It is Monday, August 17 and I have been on the road to Sedona, AZ for the Chevy Nomad Convention held at the Hilton Sedona Resort and Spa for the past week. I can describe that week in two words: hot and beautiful.
I left Colorado Springs with both of my Nomads (Chevy and Kawasaki) at 5:30 AM on Saturday, August 8 heading south on I-25. My original plan was to take US 160 from Walsenburg to the Four Corners area and then the "dreaded" US 666 (the Devil's Highway, since renumbered because of our "PC"ness) to Gallup, NM and then on to Holbrook, AZ to stay with my friends, the Foree's, from the VROC group. As I got closer to Walsenburg I saw that the weather was not looking favorable so I opted to continue on I-25 to Albuquerque and then I-40 West to Holbrook. I got into Holbrook about 1:30 PM and went directly to the Foree's home. That night we had a cookout with other members from VROC and some friends of Barb and Jack Foree. They also invited another Chevy Nomad guy, Mike Ferguson of Tulia, TX, over for the festivities. He was staying at the local Econo Lodge and we had planned to hook up in Holbrook and caravan to Sedona on Sunday.
Everyone survived Jack's "forcing" us to enjoy the various beers he had at the house. By 10:00 AM we were all set to continue on to Sedona. We left Jack's Body Shop with the two Nomads and four motorcycles. Mike and I took I-40 to Flagstaff where we picked up SR 89A to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon. Of course it was a beautiful drive and there was little evidence of the recent fires that could be seen from the road.
It was either the vortexes or the influence of the crystals but I managed to miss the turn-off onto SR 179 that was to take us to the Village of Oak Creek and the Hilton Sedona. Five miles down SR 89A and I realized my mistake, did a u-turn, found the turn-off and arrived at the Hilton about 1:30 PM.
The parking lot at the Hilton was already full of Nomads. Mike and I checked in and surprise, surprise we got a first-floor room right off the main lobby with our patio door opening onto the parking lot where all the Nomads were! It's always great to start off something like this on a positive note.
I had already made my decision not to place my car for judging. It was too hot to wash and detail it and my car is a "driver" not a show car. Instead, I set up my swapmeet spot Monday morning and ended up selling most of the stuff I brought. The money gained there paid for my room and a few tanks of gas!
Tuesday was the dinner at the Blazin' "M" Ranch in Cottonwood. Mike and I rode over in my car as he had been the "taxi" the day before. The food was very good. I had the barbecue beef, cowboy beans, baked potato, apple sauce, biscuit and bunches of iced tea. The post-dinner entertainment was what I would have expected with music, skits and a stand-up comedian. I would have liked to have heard more of the music as they were all terrific musicians. Oh well.
Wednesday was the day the tour buses came and took a bunch of the "Nomaders" down to Phoenix and toured a couple of shops. I knew what Phoenix was like in the summer as I had lived there for three years in the early 90's so I opted out. Instead, I discovered a leak around the thermostat housing on my engine. Turns out a small pin hole had developed just under the hose. Luckily, there was a NAPA store in Sedona so once I removed the housing I jumped on my bike and headed down there in the hopes that they had a replacement. Turns out the person who runs the store has a 57 Nomad himself so he was more than happy to check out his shelves and found the housing that I needed. Within the hour my car was fixed and no more leak. Just a note here: for those who consider getting the cheap, made in Taiwan, chrome-plated, cast aluminum housings, don't. They are an inferior product that are prone to developing these pin holes. Besides, they cost several more dollars than the cast iron housing I got from NAPA.
Thursday was my planned ride to Jerome, AZ on the bike. I got up fairly early so I could beat the heat. My first stops were to get pictures of Bell Rock, Chapel of the Rock and some of the local scenery. Then I stopped at the Blue Moon Cafe in Oak Creek for breakfast. I wish I had known about this place before. It was excellent and the meal was priced what I would think a breakfast should be. Afterwards I headed towards Jerome via SR 179, Beaverhead Road, Cornville Road and then SR 89A through Cottonwood. For those who have been to Jerome you know about the road that goes up the side of the mountain to get there. I do have a problem with heights and I was getting a nervous twitch in my throttle hand but I did make it up there. Once I was there I thought "that wasn't that bad" and I was able to relax. I took a short walk around town and stopped in a small place for some much-needed iced tea. Unfortunately, over the years Jerome has gotten too commercialized with art galleries, boutiques and over-priced gift shops. However, the view over the valley is superb. The ride back down towards Cottonwood was relaxed except for the idiot who was tailgating me even though I gave numerous opportunities for them to pass. When they finally did pass they pulled back in right in front of me! They also ran the stop sign at the bottom so they must have been VERY important. Like I said: Idiot. I meandered around the area between Cottonwood and Sedona (Page Springs and Cornville) before heading back to the Hilton and preparing for the night's banquet. The banquet was okay, the food was okay but none of it interesting enough to write home about. I guess I'm losing interest in this part of the convention these days.
Friday morning at 6:30 AM I departed the Hilton via SR 179 South to I-17 and headed to Flagstaff where I stopped for a well-deserved breakfast. After that it was to the Meteor Crater for a visit Belinda and I attempted to do back in 2002. Back then we were about a mile down the access road when the right rear wheel of our Blazer fell off! This time I made it and it was a culmination of many intended visits over the years to visit the crater. I have probably been by the crater on I-40 about twenty times but just never stopped for whatever reason. I'm glad I finally did it. Yes, it's a big hole in the ground and they have a pretty nice museum and I caught it on a day and time when it wasn't overrun with tourists.
After satisfying my need to see the big hole I ventured on to Holbrook where I stopped by Jack's Body Shop to deliver a gift to show my appreciation for their hospitality the previous weekend. Then it was onto parts unknown (at least the road) to see Canyon DeChelly in Chinle, AZ.
Omigod, talk about HOT! I took SR 77 North from Holbrook and picked up Indian 15 East just outside of Bidahochi (somewhere around there the speedometer gave up the ghost) and then US 191 North to Chinle. It was so hot at the canyon that I could only stand a short drive on the southside scenic drive and got less than a handfull of pictures. I had to get out of there so I proceeded up US 191 until I got to US 160 East and hightailed it for Cortez. I had a room reservation at the Tomahawk Lodge. I checked in at 4:00 PM , got my luggage inside, turned the A/C on full and just dropped on the bed. About 7:00 PM I went and got supper (with tons of iced tea), went back to the room and crashed for the night.
Saturday morning I got up early again to beat the heat, had breakfast at the Anazasi Restaurant and started on my final leg home. I got to Wolf Creek Pass about 10:00 or 10:30 AM, stopped at the Continental Divide sign and took the prerequisite picture. I went on to Del Norte where I picked up SR 112 East then US 285 North and then US 24 East outside of Buena Vista. I got home about 3:45 PM where Bear (my dog) greeted me with open paws.
Pictures of this adventure can be viewed at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/elnomad55
and go to the folder titled "Chevy Nomad Convention 2006".
Thank you for taking the time to read my trip report. I will have another one sometime in September to report on my California motorcycle trip.
I left Colorado Springs with both of my Nomads (Chevy and Kawasaki) at 5:30 AM on Saturday, August 8 heading south on I-25. My original plan was to take US 160 from Walsenburg to the Four Corners area and then the "dreaded" US 666 (the Devil's Highway, since renumbered because of our "PC"ness) to Gallup, NM and then on to Holbrook, AZ to stay with my friends, the Foree's, from the VROC group. As I got closer to Walsenburg I saw that the weather was not looking favorable so I opted to continue on I-25 to Albuquerque and then I-40 West to Holbrook. I got into Holbrook about 1:30 PM and went directly to the Foree's home. That night we had a cookout with other members from VROC and some friends of Barb and Jack Foree. They also invited another Chevy Nomad guy, Mike Ferguson of Tulia, TX, over for the festivities. He was staying at the local Econo Lodge and we had planned to hook up in Holbrook and caravan to Sedona on Sunday.
Everyone survived Jack's "forcing" us to enjoy the various beers he had at the house. By 10:00 AM we were all set to continue on to Sedona. We left Jack's Body Shop with the two Nomads and four motorcycles. Mike and I took I-40 to Flagstaff where we picked up SR 89A to Sedona via Oak Creek Canyon. Of course it was a beautiful drive and there was little evidence of the recent fires that could be seen from the road.
It was either the vortexes or the influence of the crystals but I managed to miss the turn-off onto SR 179 that was to take us to the Village of Oak Creek and the Hilton Sedona. Five miles down SR 89A and I realized my mistake, did a u-turn, found the turn-off and arrived at the Hilton about 1:30 PM.
The parking lot at the Hilton was already full of Nomads. Mike and I checked in and surprise, surprise we got a first-floor room right off the main lobby with our patio door opening onto the parking lot where all the Nomads were! It's always great to start off something like this on a positive note.
I had already made my decision not to place my car for judging. It was too hot to wash and detail it and my car is a "driver" not a show car. Instead, I set up my swapmeet spot Monday morning and ended up selling most of the stuff I brought. The money gained there paid for my room and a few tanks of gas!
Tuesday was the dinner at the Blazin' "M" Ranch in Cottonwood. Mike and I rode over in my car as he had been the "taxi" the day before. The food was very good. I had the barbecue beef, cowboy beans, baked potato, apple sauce, biscuit and bunches of iced tea. The post-dinner entertainment was what I would have expected with music, skits and a stand-up comedian. I would have liked to have heard more of the music as they were all terrific musicians. Oh well.
Wednesday was the day the tour buses came and took a bunch of the "Nomaders" down to Phoenix and toured a couple of shops. I knew what Phoenix was like in the summer as I had lived there for three years in the early 90's so I opted out. Instead, I discovered a leak around the thermostat housing on my engine. Turns out a small pin hole had developed just under the hose. Luckily, there was a NAPA store in Sedona so once I removed the housing I jumped on my bike and headed down there in the hopes that they had a replacement. Turns out the person who runs the store has a 57 Nomad himself so he was more than happy to check out his shelves and found the housing that I needed. Within the hour my car was fixed and no more leak. Just a note here: for those who consider getting the cheap, made in Taiwan, chrome-plated, cast aluminum housings, don't. They are an inferior product that are prone to developing these pin holes. Besides, they cost several more dollars than the cast iron housing I got from NAPA.
Thursday was my planned ride to Jerome, AZ on the bike. I got up fairly early so I could beat the heat. My first stops were to get pictures of Bell Rock, Chapel of the Rock and some of the local scenery. Then I stopped at the Blue Moon Cafe in Oak Creek for breakfast. I wish I had known about this place before. It was excellent and the meal was priced what I would think a breakfast should be. Afterwards I headed towards Jerome via SR 179, Beaverhead Road, Cornville Road and then SR 89A through Cottonwood. For those who have been to Jerome you know about the road that goes up the side of the mountain to get there. I do have a problem with heights and I was getting a nervous twitch in my throttle hand but I did make it up there. Once I was there I thought "that wasn't that bad" and I was able to relax. I took a short walk around town and stopped in a small place for some much-needed iced tea. Unfortunately, over the years Jerome has gotten too commercialized with art galleries, boutiques and over-priced gift shops. However, the view over the valley is superb. The ride back down towards Cottonwood was relaxed except for the idiot who was tailgating me even though I gave numerous opportunities for them to pass. When they finally did pass they pulled back in right in front of me! They also ran the stop sign at the bottom so they must have been VERY important. Like I said: Idiot. I meandered around the area between Cottonwood and Sedona (Page Springs and Cornville) before heading back to the Hilton and preparing for the night's banquet. The banquet was okay, the food was okay but none of it interesting enough to write home about. I guess I'm losing interest in this part of the convention these days.
Friday morning at 6:30 AM I departed the Hilton via SR 179 South to I-17 and headed to Flagstaff where I stopped for a well-deserved breakfast. After that it was to the Meteor Crater for a visit Belinda and I attempted to do back in 2002. Back then we were about a mile down the access road when the right rear wheel of our Blazer fell off! This time I made it and it was a culmination of many intended visits over the years to visit the crater. I have probably been by the crater on I-40 about twenty times but just never stopped for whatever reason. I'm glad I finally did it. Yes, it's a big hole in the ground and they have a pretty nice museum and I caught it on a day and time when it wasn't overrun with tourists.
After satisfying my need to see the big hole I ventured on to Holbrook where I stopped by Jack's Body Shop to deliver a gift to show my appreciation for their hospitality the previous weekend. Then it was onto parts unknown (at least the road) to see Canyon DeChelly in Chinle, AZ.
Omigod, talk about HOT! I took SR 77 North from Holbrook and picked up Indian 15 East just outside of Bidahochi (somewhere around there the speedometer gave up the ghost) and then US 191 North to Chinle. It was so hot at the canyon that I could only stand a short drive on the southside scenic drive and got less than a handfull of pictures. I had to get out of there so I proceeded up US 191 until I got to US 160 East and hightailed it for Cortez. I had a room reservation at the Tomahawk Lodge. I checked in at 4:00 PM , got my luggage inside, turned the A/C on full and just dropped on the bed. About 7:00 PM I went and got supper (with tons of iced tea), went back to the room and crashed for the night.
Saturday morning I got up early again to beat the heat, had breakfast at the Anazasi Restaurant and started on my final leg home. I got to Wolf Creek Pass about 10:00 or 10:30 AM, stopped at the Continental Divide sign and took the prerequisite picture. I went on to Del Norte where I picked up SR 112 East then US 285 North and then US 24 East outside of Buena Vista. I got home about 3:45 PM where Bear (my dog) greeted me with open paws.
Pictures of this adventure can be viewed at:
http://community.webshots.com/user/elnomad55
and go to the folder titled "Chevy Nomad Convention 2006".
Thank you for taking the time to read my trip report. I will have another one sometime in September to report on my California motorcycle trip.
posted by Eric at 7:53 PM
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