun house, Santa Rosa

Shotgun house with intact metal roof, Santa Rosa (Moto G5 digital file)

Shed or tiny house made of adobe blocks with partial plaster veneer (Moto G5 digital file)

No more lunch at the Comet, Santa Rosa (2017 photograph)

This ended my short stay in Santa Rosa. Sadly, there is not much to keep a traveler here for long. But it is a piece of Route 66 history.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 8d, Budville and Cubero, New Mexico (2019)

Continuing east on Route 66 (where it still exists) or I-40 through central New Mexico, the country is pretty arid with only an occasional farm or truck stop. According to the Route 66 Adventure Handbook, Cubero was bypassed by a new road in the 1930s. An entrepreneur built the Villa de Cubero, which is still in business on Route 66 where it diverges away from the interstate. You can buy snacks, gasoline, and other essentials there.

Courtesy of 66postcards.com (Thank you!)

The Villa de Cubero Tourist Courts catered to early Route 66 travelers. According to the Route 66 Adventure Handbook, the adventure/musical Desert Song was filmed near here (the 1943 or 1953 version?). Desert Song was based on Sigund Romberg's 1926 operetta about a galant and handsome desert sheik who captures the heart of the beautiful city girl and rides off to the desert with her, singing all the time, while he also directs the revolt of the Berber tribesmen.

Villa de Cubero De Luxe Tourist Court (expired Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera)

The tourist courts are closed but in reasonably intact condition. The Route 66 Adventure Handbook also notes that Ernest Hemingway may have written The Old Man and the Sea here! Or maybe he did not because he might have been in Cuba. A blog from the Villa de Cubero explores the controversy of Papa Hemingway's stay in the tourist court. We need to weigh the options:
Cuba: tropical breezes, palm trees, beautiful women, lots of booze, and deep sea fishing.
Cubero: desert, not much to do, and booze.

Budville Trading Co. (Moto G5 digital file)

About a mile southeast on old Route 66 you come upon the former Budville Trading Company. It is closed and longer has pumps on the island.

Budville Trading Post (Tri-X film, Hasselblad 501CM camera, 50mm ƒ/4 Distagon lens)

A bit further east I saw another closed garage/filling station. This one had another long-wheelbase Cadillac!

That is all the excitement for Cubero. We will continue east on Route 66. Standby for more updates.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 8c, Continental Divide, New Mexico (2019)

At the continental divide (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera, polarizing filter)

Heading east from Gallup, the country is pretty bare, with rock ridges and occasional small farms or ranches. We reach a small community known as Continental Divide. Needless to say, there is a souvenir shop and "Indian Market" on the site. It is a popular stop on I-40. In the parking lot, I spoke to a gent with a Studebaker Avanti - a real Avanti from 1962 or 1963, not one of the versions made later by other companies after the Studebaker factory closed forever  in December 1963. He was driving from California to a car show in Florida. A friend hiked some of the Continental Divide National Scenic Trail (3100 mi. in total) several years ago and would have passed through the nearby town of Grants.

Is this really the Continental Divide? (Moto G5 digital file)

A sign explains that water falling west of the sign flows westward towards the Pacific (actually, to the Gulf of California), while east of the sign, water flows to the Gulf of Mexico and eventually reaches the Atlantic Ocean via the Gulf Stream oceanic current.

Continental divide in the United States. Map from ESRI ArcMap software.

In the map above, you can see that the Rio Grande river approximately parallels the Continental Divide in New Mexico. At El Paso, Texas, it turns southeast and becomes the border between the United States and Mexico. Much of the water is taken out for agriculture, but a small amount eventually reaches the Gulf of Mexico. In central Colorado, runoff flows into the Arkansas River, which joins the Mississippi River a few miles southeast of Pine Bluff, Arkansas. To the west, the Colorado Plateau is highly arid, but what water does fall as snowfall or occasional rain enters the Colorado River. Most of this water is also removed for agriculture, leaving almost nothing for the Gulf of Colorado.

This map (from Wikipedia) shows the major hydrologic divides in North America. Note how water that falls in the central United States flows to the Gulf of Mexico, much of it via the Mississippi River and its tributaries. The Great Basin is an arid region that has no outlet. Rainfall in the eastern region flows to the Atlantic Ocean via numerous small rivers, none of which even begin to approach the Mississippi River's volume.

Travels on the Mother Road, Route 66: Part 8b, Gallup, New Mexico (2019)

Route66 view east, Gallup, New Mexico (Hasselblad 501CM, 250mm ƒ/5.6 Sonnar lens)

Gallup was the "big town" on Route 66 in western New Mexico. It was a popular stopover for Hollywood film starts in the era of Western movies. Today, it is a hub for people from remote stretches of the Navajo Nation and from lonely ranches to stock up on household supplies, liquor, and drinking water (and probably drugs). The town is pretty rough, with liquor stores, payday loan shops, and detox centers. Homelessness is a big problem.

The old Route 66 parallels the railroad tracks and still features old motels, gas stations, fast food dives, payday loan shops, and other establishments that cater to travelers. I-40 is on the north side of the tracks, and many travelers just rush by, skipping Gallup entirely.

Many of these old motels are still in business. During two previous visits to Gallup, I stayed in the famous El Rancho Hotel, which formerly hosted Hollywood stars, who came to Gallup during filming of Western movies. But this trip, the El Ranch was rather expensive and I opted to enjoy authentic Route 66 ambience (and save $$) by staying in a old-time motel. I found one, the El Capitan, which looked a bit less dive-like than the ones in the photographs above. My room was clean and the proprietor friendly. My co-travelers were a mixed bunch: many oil field workers, some tourists, and some bums.

The El Rancho, where I stayed in 2016 (Fuji X-E1 digital file)

If you stop in Gallup, you really need to enjoy the hospitality and ambience of the El Rancho, unless you really prefer a dive motel.

The El Morro theater, on Coal Avenue, is still in business. According to Wikipedia, "The El Morro Theater in Gallup, New Mexico was built in 1928. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1988. It was deemed notable as "the only example of Spanish Colonial Revival architecture in Gallup." It was designed by Carl Boller, of the Boller Brothers architectural firm."

4th Street, Gallup, New Mexico (Kodak Ektar 25 film, Yashica Electro 35CC camera)

This one belongs in color: a garage on 4th Street with murals. I saw a number of buildings like this - well done!

I only spent one night in Gallup and did not look around too much. It looks like the city is trying, but most of the town is dumpy. A friend of my daughter taught school in Gallup as part of the Teach for America program. She reported that it was very difficult because the poverty was horrifying, coupled with deep-seated drug and alcohol issues. That sounds like so much of rural America on our race to the bottom.

The square photographs are from Kodak Tri-X 400 film and my Hasselblad 501CM camera. The color frame of the garage on 4th Street is from the long-discontinued Kodak Ektar 25 film in a 35mm Yashica Electro 35CC camera.

May 6, 2020 update: Gallup and the Navajo Nation have suffered severely from the Coronavirus. The State of New Mexico had to invoked the Riot aw to lock down the city. "The lockdown comes as state and local authorities grapple with one of the worst coronavirus outbreaks in the United States on the nearby Navajo Nation, the country’s largest Indian reservation, and a surge in detected cases in places near the reservation." (from NY Times)