Roadtrip WI-AZ: By the Book

DAY 1 - Pewaukee to Tulsa

We did 750 miles with a GPS and a Roadfood book.  Overall a very successful day.

No time for a write up now, I'll do that when we are done driving.  Here are pictures from Day 1. 

















If you please, you can guess our stops and try writing the narrative for me.

Here's the narrative:

Yummy.

Cherry Raspberry...already thinking about next year!!!

Oh wait...Blackberry Crumb!!!

Whatever I order, I want that caramel-drizzle looking sauce on that slice of apple(?) pie!

Having an Oklahoma onion burger is on my bucket list.

Is that 'mold' on the corn-dog??

mayor al


Is that 'mold' on the corn-dog??

Maybe that's a blue corn dog.

Those fries and the corn dogs (that's a shadow BTW, not "mold") look like they came from the Cozy Inn in Springfield.  If that's the case, then you had some pretty good grub.  But I can't believe you were mere blocks away from The Dr. of BBQ and didn't stop in for a visit.  Heck, Jack would have given you enough food to last the rest of the trip; all you'd need was a cooler to keep it all in.

Hank's in Tulsa looks great.  I'm guessing they serve old time flat on the griddle style burgers ala Culver's.  Good guess or no?

Hope you guys are having a great trip!

Buddy

You should have Buffetbuster riding shotgun with you for those Pie Stops.
 
A WORD OF CAUTON!
 
THERE ARE MAJOR FOREST FIRES ALL AROUND THE FLAGSTAFF AREA VERY CLOSE TO I-40. THEY MAY CLOSE I-40 IF IT CONTINUES. YOU MAY WANT TO CONSIDER ALTERNATE ROUTES. THE FIRES ARE NOT UNDER CONTROL YET. MANY HOMES IN FLAGSTAFF HAD TO BE EVACUATED. BE CAREFUL.

When do you expect to arrive in PHX?

Cozy Dog!  You are correct Buddy.

That is peach pie with the cinnamon sauce.

We got Nite Owl'd at Hank's.  buffetbuster was with us in spirit.

DAY 2 - Tulsa to Gallup

We stopped at four Roadfood-reviewed restaurants - ate at two, were TTM'd at one, and slept at one.

I wonder if they'd put cinnamon sauce on a burger?  Lovely pictures JRP!

DAY 2 - Tulsa to Gallup

Here are the pics.

We started the day at the Tulsa Embassy Suites (we mentioned being friends of Jane and got special service) with our complimentary breakfast.  It was not worthy of photos.

On the road we were shooting for Beans & Things in Amarillo for a late lunch of Texas brisket.  After finding Beans & Things closed on Sunday, we made a quick switch to plan B and went to Dyer's.







The Stern's were right, the brisket at Dyer's is nothing special.  Nor were the ribs.  The hot links were good, but the surprise was the pork loin (you can barely see it under the ribs and onion rings).  Tender & juicy, with a hint of hickory.  It was exceptional.

Next stop, Albuquerque and The Frontier.  I already ordered and paid before seeing that disgusting jersey on the wall, so we were stuck.  Good thing.



My green chile cheeseburger was better than the sum of its parts.  The bun and patty were average, probably mass produced.  But when put together with the green chile salsa it was superb.  Bobbi ordered hash browns with cheese and chiles with her's, which was probably the best thing we had at The Frontier.





The end of the road was the Motel El Rancho in Gallup.



The Duke left a light or two on for us.





We spent the night in the Rosalind Russell room.

Nice partial post JRP! Looks like a fun-filled (and food-filled) trip! Your pics almost get my nostrils flaring, trying to get a whiff of all that great food! It would sure be tempting to eat dessert first with those pies. Looking forward to the rest of you adventures...

Day 3 - Gallup to Goodyear

We started today at the Hotel El Rancho in Gallup, also home to the Roadfood-reviewed El Rancho Restaurant.



Bobbi and I split Huevos Rancheros and Atole, a blue corn hot cereal.  The eggs were especially good with the green chile salsa.



We ate the Atole like we would grits or oatmeal.  Unlike grits, this ground corn cereal had no grittiness.



We passed the wild fires near Flagstaff.  We could see them from as far away as Winslow, about 60 miles away.  The fires were not near I-40 today, but some state roads were closed.





As there were no Roadfood reviewed places near our destination, we decided to try In & Out Burger based on the chain's cult-like following.  And a cult it is ... there can be no other explanation.  Copp's without the custard, but with inferior burgers.



We don't get it.  This wasn't even the second best burger on our 2-1/2 day trip.  These were not the best fries either.  But the Diet Coke was cold and fizzie!!!

The thing in the front is the "veggie burger" from the "'Secret Menu'" (wink, wink).  I think I get the joke now.



Our final destination on the trip was the Wigwam Resort in Goodyear, AZ.  Check out the resort website, the place has an interesting history.



One of the gorgeous pools.  It is off season, so Bobbi & I had the pool to ourselves this evening.

Glad you got thru the wildfires OK. News reports had them closer to I-40. The major fire was started by a camper who didn't extinguish a campfire properly when he broke camp. Thousands of Dollars spent fighting the fire and thousand of Acres of beautiful Ponderosa Timber destroyed.

Those Burgers look like you found an In - N- Out Burger Joint.
Welcome to AZ!

Day 1 Follow-up

A tub of homemade Oatmeal, Date & Pecan cookies were our fuel for the trip.

Buddy - We were eating from the Roadfood book and were not aware we were anywhere near to the Dr. of Barbecue while at the Cozy Drive-In.  We were trying for a fast eat & run at the Cozy, and did not count on a line out the door.



The pies were served at A Slice of Pie in Rolla, MO.  Cherry-Raspberry and Peach with Cinnamon Sauce.  Both good, but we preferred the peach.



In Tulsa we arrive at Hank's an hour and a half after closing.  After finding the Metro Diner no longer in business (we called that one first), we settled on the 5 & Diner.  Pretty good food and service for a chain.  But our hearts were set on Hank's.

I think I'm caught up now, and the report is complete, too.  Take that Bob!

JRP.

While eating at the Cozy Inn did you happen to spot a freestanding, round table with a Formica top adorned with a bunch of magic markered signatures?  That was the "regulars'" table for many years at the Cozy Inn's original location; where the Walgreen's now stands.  The regulars were a bunch of guys who would come into the Cozy on a regular basis and spend most of their morning sitting around that table with Buz Waldmire, the owner, drinking coffee, eating donuts, etc.

When Walgreen's decided they wanted to appropriate the property, the protests from Route 66 enthusiasts was so overwhelming Walgreen's agreed to build the Cozy Inn a new building just to the north of the original location.  In order to do that they had to purchase the A. Lincoln Motor Court Motel, knock it down and then build the new structure.

The motel was a classic Route 66 motor court; "U" shaped with a big A-frame in the center housing the front office.  It might have been quite the hot spot once upon a time, but by the time we stayed there (out of absolute necessity I can assure you) it was a dreadful place.  All of the worn out sheets and bed spreads had the words "A. Lincoln Motel" written on them in fat, black magic marker so no one would steal them (as if!).  This was the place you saw in every bad 1930's gangster movie.  You know the scene-the bad guys have just robbed the bank, they're laying low at a dingy motel and one of them peeks out the window to make sure the cops haven't followed them-that room and that window were the A. Lincoln Motel!

Anyway, before moving to the new building, Buz asked all of his regulars and a few honored visitors to sign the table top.  Among the honored visitors were Burt Wolf and yours truly.  I was sorry to see the old building go away.  It was a real gem of hodgepodge architecture with great character.  The food may have stayed the same but the new building is sorely lacking in history and warmth.

Too bad on missing the Dr.  He's a great guy with some outstanding 'Que.  I'm guessing this will not be the last time you make this trip.  Make sure you contact me the next time you're down Springfield way and I'll get you directions.

Glad your trip was safe and happy!

Buddy

JRPfeff


Day 1 Follow-up

A tub of homemade Oatmeal, Date & Pecan cookies were our fuel for the trip.

Buddy - We were eating from the Roadfood book and were not aware we were anywhere near to the Dr. of Barbecue while at the Cozy Drive-In.  We were trying for a fast eat & run at the Cozy, and did not count on a line out the door.



The pies were served at A Slice of Pie in Rolla, MO.  Cherry-Raspberry and Peach with Cinnamon Sauce.  Both good, but we preferred the peach.



In Tulsa we arrive at Hank's an hour and a half after closing.  After finding the Metro Diner no longer in business (we called that one first), we settled on the 5 & Diner.  Pretty good food and service for a chain.  But our hearts were set on Hank's.

I think I'm caught up now, and the report is complete, too.  Take that Bob!

Aww, come on Jim, you know that I complete all of my trip reports. Granted, sometimes the process takes three or four months, but eventually they do get finished. BTW, great report.

JRPfeff-
Excellent stuff!  The pie photos are especially superb.  Glad to see A Slice of Pie still doing well.  And your photo of the atole from El Rancho turned out much better than mine.  My photo made it look the gruel they served the orphans in Oliver!