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We recently took a trip to visit Nancy's cousins near Flagstaff. Although we've visited them before, we've only stopped by for a few hours before moving on to visit other relatives. This time we moochdocked for a few days in our travel trailer, Guthrie. Moochdocking is when you stay at someone's home and maybe connect to their water and electricity while sleeping in your RV. After tripping their breaker several times, we decided to just disconnect. Surprisingly, our 150 watts of solar panels kept us powered for about 3-4 days on the batteries. Our first stop was at the Sun & Fun RV Park in Tulare, CA. Using our Passport America membership, the fee was only $35 per night, a 50% savings. (You can read our review on the park by clicking the RV LIFE Campgrounds icon on the upper right.) The second night was at the Fender River Road Resort in Needles, CA with 100 degree weather and wind. (Tip: If you need gas, but can wait until you cross into Arizona you will save about $3 per gallon.) We live on the California coast at about 45 feet above sea level. Flagstaff is nearly 7,000 feet above sea level, so I admit I was breathing a little harder than usual. Also, in May it can still get down into the 30s at night, so extra blankets were required. Getting to Flagstaff required two days of 6-8 hours of driving while pulling Guthrie behind because we don't like going over 60 mph while towing. Flagstaff, and its surrounding area, has a lot to offer. It is the home of Northern Arizona University and is close to the Grand Canyon, Sedona, Winslow, and State and National Parks. The wife and I visited Sedona on our own. Although the area is beautiful, we found it to be too crowded and the downtown to be like an outdoor mall. There was, however, the Church of the Holy Cross, which sits on a cliff overlooking the valley. It was worth seeing, if only for a few minutes.
Winslow, AZ is probably most famous for the Eagles song "Take It Easy," with its second verse being... Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona Such a fine sight to see It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford Slowin' down to take a look at me Come on, baby, don't say maybe I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me We may lose and we may win Though we will never be here again So open up, I'm climbin' in So take it easy
While the song by Jackson Browne and Glenn Lewis Frey has its own tribute corner in Winslow, just a few blocks away is the historic La Posada Hotel. It is the last of the great Fred Harvey/Santa Fe Railway Hotels. The Fred Harvey Company owned the popular Harvey House chain of restaurants, hotels, and other hospitality businesses alongside railroads in the late 1800s. It was founded in 1876 by Fred Harvey to cater to the growing number of train passengers. (Read more about this venture here.) The La Posada Hotel was built in 1930 under the direction of Mary Jane Colter, considered by many to be the greatest Southwestern Architects. About 44 miles north of Flagstaff off of Highway 89 is the Wupatki National Monument, home of the largest free standing pueblo in northern Arizona dating from around 1100 AD. One of three pueblo sites in the monument, the Wupatki Pueblo has 104 rooms. A few miles away is the three story Wukoki Pueblo, shown below. We were blessed to have visited so many sites in such a short time. Many thanks to Ron and Karen Epperly, for spending their time with us and showing us the sites of Northern Arizona.
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AuthorGordon Barbosa, Archives
June 2025
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