Holbrook, Arizona

Even though I like to think of myself as a Highway 83 kind of guy, when you are criss crossing the country as much as we are, it is inevitable that you are going to find yourself on remnants of Route 66 now and then, and with Jackie's affinity for La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona, we find ourselves on that segment of Route 66 every few years, so while I have no illusions about documenting this American dream in any particular manner,  you can't help but to take a few good photos along the way. I like Holbrook especially because of Joe and Aggie's, a Mexican American restaurant that's been around since the 40's and serves real good food in a friendly atmosphere to get you set to leave for the painted desert and petrified forest which are just down the road as the two large chunks by the sign of petrified wood portend.

When looking through various Route 66 travelogues and monographs, I often feel that Joe and Aggie's doesn't get proper attention and frequently no mention at all .

Maybe people just don't see it because it is across the street from such attention getters as the Wigwam Motel which is quite unique and hard to compete with as a true American roadside attraction.   We took this photo at the motel a few years ago using a disposable camera and got the most wonderful Kodachrome like postcard perfect effect without even trying.

                           

I marvel at the unintended perfection of the results.   When you are just passing through, as we so frequently are, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't, photo wise that is.  Otherwise that's all I wanted to say about Holbrook, but here are a few more photos.

So that's the general idea.  When you are just passing through its whatever happened to catch your eye. during the short time you are there.   Its hard to miss the Powwow trading post, now closed down. 

 If you enjoy your meal at Joe and Aggie's and want to make it your regular place to eat,  land in and around Holbrook is abundant as is the occasional vacant house.  If not, eat hearty anyway and head out to the painted desert.  Here's me trying to fit all of that indescribably vast beauty into a negative.  An exercise in futility and humility and the delusional grandiosity of the human mind.

Pablo