We left Santa Fe this morning a few minutes after 10 AM en route to an RV park near Flagstaff, AZ. We took I-25 back to Albuquerque and then I-40 to Flagstaff. After 214 miles we stopped at the Arizona Welcome Center to make lunch and get an Arizona road map. It was a little before 2 PM.
After lunch we noticed dark clouds building to the south. The temperature dropped from 97 degrees to 73 degrees as the storm got closer to us. We pulled into a rest area and I took a few photos. I expected to run into some heavy rain before reaching Flagstaff. As it turned out we only received a light sprinkling of rain for a couple of minutes. Then the temperature started climbing back up.
About half an hour before reaching Flagstaff I saw a sign that I recalled from a trip we made over this same route about 6 years ago. I had to stop and take a photo because I knew that about 10 miles further would be another sign that I wanted a picture of. When you see the pictures you will understand why I had to stop and take these photos.
I was sure there had to be a good story that tied these two towns together! In a western version of a "Tale of Two Cities," perhaps Two Guns was a cowboy town and Twin Arrows was an Indian village. This would be something else to Google tonight once we were settled in at the RV park.
We arrived at the RV park just before 5 PM, or so we thought. It turned out to be just before 4 PM because we had crossed from the Mountain to the Pacific time zone. It doesn't really matter when you are retired. The day's travel was 373 miles in 6 hours and 40 minutes. A respectable average speed of 56 mph considering a fuel stop, lunch stop, rest stop, and 2 photo stops. I-40 was smooth and straight and I had the cruise set on 65 mph. What was really surprising was that our fuel economy was up to 7.5 mpg, even though we gained almost 1,000 feet in altitude since leaving Santa Fe.
The temperature at the RV park was 78 degrees when we pulled in. But even when the temperature had been in the 90's earlier in the day it wasn't that uncomfortable because the humidity was only about 24% as opposed to 60% or higher back in East Texas.
After supper I began Googling Two Guns and Twin Arrows, looking for a great story tying them together. Unfortunately, about the only thing they have in common was that both are essentially "ghost towns." The building of I-40 caused the decline and eventual abandonment of many small towns on Route 66 and these were just 2 of the many tourist traps that failed to survive.
Historically, Two Guns was the site of a battle between the Navajos and Apaches back in the 1800's. In more modern times it was a small privately owned town that boasted a gas station, overnight accommodations, restaurant, campground, and even a zoo for the travelers on Route 66.
Twin Arrows was even smaller than Two Guns. About the only thing at Twin Arrows was a trading post but it lasted longer than Two Guns. There is a faded sign that claims Twin Arrows to be the "Best Little Stop on I-40." The store/motel/cafe complex of Twin Arrows managed to hang on into the 1990's only because it had its own I-40 exit.
Tomorrow we continue west on I-40 to Kingman, AZ. From Kingman we will take US 93 North to Las Vegas. Hopefully, I will be able to get some photos of Hoover Dam.
