Day 2 of the Drive East: Gettin' our kicks on (and around) Route 66

Following a Monday that included an emotional (and still difficult) farewell, several hours in the Suburban, and a late night after visiting the Grand Canyon, we slept late (well, most of us slept late) before a big breakfast at the Flagstaff Embassy Suites hotel.

Breakfast was a highlight not only for the food, but for watching the hotel cook who was part Benihana's chef and part Soup Nazi. We watched with mouths agape as he whipped through pancakes and scrambled eggs and omelets made to order at breakneck speed. The best was when he gave us our omelets, one at a time, while announcing which omelet it was as he fired the plates over the counter: "Omelet one with hash browns, go! Omelet two with hash browns, go! Omelet three without hash browns, go!" We grabbed the plates and left quickly out of fear that he might declare, "No eggs for you!" Hilarious -- and tasty.

With a late breakfast out of the way, and since we are in Route 66 country, we decided to stop in Winslow, Arizona, for the express purpose of standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona. The Eagles would have been proud. Yvonne even found the right vehicle so Jason could say, "It's a girl, my lord, near a flat-bed Ford, slowin' down to take a look at me."



From there we took the Eagles' advice to "Take It Easy." Further down the road in Holbrook, Arizona, we stopped at a charming local taco shop, serving the finest in southwestern cuisine. Actually, it was a Taco Bell, and it was anything but charming or fine dining, but it was convenient and served chalupas, so it worked.

Colin was sleeping as we pulled into the Taco Bell parking lot, and he was making some funny sounds and faces just before he woke up. As he awoke, Yvonne asked him what he was dreaming about. Before he could answer, Carson said sarcastically from the back seat, "he was probably dreaming about kissing Megan Fox (the actress from the Transformers movie who Colin describes as 'hot')." Colin, whose head was obviously still cloudy from his nap, still didn't miss a beat: "Nah, that ain't a dream. I've been there, done that." Gotta love the confidence, even if it's misplaced confidence.

Much of our day was spent driving parallel to Route 66, so we enjoyed seeing some of the familiar names from the song: "Gallup, New Mexico; Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona..." We especially loved the scenery in New Mexico. It was a gorgeous day, with a pastel blue sky and cotton candy clouds feathered about the horizon above majestic mesas. We felt like we were on the movie set for Pixar's movie Cars. If one of the rock formations had been shaped like the grill and hood ornament of a 1948 Cadillac, we wouldn't have been surprised.




We stopped at the Continental Divide, where we saw some interesting local culture (check out the photo of the sign; you might be a redneck if...). Jason also explained to the kids how water that falls on one side of the Divide flows to the Pacific, while water that falls on the other flows to the Gulf of Mexico. One of the boys asked, "So, how does the water know which way to go?" Jason explained it again, and they got it.



We ended the day in Albuquerque with a real local southwestern meal at Gardunos, an Albuquerque favorite that in no way resembles Taco Bell. Blue corn enchiladas, shrimp tacos, stuffed soapapillas, and carnita tacos -- all with green chile sauce and red salsa -- did the trick. We were all stuffed, and we had an amazing waitress who treated us to extra soapapillas for our trip tomorrow. Now we're putting the blog together poolside at the Albuquerque Hampton Inn on a warm, cloudy night that is occasionally interrupted by lightning flashes in the distance.

So two days into the trip it's so far, so good. All the kids are still alive, the Suburban is climbing hills like Lance Armstrong in his prime, and Jason's iPod is holding up well.

We set the iPod to shuffle and decided not to skip any songs until we get to Maryland. We're about 140 songs into the trip, and we're enjoying listening to everything from blues to country to jazz to garage bands to hard rock -- and some other stuff we're not sure how to classify.

Jason loved that as we crossed the border into New Mexico the iPod played Johnny Cash's "I Walk the Line," bringing back vivid memories of family vacations when he was young, listening to Johnny Cash on an old yellow 8-track.

Tomorrow we stay parallel to Route 66, stopping for lunch in Amarillo, then overnight in Oklahoma City (it's oh so pretty). It'll also be the longest day of our trip, nearly 550 miles. Good thing the iPod is charged.