WHAT TO DO WHEN YOU TURN 66??!!

When I woke up on my birthday this February and realized I am now 66, I decided right then and there that I MUST DRIVE RT 66!! Or at least part of it........ So I got on the computer and started doing my research. And my friend JOYCE gave me a GUIDEBOOK that was invaluable.

I mentioned my idea to my friend MARY ANN and she said she'd love to join me. Sooooooo, 2 months later WE DID IT. "Two old broads" acting like we were teenagers, driving a SMURF BLUE MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE. But what the heck? Why not, right??

After I had planned a route starting at SANTA MONICA PIER in CA heading east, I found out that the FREE COMPANION AIRLINE TICKET I had, could only be used in and out of the same city. So, I revised the itinerary and made a plan to fly in and out of ALBUQUERQUE, NM. 

This post will share only the RT 66 portion of the trip, although I JUST MIGHT have to do more sharing about the rest of the trip later......

Starting in ALBUQUERQUE we drove RT 66 all the way west to WILLIAMS, AZ - a FUNKY little town, before heading north to see the GRAND CANYON.

Our first stop was the TEENY-TINY town (???) of BUDVILLE, NM. We made the most of it with a few photos.........

Next stop - THE CONTINENTAL DIVIDE, which frankly was uneventful.

LUNCHTIME - authentic Southwestern Cuisine - YUM!!

That's our SMURF BLUE MUSTANG CONVERTIBLE parked right in front.

Next stop - THE PAINTED DESERT NATIONAL PARK. Naturally, my photos really don't do it justice. I was ASTOUNDED by the natural beauty and the myriad of colors there!! Who knew? Unfortunately, we had to skip THE PETRIFIED FOREST, due to limited time.

We arrived in WINSLOW, AZ and "stood on the corner" (thank you EAGLES for the song).

Grabbed a photo with five "BIKERS FROM BROOKLYN" (my new "BOYFRIENDS" - hahaha) and enjoyed all of the RT 66 MEMORABILIA around town.

LA POSADA HOTEL, where we spent the night, was a "DESTINATION" in itself. LOVED IT!!.

The ORIGINAL ARTWORK throughout the hotel is PHENOMENAL.

LOVED the food in their TURQUOISE ROOM. BLACK BEAN and CORN CHOWDER SOUPS in the same bowl at dinner and "BAKED EGGS" over corn POLENTA with fresh veggies for breakfast.

The next day we stopped at METEOR CRATER NATIONAL LANDMARK (privately owned), listened to a little information about this "BEST PRESERVED AND FIRST PROVEN METEORITE IMPACT SITE ON PLANET EARTH" and then walked outside.

WOW WOW WOW!!!

That meteor was traveling 26,000 MPH when it hit, so everything disintegrated. However, they DID find a piece of it about 2 miles away, which we could see and touch. FASCINATING. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND making a stop here.

A short visit at WALNUT CANYON NATIONAL MONUMENT was quite interesting too. WHY oh WHY would people live in caves on the side of cliffs? We were told it was because of the fertile land below, where they could easily get water and grow food. The abundance of ANIMALS here also provided food.

The SINAGUA people left this region before the year 1250.

I wish we had planned time to explore FLAGSTAFF, AZ, but it was a mere drive-thru for us.  

And our last stop on RT 66 was that FUNKY little town of WILLIAMS. We had a hot-dog and a milkshake for lunch at their DAIRY QUEEN.

And this was only our FIRST TWO DAYS of our week-long trip!!

Driving PART OF RT 66 was EVERYTHING I had hoped for.

I hear that RT 66 through MISSOURI is quite interesting too.  Hmmmm........

JOAN

PHILADELPHIA EXCURSION WITH FRIENDS

In 2006 I read "THE AUTOBIOGRAPHY OF BENJAMIN FRANKLIN" and his life fascinated me. 

Last year, I read "BOOK OF AGES: THE LIFE AND OPINIONS OF JANE FRANKLIN" (BEN's Sister) and enjoyed additional tidbits about BEN's life (and Jane's life). 

Over the years I've heard CHARLIE MUNGER (billionaire WARREN BUFFETT's business partner) refer to the witticisms of BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. CHARLIE even wrote a book titled "POOR CHARLIE'S ALMANAC" (in respect to FRANKLIN'S book, "POOR RICHARD'S ALMANAC").

Startled that BEN came from such a large family (17 children) and that he left Boston for PHILADELPHIA at the very young age of 17, I've always felt a fascination for the man - particularly for his knowledge, creativity, and sense of humor. Plus, he was such an important figure in the formation of our country - and all of this happened in PHILADELPHIA no less!

So I added to my "60 THINGS TO DO AND SEE IN MY 60's" list, to visit the BEN FRANKLIN MUSEUM in PHILADELPHIA one of these days.......

It's always more fun to travel and learn new things with friends, so I invited a group to join me. MARIA and her friend PAM, ANNA, MERRY and I all traveled by train to visit the museum.

Can't we all visualize BEN FRANKLIN wearing his circular glasses?

A list of SOME of his ACCOMPLISHMENTS!

I found particular humor in his "DAILY WINE CONSUMPTION" chart.  Below is for one month....... my kind of guy!

The start of PARASAILING??

And swimming FLIPPERS???

This PLASTER BUST of FRANKLIN is amazing - particularly because the artist hadn't met him yet!!

Don't you LOVE the tag-line "MIND YOUR BUSINESS" on one of these coins he designed?

Ahhhh..... the old CARRIAGE!

Right beside the MUSEUM is his ORIGINAL POST OFFICE (far right).

Original WIDE-PLANK FLOORS with SQUARE-HEADED NAILS!!

EXAMPLES of the dress of POSTAL WORKERS through the years (1700, 1775, 1868, and 1873).

Also beside the MUSEUM is an example and demo of his PRINTING PRESS.

Some "PHILADELPHIA STREET ART" we enjoyed as we walked to lunch.

Lunch at HIGH STREET MARKET was EXCELLENT. 

Homemade soups and breads - DELICIOUS! 

Take a look at the size of the OTHER HALF of my PASTRAMI ON RYE (with COLESLAW and SPICY MUSTARD) that I enjoyed the next day!

AFTER LUNCH we took a quick tour of the BETSY ROSS HOUSE, which many visited during their Elementary School field trip.  Somehow several of us had missed that opportunity.......

She made the FIRST AMERICAN FLAG (in secret) - usually in her room upstairs, so she wouldn't be "found out".

The house is TINY, as are the rooms. The TINY CIRCULAR STAIRCASES were a challenge to maneuver, and there were several of them!  Why so many in such a small house??

Notice the original WIDE-PLANKED, WOOD FLOORS here.
BEAUTIFUL!

Let me know if you try out her recipe for TURKEY POT PIE!

I love the COLONIAL OPEN STOVE in their kitchen.

We all agreed that we prefer MILK instead of water with our CHOCOLATE!!

Our last stop before heading back home on the train was ELFRETH'S ALLEY - home to many ARTISANS in the COLONIAL DAYS.  Written on the Historical sign there is:

"An exceptional collection of early American structures, built 1720's - 1830's, the alley contained the homes and shops of diverse artisans. Later, working-class immigrants lived here and labored in nearby industries. 

Residents began preservation efforts in 1934."

I HIGHLY RECOMMEND a visit to these PHILADELPHIA TREASURES. Even if you DID see them in Elementary School, it might be time for another visit.  They are each WONDERFUL.

JOAN

IT'S A MIRACLE

A little over 2 weeks ago, I had a cortisone shot in my low back. I was a bit scared to do it, but physical therapy wasn't doing much, nor was massage.  An MRI a few months ago confirmed that I have "issues" and am a candidate for cortisone shots before I consider surgery.  

AND IT WORKED!!!!  

I can now stand for over an hour without having to take a break. It used to be perhaps 5-10 min before I'd have to sit down. SHOPPING had become so unpleasant for me (HORRORS!!) and WALKING on my "excursions around the world" had literally become torture - until I could find a place to "sit for a few"........

I feel so fortunate to have this option and have high hopes that it will last longer than the 3 months that they say is typical. This year is filled with travel plans and I can literally visualize myself walking without pain now. Whoohoo!

IT'S A MIRACLE!!!!

JOAN