Native American Lands – Day 1

Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona

Our lives should have stories; while this one is cheesier, it was ours. While many places along Route 66 are simply gone, there are a couple of stretches where images of an era gone by are clinging to life, such as in Seligman, Winslow, and here in Holbrook. Someday, this place too may join the fate of many of the other original Wigwam locations and be bulldozed, but we’ll know firsthand what it was like to sleep in a concrete Tee Pee on one of America’s most famous old highways.

Holbrook, Arizona

Fitting in with our nostalgic overnight we just had to stop in a cafe for breakfast, and a great breakfast it was.

Native American Lands

Heading into the lands of Native America.

Native American Lands

The landscape is beautiful, but it’s also obvious that it gets little rainfall. Along the way, we stopped at the Hubbell Trading Post listed as a National Historic Site.

Native American Lands

After this dust storm blew across the landscape, we were offered a bit of rain, but just a little.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

Over in the southwest corner of Colorado, not far from the Four Corners region where Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico all share a common border spot is the Mesa Verde National Park. For almost 10,000 years, the native people of North America have inhabited this area. Today, there are over 4,300 archaeological sites in this park, though only a few are easily visited.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

These cliff dwellings are probably the largest draw for visitors to Mesa Verde.

Mesa Verde National Park in Colorado

Our time here is too brief as it is in so many of our travels while we are out here trying to get oriented to the lands of America.

Native American Lands – Day 0

Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona

Finally had the opportunity to sleep in a Wigwam here in Holbrook, Arizona. This is only one of three Wigwam properties that still exist. Built-in 1950 on old Route 66, it is an icon that has always attracted our attention when we’ve driven by it. Heading up to Colorado, we decided to shave some miles off our trip by driving the 186 miles (300 km) here to the Wigwam Motel, as this was as good an excuse as any to book a night. Bragging rights alone make this bit of Americana worth every penny.

Los Angeles

Sunset at Santa Monica Beach in California

Two weeks later and here we are in Los Angeles again. For a while, the 3rd Street Promenade in Santa Monica was a serious draw for movies, food, books, and street life. At some point, Mark Shimer joined us; come to think of it, this was probably the weekend we convinced Caroline to go to Six Flags Magic Mountain, and with knees quivering, she rode Superman – and liked it!

Mark Shimer and Caroline Wise at Santa Monica Beach in California

No matter when and where, my wife will always try to get her shoes off for a walk in the water, add some golden sunset, and it all lends itself to a perfect day.

Los Angeles

Burning hay bales in Blythe, California

These burning hay bales near Blythe, California, are the only reminder that the weekend was spent in Los Angeles. No other photos were taken, and my memory is not good enough to figure out any of the details.

Maybe we took in a movie; maybe this was the weekend we stopped in at Disneyland for half a day, visited a museum, met with the family, or visited Little India or one of the other ethnic centers in Los Angeles; who knows?

Southern California – Day 3

Los Angeles, California

Headed out towards Valencia, California, to pick up our old friend Mark Shimer to spend some time with him today. These are the mountains around Ojai, which is one of the cutest small towns in Southern California.

Mark Shimer, Caroline Wise, and John Wise on the California Coast

We made it out to Pismo Beach because it has a beach and we could walk along the ocean. After a beautiful self-indulgent long weekend in Southern California, it was time to point the car east for our 550 miles (885 km) drive home to Phoenix, Arizona. Getting home after midnight can be a drag, but it’s all well worth the effort.

Southern California – Day 2

Southern California Coast

Wow, look at all the wildflowers! We are at the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.

Southern California Coast

Yeah, wildflowers.

Southern California Coast

When we come to the oceans we try and go everywhere we’ve not previously been in addition to revisiting our favorite places.

Southern California Coast

I suppose I can see the draw of living in Malibu, even if it’s cliffside and not beachfront.

Caroline Wise and John Wise on the Southern California Coast

No visit to the ocean is complete without a walk along the beach.

Hollywood, California

I wonder if we tend to see Los Angeles through the eyes of someone who’s never been here. Although I grew up here, it always looks different to me now that I only visit on occasion. Back in the 1970s and early ’80s, I never really considered the environment with more than a passing glance; I was more interested in the city’s freakish street culture watching stoner hippies being replaced by cocaine-fueled disco divas followed by drunk punk rockers interspersed with roving gang members and hookers.

Los Angeles, California

Here in downtown L.A., I’d be witness to the homeless, winos, crazy people, junkies, prostitutes, and throngs of people scurrying about; that was not at all like my suburban experience growing up in Monterey Park and West Covina.

Back in those days, we often had smog alerts, and seeing the downtown area or even nearby mountains was impossible. Maybe it was due to those gray, smoggy days that I never really noticed the city I was living in and felt that nobody else was looking at it either. So it is still today that I feel that Angelenos go about their lives oblivious to where they actually live as they dwell within their existence and socio-economic identity.

Los Angeles, California

I’ve always loved this city of lights, and although it’s not Paris it has always been a place of magic for me as I never felt the city slept. It’s after midnight by the time we grab a motel.