Winslow, Arizona
I definitely never get tired of taking identical selfies with Charity in front of a thousand different wonders of the world.
This story is part seven of my January 2022 road trip to Las Vegas. Read about our others stops here:
Charity and I departed Meteor Crater around 2:00 p.m. on Tuesday and didn’t make it far. As per usual, I scouted ahead on Google Maps to make sure we didn’t miss any exciting stops along the way. Lo and behold, Winslow, Arizona was dead ahead.
I’m not the biggest Eagles fan, but “Take it Easy” remains one of my favorite songs of all time. For anyone who doesn’t know the song…
When I told Charity I needed her to take my photo standing on a corner in Winslow, I never imagined they’d have a whole park built around those Eagles lyrics.
“Well, I'm a standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see
It's a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford
Slowin' down to take a look at me
Come on, baby, don't say maybe
I gotta know if your sweet love is gonna save me
We may lose, and we may win
Though we will never be here again
So open up, I'm climbin' in
So take it easy”
Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey wrote those lyrics in 1971 after Browne’s car supposedly broke down in Winslow.
Charity wasn’t familiar with the song, but as soon as I saw Winslow coming up on the map I told her she had to stop and take my photo standing on a corner.
As we pulled into downtown we were pleasantly surprised to find that the small Route 66 town had dedicated a nice memorial to those lyrics. In fact, they’ve kind of cultivated their town’s entire identity around them.
One of these days Charity and I need to invest in a camera and a tripod so we can take photos like this together.
On the corner of Kinsley and old Highway 66 there’s a long wall with a Winslow, Arizona mural painted by the world-famous artist John Pugh, who’s famous for a form of painting that I can’t spell or pronounce. For you simple folk like me, I’ll just say it looks 3D and pretty damn impressive.
It didn’t used to just be a wall. In 2004, five years after the mural was painted, the historic J.C. Penney Rasco Building on which it was painted burned to the ground, with the exception of the east wall. The incredible work of art survived, and the rubble was replaced with a new $1 million plaza that now hosts a popular annual festival with music, vendors, food trucks, and a beer garden.
Would it really be Winslow without a flat-bed Ford?
On the east side of the wall there’s (you guessed it) a flat-bed Ford parked on the side of the road, as well as a “Standin’ on the Corner” sign and a life-sized statue of a man with a guitar, sculpted by Ron Adamson. Fun fact: Adamson had zero ties to Winslow or the Eagles. They found him because he was pretty much the only man in America with an “Art for Sale” website in 1998. Since my day job is helping people get discovered in Google, I thought that was a pretty neat tidbit.
Winslow Murals
10,000 nice people welcome you to Winslow.
In addition to Pugh’s trompe-l'œil wall mural, there are many other pieces of art scattered around Winslow, Arizona.
When you arrive in downtown Winslow on eastbound 2nd Street, the first piece of art you’ll be greeted by reads “10,000 nice people welcome you to Winslow,” and I have to agree; the people there were quite nice.
The mural also pays homage to “Snake Dance Country” and the town’s 9/11 Remembrance Garden, with depictions of Native Americans and Wayne Troutner’s Clothing Store for Men. The mural doesn’t have artist attribution that I could see, and I haven’t been able to find any mention of the artist online either.
All that remains of the famous Indian Trader is a touched-up ghost sign.
The famous R. J. Bruchman Indian Trader business in Winslow closed in the 1980s, but its ghost sign was given new life and restored alongside a massive alleyway mural by Yancey Katoney in 2018. The new Native American tapestry-like mural stretches the length of the alleyway on the side of what’s now Bojo’s Grill & Sports Club.
In the intersection of 2nd and Kinsley there’s a large “Arizona US66” mural painted in the middle of the street, and thankfully the downtown traffic is slow enough that it’s easy to get out there and take a photo in the middle of it.
I believe there are more murals scattered around the town but I didn’t have the time to stop and document them all. We were starving and needed to get back on the road soon.
A huge “thank you” to the man and his daughter who we exchanged photos with. I forget your name so if you ever stumble upon this blog, please drop a comment!
Downtown Winslow Shops and Restaurants
Charity and I grabbed a late lunch at RelicRoad Brewing Company and enjoyed the burgers, but the fries were greasy and unseasoned, the Mac & Cheese was just average, and it was all overpriced. The waitress was nice though and we enjoyed our blueberry beers but next time we visit we’ll try a different restaurant. RelicRoad certainly wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t great either.
For dessert we visited the Sipp Shoppe, which is actually conjoined with RelicRoad by a hallway. They have hot dogs, sandwiches, and breakfast, but we were mostly interested in coffee and milkshakes. I would like to visit the Sipp Shoppe again to try the breakfast.
Finally we set back out on our return journey and drove through to Tucumcari, New Mexico before calling it a night.
All-in-all, Winslow was a wonderful little detour and seems like a great town for a visit. I definitely recommend stopping by if you’re ever on I-40 and need a break from the road, and I hope to visit again for a full weekend getaway.
