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Places We have Stayed
Blatherings From The Editor We don’t travel as far in a single day as we use to. I remember Wanda and I doing 550 mile days back to back, no problem. On a 1,500 mile ride we’d only have to plan for a couple of nights in a hotel or motel. Seems as the years go up, the miles per day go down. Now on a 1,500 mile loop we plan for twice that many overnight stops. This means we need to know where we can kick-back for the night with a good restaurant or café close by and not have to mortgage the house to pay for the room. Mom & Pop hotels/motels or even some of the older chain hotels/motels can be just the ticket. Here are some of the places in Arizona we’ve stayed. One of our all time favorite small, Mom & Pop type motels is the La Siesta Motel and RV in Ajo. Just north of town on the west side of Hwy 85, the La Siesta has several older, cinder block rooms and quite a few new wooden cabins. I’ve never really checked out the RV section, although it looks good from the road. The hot tub is the hot setup here…always clean and hot! It’s soooo good to kick back and let the water jets massage a few kinks out of the back. The rooms and cabins we have stayed in have always been clean with working TVs, small refrigerators and microwaves. Ajo to home is an easy day’s ride, about 220 miles. Rooms run in the mid $50s plus tax. Our favorite hotel in Prescott is the Hotel St Michael on the corner of Whiskey Row and the Court House Plaza. This is an old building; it’s been around since 1901. A few stays back, I was pretty sure the shower head was about that old. The rooms are clean and tidy, and the hotel just happens to be right across the street from a great Brew Pub. You also happen to be right in the middle of all the shops and restaurants in the heart of old Prescott. Lots of shopping and brew pubbing. Expect to pay $70 to $120 for the night. By contrast the Hassayampa Inn just up the street starts around twice that. On Arizona’s east coast we have enjoyed the Rode Inns. I say Rode Inns with an “s” because there are actually 3 Inns and a Bed and Breakfast. There are two Inns in Arizona - Springerville and Clifton; and the other Inn and the B&B are in Reserve, NM. The largest of the three Inns is the one in Springerville. This happens to be the location for SEAT’s Overnighter for the last couple of years. The rooms are good sized and have always been clean. The ride to get to Springerville is the lure here, some of the best twisty-turnies in the state. Take Old Hwy 666 (Hwy 191) up from Clifton to Alpine and you’ll see what I mean; something like 500 turns in 90 miles. You reach a height of more than 8,000 feet with awesome views along the way. The ride through Salt River Canyon ain’t half bad either. With all the taxes, it’ll cost you in the $65 to $75 range at the Inn in Springerville. If you are looking for luxury in an old setting, the La Posada in Winslow should be on your list of places to stay. This is an old railroad station, a Harvey House that has been restored. When you drive up and park, you are actually at the back of the building; the front faces the railroad tracks. Our room was very nice; we stayed in the Will Rogers room. The restaurant was flamboyant and the Martini Bar was an experience. We paid about $100 for the room and about the same for dinner, those Martinis were sure good. Don’t forget to get your picture with The Guy Standing on the Corner. Not all old, historic hotels are so good. Staying in the Zane Grey Room in the Hotel Monte Vista in Flagstaff taught us to check for railroad track crossings in town. Every twenty minutes or so we got to enjoy mind-numbing horn blasts; a real eye opener, for sure. There are others places we’ve stayed at that deserve mention. With the help of Craig Littlefield our web master, we’ll put up a list. Send in some of your favorite places and we’ll list them, too. Deryle & Wanda, don’t forget to ask for your AARP discount!
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