Flagstaff Fahrvergnügen

Fahrvergnügen: The German word for driving enjoyment.


Well...our trip from Carlsbad, NM to Sedona/Flagstaff, AZ was planned for two days but turned into three!  So...we did not have too much Fahrvergnügen!  This trip showed us that God showered us with His travel mercy even when we did not even ask for it.  Forgive us, Lord and we say thank you!!  Below you'll find the photo essay of our Flagstaff fahrvergnugen!

Our last evening in New Mexico (Carlsbad).  The girls and I have a Carlsbad cookout.  Absolutely beautiful weather for it.

Roswell, New Mexico.  We pass the UFO Museum and Research Center.  I guess we did not pick up the right frequency because we weren't wearing our tin foil hats, as we pass on by.

Darn Aliens must have struck!  As we were about to leave Roswell, NM, Stacey noticed a low gas price and even though we had plenty of gas, we decided to stop to top off.  As I pulled thru to the pump, a fellow across from us tells Stacey, who was spotting me, "hey, y'all notice you have a flat tire?"  Wow, had we kept going the right rear outside tire would have shredded and not only tore up the fiberglass wheel well but, also the door behind it.  Not to mention it would have potentially caused a control problem for me, as this day was pretty windy with lots of one-lane construction going on.  God was looking after us that's for sure.

Ah, the scenery! 

What a cool place we found along Historic Route 66.  The great folks at this campsite blessed us.  We had just spent over $400 on a tire change and replacement.  As I checked in, I asked if they had any discounts, like military.  The fellow says, "yes, for active duty." I said, "well, bummer for me 'cause I just retired four days ago!"  He says, "Well, in honor of your recent retirement, this night is on the house!"  How cool is that!  Another unexpected blessing!

The Team Breitmann girls tour a vintage 1959 Spartan "Flossie" at the Enchanted RV Park.  This park and a number of restored vintage trailers that you could rent and stay in at the park.

Hailey inside the 1959 Spartan.

Stacey in the kitchen of the 1959 Spartan.

Hailey pretends to be chatting on the "house phone" in the 1959 Spartan "Flossie".  

Hailey chills out in front of a 1963 Winnebago "Dot".  Notice that today she spent the day in her flannel"frog" PJ bottoms with her Eskimo Joe's t-shirt.

Hailey poses with a pink flamingo in the vintage trailer courtyard.

Heidi in the park laundromat waiting area.  This park hand tons of 1940 thru 1960's memorabilia harking back to the hey-days of Route 66.

Heidi in the RV Park vintage game room!

A childhood "flashback" for me!  I remember pinball machines in the RV park game rooms of my youth.  My girls were fascinated by this "analog" entertainment compared with their digital world!

A vintage post-World War II RV sales poster beckoning families to explore the world of RV traveling.  What a hoot!

A vintage sign along historic Route 66.  Sign speaks for itself.

Team Breitmann girls as we cross into the Grand Canyon State!  We noticed that this year (2012) is the Centennial anniversary for Arizona Statehood.  Happy 100 years, Arizona! 

Holbrook, Arizona.  Home to the iconic "Wigwam Motel" along historic Route 66.  Among many famous films involving Route 66 as a backdrop, the recent Disney's Pixar movie; "Cars" immortalized this place.  Visit the Wigwam virtually at this link: Wigwam Holbrook, Arizona

Hey!  It's "Mater" from Cars!

Y'all remember the musical group The Eagles?  Here I am (okay, I took liberties with the lyrics!) "...standing on the corner in Winslow, Arizona with three women on my mind.  One that wants to stone me (look at Heidi's face), one that wants to own me (Hailey loves that I pay for everything..look at that smile), and one that she says she's a friend of mine. (Stacey)  Take it easy.  We may win and we may lose but, we will never be hear again so, take it easy!"

Another stop along Route 66. Hey want to know the connection between Route 66 and Team Breitmann?  Well, Stacy is from Oklahoma and so is the father of Route 66, Cyrus Avery, who was commissioned by the US Bureau of Public Roads in 1924 to develop a new system of Interstate Highways. So, naturally, we gotta explore the history of this forerunner of the current Interstate system. A little Route 66 trivia; America's Mother Road. Excerpts from "Here it is! Route 66.  The Map Series by Jim Ross. Upon its completion, Route 66 was soon entrenched as America's premier highway.  Hard times awaited, however, and during the decade of the Depression and Dust Bowl it became a route of escape, carrying thousands of families westward from the arid lands of the Oklahoma, Texas and Arkansas.  It was these migrants, seeking salvation from the drought, whose plight was immortalized in John Steingbecks' The Grapes of Wrath, the novel in which he so aptly defined Route 66 as the "the mother road, the road of flight."  The Mother Road.  It was a name that fit, and a name that stuck, for it brought up images of shelter and safety.  It was a name that represented hope.  During WWII, US 66 became a military conduit, a fast-flowing artery of men, munitions and equipment.  Continuous convoys kept the highway humming.  However, US 66 paid the price in wear and tear and the pavement was severely weakened under the military loads on a road originally designed for civilian traffic.  This did not go unnoticed and officials in Washington were already considering the development of a system of high-speed, limited access Interstate roads to replace US 66.  But for the time, as peace returned, bringing an unprecedented tourist boom, Route 66, fueled by Bobby Troup's song "Get Your Kicks On Route 66", American  G.I.s re-entering the mainstream with a new appreciation for the cost of freedom, were itching to travel.  This led to a boom along US 66.  Business along the route multiplied with an explosion of neon, roadside motor courts, trading posts and hundreds of kitschy billboards.  This left an indelible mark on the collective memory of many America's leaving a treasure chest of memories involving 2-lane highways family vacations, picnic lunches at roadside tables, souvenir shops, reptile pits, an Orange Crush and flickering neon signs at a late nite dinners. Sadly, by the end of the 1960's, with the finalization of the current Interstate system, America's Main Street had essentially ceased to be the "through" route , leaving many towns dependent upon US 66 "behind" like the fictional "Radiator Springs" in the movie Cars. 
This road is a symbol of American ingenuity, spirit and determination and we plan visiting as many of the side towns  as possible and remember the history.   

We ate at the Turquoise Room at the La Posada hotel in Winslow, Arizona.  Hailey makes the Turquoise Room initials in bread!  You can read more about the La Posada at this link: La Posad Hotel 

Here Hailey shows off ice formations!  We camped at Meteor Crater Campground just north of Meteor Crater, Arizona.  We had no idea that it was going to get this cold that night!  Our water line hose froze up on us!  Yikes.  A couple of days ago we were experiencing temperatures in the 100s!  Okay, gals...don't pack your winter gear just yet!

Okay, who says you can't make a tent fort in a motor home?!  On a side note, our night in meteor crater was a loooong one! Our faithful dog, Molly, experienced a bout of diarrhea that night...uggh.  She is such a good dog that most of her mid-night "explosion" made it on our tile floor.  All the same it was a mess!  Another challenge for Team Breitmann.  So, how are we doing so far?  Pretty good but, while the photo essays may give you the impression that this is one big "vacation" that is simply not the case.  We are still working hard at homeschooling and we are feeling the stress of constant change.  We are always thinking about where are we going to stay, where is the nearest gas station that we can "fit into" with our UAV, is this a safe place, where is the nearest church, what are we supposed to do here, what about getting laundry done, where can we get our dog seen, things need repaired on the motor home, etc... As I type this, I have a back-up camera that is not working, an electrical outlet that needs repaired, a broken storage door handle, a missing hub cap lug nut, need to replace valve stem extenders on the repaired tire, our motor home looks like it rolled in the mud, etc, etc, etc.  All the same, I realize that I'd have stresses at home too.  We are blessed thru this.  This Sunday we celebrate the only hope we have...our Lord Jesus Christ!  Everything else is sinking sand.  Well, today we hope to finally make it to Sedona/Flagstaff .  The unknown awaits us. Thank you, God!