Now that my main goal is completed, I figured that I could relax a bit on the way back to the east coast. Never relax too much! While I was making my escape from the “traffic-hell” that is L.A., I was thinking that I was getting out of the worst of it…traffic was starting to thin out a bit. It was raining hard and driving conditions were definitely not the best. On I-15 North somewhere in San Bernardino County, CA, a white Ford F150 pickup overloaded with a bunch of crap cut in front of me. A big piece of metal fell off the back of the vehicle, bounced off the road and hit the front of my car. It was all I could do to keep from losing control of my vehicle. The heavy “THUNK” sound on the front of my car and the “clunk-clunk” as I hit and rolled over the object made me think the worst. The driver of the truck seemed to notice the item fly off the back and he swerved across two lanes to the right and made the nearby exit. I wasn’t able to get a license plate since I was too busy screaming and trying to maintain control of the vehicle. Later when I found somewhere to pull of the road I was able to survey the damage.
It could have been much worse. The car can be fixed. Me? Well, let’s just say I am glad I did not have to find out. I ended up stopping to find a hotel in Barstow, CA. Ready to tackle the journey again after a good night’s sleep.
I ate breakfast at this McDonald’s in Barstow. This has to be the largest cactus I have ever seen. It was taller than the McDonald’s and almost as tall as the flagpole. Below are some slide show scenes from Arizona…
Here is something that was REALLY great today. I was able to drive along the classic and historic Route 66. I have alway wanted to drive with the top-down on Route 66. The stretch that I chose was rather deserted. I am afraid that this part of the American experience will soon be gone.
Route 66 used to be one of the main interstates running east – west before I-40 was built. Now I-40 has basically killed off Route 66 in the same fashion that some would say Walmart killed the little grocery stores in small communities around the country.
It was like owning my own road driving along the stretch of Route 66 that I chose. I could see I-40 and traffic, yet running parallel, I was on Route 66 and had it to myself. I could do whatever I wanted. Drive on either side. Stop and take pictures. I even stood in the middle of the road and took pictures and had no fear that I would be hit. You could see for miles in both directions.
The only problem I had was that the road is in such disrepair that I had trouble driving the posted 55 mile per hour speed limit.
The road was so bumpy and cracked that I had to drive under 30 MPH in spots to keep from rattling my car apart. Still it was a great experience and was a great opportunity to slow down and smell the flowers…uh, desert air.
I ended the day in Flagstaff, Arizona. This is where I decided to bed down for the night. I ate dinner at a combination restaurant-bar that I could not resist due to the name…Porky’s.
Bar on one side, restaurant on the other side. You enter through the same door.
Dinner was “ok” nothing special, but more interesting for the atmosphere and the adventure. One thing I that I have realized on this journey…I LOVE RALEIGH! Really! I really miss my home in Raleigh. I am enjoying this trip. I really needed it. But, I have an even greater appreciation of the place I now call home. The variety of great restaurants. The parks. The people. Everything. What made me think of this? Maybe it was the “Home Style Mashed Potatoes and Gravy” that is pictured on my plate above. I laughed as I ate about half of it. I do not know whose homestyle that represents, they would have been considered crappy back in North Carolina. End of Day 6.
1melvinthomas 