Matthew Brennan wrote “Miles To Go: An African Family In Search of America Along Route 66” in 2022. It reminds me of Alexis de Tocqueville’s Democracy in America which I read in college. But de Tocqueville wrote it in 1831, nearly 200 years earlier. Yet, there seemed similarities, particularly the sense of wonder at America.
Matthew, his wife, Kate, and their 8-year-old son, Thembi, started their 2448-mile journey in Chicago and over two months traveled the Mother Road experiencing the America of the early and mid-20th century, with all of its quirky characters, historic and exotic roadside attractions, and an unbelievable variety of landscapes all the way to Santa Monica, California and the Pacific Ocean.
Route 66, decommissioned as it was in 1985, took them through eight states, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, and three timezones. Even though it has been decommissioned and surpassed by Interstate Highways, 85% of the original Route 66 can still be driven and enjoyed. The longest stretch is in Arizona.
This family of three enjoyed sights from the Roaring Twenties, the heartbreaking drama of the Dust Bowl years in the 1930s, World War II, and 66’s heyday of the post-war era. Along the way they encountered other Americans of course, but also a rich blend of foreigners, including those from France, India, and China. They had all traveled these miles on America’s favorite road to experience the nation for themselves. I should mention that this family is bi-racial. Brennan is white American, Kate is Black African, and Thembi is both.
Sure, they could have driven America’s super-highway system and reached their destination in little more than a week, but they wanted to experience America, and the only way to do that is by taking the slower drive on its most famous backroad.
On their way to California, they stopped in Winslow, AZ and stayed at the beautiful La Posada Hotel, where Ms. Karen and I stayed in late May 2023.
“I just had my picture taken with Ziggy Marley and my dog, Goya,” said Tina Mion, co-owner and resident artist at La Posada. “she also has dreadlocks. It’s so cute.”
“Ziggy is around?” I asked, surprised but excited at the possibility of seeing him again. I worked with Ziggy in 2014 when we did a big cover story for Destination Magazine in promotion of his Fly Rasta album. It was fascinating listening to him discuss his reggae-legend father, Bob Marley, and hear him talk about trips they took and the icon’s philosophies on life and happiness.
“He’s really a nice person,” Tina said. “He was here en route for a concert he’s performing in Tucson. But he checked out this morning.”
I was disappointed.
That is the world of La Posada in Winslow. It attracts holidayers, history buffs, celebrities, artists, and philosophers from around the world, each of them looking to experience the magic of the gem of the Fred Harvey railroad hotels.
La Posada, our home for the next few days, opened its doors in the 1930s during the Great Depression but was never very profitable during that period. The brainchild of Fred Harvey – who developed and ran all the hotels connected to the Santa Fe railroad – La Posada (which means “resting place”) was intended to be the finest hotel in the Southwest, complete with the best linens, china, silverware, and service. And it was, for twenty-seven years until it was closed to the public in 1957. By 1993, the railroad announced plans to do away with the hotel and bulldoze it to the ground. However, as with so many wonderful places on Route 66, the National Trust for Historic Preservation found out about La Posada’s peril and added it to their endangered list, where it caught the attention of Tina Mion, and her husband, Allen Affeldt.
Affeldt and partners tirelessly negotiated with the transportation giant for three years before finally resolving a myriad of legal, environmental, and financial obstacles. Finally, with a truckload of patience and commitment, the trio of Allen, Tina, and their university friend and fellow artist, Daniel Lutzick, took ownership of the property in 1997. They have been injecting their love, artistic talents, and energy into the property ever since. In modern times, La Posada stands as a testament not only to their efforts and forethought but to the vision of Fred Harvey and the creativity of the building’s designer: Mary Colter, arguably the most influential female architect of her time.
Sitting outside with Tina, I listened to the trains rattle as they passed and admired the beautiful landscape that makes up the hotel’s lush garden. Amtrak stops right in front of the hotel, just as the other passenger trains did in the olden days.
Tina beamed as she spoke about the hotel, carefully watching the groundskeeper as he mowed the expansive lawn. Route 66 is packed with wonderful vintage motels and properties, but upmarket, classy hotels like La Posada are no less important to the experience and speak to the eclectic style of the Mother Road in the Southwest.”
If you would like to read our review of La Posada and its magnificent restaurant, The Turquoise Room, CLICK HERE.
Near the end of their journey, as they drove through Baker, CA, Matthew writes:
“The jerky shop was opened in 2000 and was the grand idea of Luis Ramallo and his obviously supportive wife, Susana. The couple recognized the large market of road warriors who flew through Baker day in and day out on their way to Nevada, and they wanted to offer them healthier fresh snacks. Inside, the shop is quirky and fun, packed with nuts, wild honey, dried olives, and more aliens, and, of course, beef jerky in an abundance of flavors. They have Roadkill Original, Abducted Cow Pineapple Teriyaki, BBQ on the Moon, and, if I ate beef, what I imagine my personal favorite would be, Space Cowboy Pepper.
Soon it was two o’clock and the sun was impossibly bright. We were feeling a little tired. Funny how heat can wear one down. But there were some old signs I wanted to take a closer look at, so we slowly made our way back to the road, passing a few silver vehicles in the parking lot that had smiling aliens inside looking like they, too, were ready to roll.
I watched as a handful of Chinese tourists excitedly took pictures with the peace-loving space dudes. They must have been amazed with the weirdness of roadside America.” “Not far away, Arne’s Royal Hawaiian Motel was equally forgotten and most certainly must have been an ambitious stab to attract patrons back in the day. Hawaii in the Mojave Desert. I truly love the way that America’s two-lane highways have used – and still use – almost any means to pull motorists off the road. Sadly, there in Baker, aspirations and efforts may have been bigger than the payoff.”
There are two chapters that I consider to be part of Southern Arizona, New Mexico and Arizona. This book, published by the University of New Mexico Press, includes New Mexico in Part 2: The Great Push West. I would have thought that New Mexico would be in the part called: “Into the Desert” which is Arizona and California. Okay, California is technically a desert. But it is also Coastal. Whatever.
Gallup is New Mexico, but it is also more closely related to Arizona than it is to Texas or Oklahoma. Nevermind. I wanted to tell you about the parts of this book that specifically concern this Southern Arizona Guide
And so it was for the preceding 2000 miles and on to the Pacific Ocean. America’s strange and wonderful roadside attractions still fascinate travelers, whether native or foreign.
I wondered if this mixed-racial family experienced any of America’s famous racism and bigotry along their journey, but if they did, Matthew did not mention any. For me, that was good news.
If you have a fascination with Route 66 as I do, buy this book. It’s a good read and will keep you looking forward to the next strange little town and its stranger attractions. You can buy it from Amazon.com or the New Mexico Press.
Â
Â
Â
Â
