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Issue 16
March 2009
Fond Memories on the Slow Road
The Fast Road

You speed along the Interstate to get to your vacation destination as fast as possible. It's boring, the kids are squabbling, everybody is hungry. You look at the gas gauge and realize it's time to stop. You take the next exit, get gas and head for the drive-thru at the closest fast food chain. Everyone orders what they always order and you're back on the Interstate in ten minutes flat. When you look back on your vacation, will you have pleasant memories this day?

The Slow Road


After a morning of driving through beautiful scenery, getting up close and personal to a few cows, watching horses with their colts scampering around their pasture, you enter Old Town Cottonwood on Arizona Route 89A. The historic Main Street is lined with interesting shops, galleries and eateries. The family is hungry, so you park the car and wander down the street investigating the food options.

Alpine Horn Player in Old Town CottonwoodSuddenly you hear a mournful sound. Looking across the street you see a tall man blowing into a 12 foot long horn, a beautiful melody floating in the air. As his song ends a cluster of people sitting at tables on the sidewalk in front of a caf� burst into applause. The horn player crosses the street and introduces himself to you and your family. His name is Werner Erb from Switzerland. Every couple of years he travels around the US. He is on his way to Flagstaff to see R. Carlos Nakai, the Navajo flute player. He even offers to let your son try playing the Alpine horn and to everyones' delight he manages a passable rendition of Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.Warner Erb

You look inside the Old Town Caf� and see a display case full of the most delightful looking pastries. "How's the food?" you ask a man sitting at one of the tables. "Best in Cottonwood," he replies. In addition to pastries and coffee, the chalk board menu announces soups, salads, sandwiches and what turns out to be the best homemade quiche your wife has ever tasted.Old Town Caf�, Cottonwood, Arizona

After lunch, you wander into the Javadog Gallery next door. The artist/owner, Ramona Stites, tells you about the artists whose work she exhibits. You fall in love with a raku pot, very reasonably priced, and decide to add it to your modest but growing collection.

All in all the whole experience took an hour. Will you remember this day of your vacation next year? And the children, is their life richer for the experience? Yes to both.

This is what driving the slow road is all about. it takes some curiosity and even a little courage to step out of the safe routine of fast roads and fast food but it will make for fond memories and enrich your life.

Cowgirl Up!
Cowgirl Up! Exhibition & Sale at Desert Caballeros Western MuseumOne of the earliest supporters of the US Route 89 project was the Desert Caballeros Western Museum in Wickenburg, Arizona. This museum is typical of the sort of institutions found in the towns along 89, combining local history exhibits with a space for art shows. I first learned about Desert Caballeros when I illustrated a guide book to Wickenburg in 1994 (unfortunately, now out of print). I photographed the wonderful dioramas and life-size recreations of pioneer life in the museum's history section. Since then, I have been impressed by the quality of the art exhibits they mount especially the annual western women artists' show.

The fourth annual Cowgirl Up! Art from the Other Half of the West Invitational Exhibition & Sale opens this weekend, March 28, 2009, featuring the work of 58 artists. "Our Cowgirl Up! show and sale goes beyond the traditional to express the West's unique landscape, lifestyle and spirit," says Museum Director Mary Ann Igna. "It is a powerful experience drawn from the opportunity to bring together the best women artists in the West...all at one time and to one place."

For information on all of the events surrounding Cowgirl Up!, go to the Desert Caballeros Western Museum website. When you're in Wickenburg be sure to go to the Chamber of Commerce information center in the old Sante Fe train depot. The knowledgeable staff will answer all of your questions and provide you with brochures about all of the local attractions.

To learn about all of the attractions along US Route 89, see the Wickenburg to Prescott Road Trip Guide.
Support the "Slow Road" Movement:
Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society
US Route 89 Appreciation SocietyYou love driving the two-lane highways that keep you close to the edge of the road so you can see the land at a leisurely pace. You think nothing of stopping along the way to admire the view and smell the fresh air. You seek out unique places to eat where the special of the day depends on what's in season at the nearby farm. You already appreciate the opportunities offered by a journey on US Route 89.
You are not alone in your passion for a trip on a "slow road." There are many others like you. Together we can spread the word of the joys of leisurely travel. Join the US Route 89 Appreciation Society and you'll receive an official membership certificate and button to attest to your belief in the "slow road" movement.

General Membership: $5
Benefits:
� Membership Certificate
� Membership Badge
� Email Newsletter
� Invitations to all project events

Download the Membership Brochure in pdf format