Standin On A Corner

From Albuquerque I flew west into the high desert of Arizona. In my itinerary planning for this epic journey, Winslow, AZ was a primary destination. Why Winslow? If you don't know the answer let me share a few lyrics from the hit song "Take It Easy" written by Jackson Browne but made famous by Don Henley, Glenn Frey and the Eagles: "Well I been standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona...I'm such a fine sight to see. It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford slowin' down to take a look at me..." It's a theme song that put Winslow on the baby boomer map. But as I came to learn while I visited there, Winslow has been "on the map" for other reasons for several generations.

Behind the bronze statue of a young guitar player leaning against a light pole is a painted mural showing the reflection of a passing flatbed Ford driven by a girl, my Lord. That is the fantasy image that brings hundreds of thousands of middle-aged visitors to Winslow every year. They've even created a park (Standin' on the Corner Park) smack dab in the middle of town. The wall, as you can see in the upper left photo, is in danger of collapsing, which is why they have blocked off the adjacent sidewalk. Locals tell me there are plans to save the mural wall and expand the park by tearing down the remainder of the structure. It was supposed to be done by now, but there has been some "difference of opinion" about the best way to do it.

That was what brought me to Winslow. But as I mentioned above, "Standin On a Corner" is just the latest reason why people would stop in Winslow. Winslow actually became an important destination when Charles Lindbergh decided he would build an airport there as a fueling stop for airplanes flying between Chicago and Los Angeles. The airport, situated only one mile from the town, is the Winslow Lindbergh Airport, built back in the late 1920's.

Winslow is also on Route 66, which prior to modern freeways was the most traveled route from Chicago to LA and had its own musical theme. Locals tell me they see a lot of people passing through Winslow who are "gettin' their kicks on Route 66."

But the other reason Winslow has been on the map was the Sante Fe Railway. In the heyday of rail travel, Sante Fe built several grand hotels along its main line. Winslow was home to one, known as "La Posada." You can check out the hotel in more detail by clicking on "laposada.org." I had breakfast there on the morning I arrived to visit the park and was so impressed with the hotel that I canceled other reservations and spent the night there.