Joani & David's Travels: Friday, May 26, 2017, Winslow, AZ

It was extremely windy again today, so we decided to visit Winslow, AZ, instead of making another trip to the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park. All we knew about the tiny town was that it was a place to "take it easy" according to the Eagles who sang about "standin' on the corner in Winslow, Arizona." We found the famous corner and, when the crowd cleared for a second, took our pictures.

Because of the 1972 hit “Take it easy,” Eagles fans would come to Winslow and photograph themselves on the corner, any corner, to prove they were “standin' on a corner in Winslow Arizona.”

A group of town folk had an idea to build a park that would be dedicated to the song. The Standin' on the Corner Park (SotC) opened in 1999.

We did not want to leave Sam alone and he was eager to ride along, so he led us around town on his leash. It was so refreshing to find the town was extremely "dog-friendly." He was welcome nearly everywhere we went. A woman walking by us said we could visit her museum and Sam could come on in as well. I don't know what kind of museum it was and we never made it there - maybe next time.

We walked to the visitor's center a few blocks away and learned some interesting info about the little town. Things were not going so well until someone had the idea to actually identify "the corner" in the song as a draw for tourism. That turned things around. Now there is a steady stream of people who visit for nothing more than to have their picture taken on the corner with the girl in the flatbed Ford.

It was suggested that we walk the “First Street Pathway Park” which started behind the visitor's center and went all the way to the gazebo on Kinsley Ave. Along the walkway were "kitschy" signs reminiscent of the old Burma Shave signs that were found along the highways in the 50's.

There was also an interesting 40-foot tall totem carved by Peter Toth. In the 70s and 80s, Peter “Wolf” Toth carved a totem for all 50 states as a tribute to honor all Native Americans. Arizona's totem is in Winslow. It is known as the Trail of Whispering Giants. Joani realized we had seen another totem in Astoria, OR. With a list in hand, we now know to look for the other 48 totems along our travels.

It dawned on me that we saw another of the totems in Astoria, Oregon.

I took this picture of an 18-foot tall wood carving on W. Marine Drive/101, Astoria, OR, August 28, 2013. We had no idea it was part of the Trail of the Whispering Giants.

When we asked what else is in Winslow that we shouldn't miss, he didn't hesitate – La Posada Hotel. La Posada Hotel was built in 1929 by the Santa Fe Railroad for the Fred Harvey Company. Mary E. J. Colter, Fred Harvey's chief architect, designed and decorated the hotel. She was responsible for the design of many of the National Park lodges as well as the beautiful Watchtower we recently visited at the Grand Canyon. She was sometimes referred to as the Architect of the Southwest.

The hotel was closed in 1957 and fell into disrepair due to the decline of rail travel. It was purchased by Allan Affeldt in 1997 for his artist wife, Tina Mion. They restored La Posada, all 80,000 sq. feet. It also serves as Ms. Mion's studio and gallery.

Don't plan on popping in for the night - the hotel now has a worldwide reputation and remains booked in advance for four years. The beautiful grounds, lobbies and shops were all dog-friendly as well and we spent quite a bit of time exploring and photographing all of the architectural details.