High Country Road Trip

The four of us set out on a dramatic high country drive today with two destinations in mind - Tonto Natural Bridge State Park (at Payson) and Winslow (Standing' on the Corner in Winslow AZ" from the Eagles song, Take it Easy.)

Locally it was overcast and cool and as we drove NE, the sky cleared but it was even cooler at elevation. Throughout our trip we rose to 7450 ft, reached temps at freezing in early evening and saw roadside snow in high areas.

Our picnic site at Tonto Bridge

Tonto Natural Bridge

Tonto Natural Bridge is a  natural arch that is believed to be the largest natural travertine bridge in the world. Tonto Natural Bridge stands over a 400-foot-long (120 m) tunnel that measures 150 feet (46 m) at its widest point and reaches a height of 183 feet (56 m).

  Canyon wall rock formation

On the trail down to look at the bridge 

at the level of the Pine River that runs through the bridge.

Snow still remains in the forests at the highest elevation. 

Our route was mostly through unpopulated pine forests -

  except for Payson and Winslow

Tourists!

Winslow has created a perfect photo op for visitors - 

including the "flatbed Ford" of the lyrics

Robin & Carole at La Posada entry gardens

From the La Posada website:

 "La Posada embodies the visions of both Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter, the hotel’s renowned architect, and Allan Affeldt, its current owner. But the story really begins with Fred Harvey, who “civilized the west” by introducing linen, silverware, china, crystal, and impeccable service to railroad travel. (He was so legendary that MGM made a movie called The Harvey Girls starring Judy Garland.) Harvey developed and ran all the hotels and restaurants of the Santa Fe Railway, eventually controlling a hospitality empire that spanned the continent.

In the 1920s, Harvey decided to build a major hotel in the center of northern Arizona. “La Posada”—the Resting Place—was to be the finest in the Southwest. Construction costs alone exceeded $1 million in 1929. Total budget with grounds and furnishings was rumored at $2 million (about $40 million in today’s dollars). They chose Winslow, then (as now) the Arizona headquarters for the Santa Fe Railway. Winslow was ideally situated for a resort hotel since everything to see and do in northern Arizona is a comfortable day’s drive."

Hallway to guest suites at La Posada

Turquoise Dining Room

(they serve a creative menu of regional cuisine)