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The Start of Our Route 66 Journey - California to New Mexico
The Start of Our Route 66 Journey - California to New Mexico
May was another challenging month for us. We replaced our rear leaf springs and upgraded to new and bigger tires at Owl Offroad in Anaheim, CA. We aren't positive but something with our van's computer system went haywire shortly after we installed the new tires. We were put into a soft limp mode, which means that when the van is at a stop, it takes at least five to ten seconds to get up to 10mph. It's dangerous when we're trying to cross traffic and get going at stop signs or stop lights. Even if our foot is on the pedal and pushing it all the way to the floor, the van won't move quickly. Josh spent dozens of hours trying to troubleshoot and recalibrate the van. Unfortunately, even if we were able to get out of limp mode, we'd eventually go right back into it. Our last resort was to go to Owl Offroad in Phoenix and put the original sized tires on that we had previously. We knew those tires didn't trigger the limp mode, or at least they hadn't in the past. Even with the new (albeing original sized) tires, the limp mode persisted.
On top of the limp mode issue, our power sliding door was acting up. It wouldn't properly close and the pinch sensor kept going off which meant the door would get close to closing but then would bounce back. Josh tried to fix it but was unable to. We took the van into Mercedes Benz of Flagstaff on a Tuesday, where they spent a day diagnosing it. They had to order a part so we came back two days later on Thursday where we learned they ordered the wrong part. They had the correct one shipped overnight and we spent all day Friday at the dealership. On Friday we were told the motor and sensor were going out and they recommended replacing them. They ordered the parts but since it was a long weekend for Memorial Day, we didn't come back to the dealership until Tuesday. We spent another full day at the dealership but thankfully the door seems to be working fine now. The service advisor was understanding and helpful. We appreciated his demeanor. It took us four days at the dealership and $3,500 to get our power sliding door fixed.
There were several benefits to staying in Flagstaff for a longer period of time. The first was that we were able to experience an Overland Expo. There were hundreds of vendors and it was great to see offroad and outfitted vehicles firsthand. The second was we were able to see different areas of the city and try a few breweries and restaurants. We were able to visit Walnut Canyon National Monument and Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site, which has over 1,000 petroglyphs visible on the rockface. Another perk was that Hailey's high school friend and college roommate lives in Flagstaff with her family. We were able to meet up with Hailey's friend several times while we were in Flagstaff.
When we weren't at the Mercedes dealership or trying to fix the van we were able to explore some of Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, Oatman and Kingman, AZ (there are wild burros in Oatman), Grand Canyon National Park, and Flagstaff, AZ. We would've liked to have spent more time at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park, but while we were there the temperatures were in the 90s. It was too hot to be comfortable and we were concerned about keeping Lucky cool. We stayed at the park for one night and then decided to move on to cooler temperatures in Temecula, CA.
We started our Route 66 journey in Yermo, CA and followed it through Oatman, Kingman, Flagstaff, and then Albuquerque. The longest stretch of the original Route 66 is in Arizona. Otherwise it gets broken up and it's easier to take the main highways. One town we really enjoyed was Winslow, AZ, which was put on the map by the Eagles' song "Take it Easy." The La Posada hotel was really neat to see. Mary Colter designed the hotel and the architecture is beautiful. The grounds and museum are worth visiting. At the museum we saw the world's largest Navajo rug, which took five years to make and weighs 250 pounds.
By the end of the month we made it Albuquerque, NM, which is Josh's hometown. We stayed with Josh's mom and visited with family.
Giant sculptures in Anza-Borrego State Park in CA.
Wild burros in Oatman, AZ.
The Desert Watchtower at Grand Canyon National Park. Inside is amazing!
Edge of the World overlooking Sedona, AZ.
Our van at Edge of the World.
Walnut Canyon Bridge outside of Flagstaff, AZ.
A street corner in Winslow, AZ.
Standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ.
Crane Petroglyph Heritage Site in Rimrock, AZ.
Standing on the corner in Winslow, AZ.
A dwelling at Walnut Canyon National Monument.
The world's largest Navajo rug.
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