Kickin' It on Route 66 ~ Arizona Chapter 7 - 8
Title: Kickin’ It On Route 66
State: Arizona ~ Chapter 7-8
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, OMCs
Summary: The Allen-Lamberts take a road trip along Historic Route 66
Disclaimer: I don’t own Adam or Kris. This story is fiction. Other major characters are fictional; the places they visit in this story are real. Imaginary character created for part of this trip.
Dedicated to adamluvr36_fic ~ just because ♥
Extra disclaimer: The poem inserted in this story is not mine. I have given the actual poet credit for it within the story.
Leaving Grand Canyon, heading towards Arizona/California border. Another short chapter … family still too sore to do much of anything. You might need some tissues, last scene getting sentimental
Time for an Allen-Lambert universe mini series. Hannah is 12 years old, Josh is 7 years old. Mrs. Willowby comes along too! Get ready for Americana and nostalgia.
Overview map of The Mother Road ~ http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html
Retrace the trip ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/45756.html#cutid1
Masterlist of Allen-Lambert universe ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/21722.html#cutid1
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
ROAD TRIP DAY 47:
GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
On the website for the mule rides, it was written that ‘Many riders will experience a great deal of soreness after having been on mules in the Grand Canyon all day. It is suggested that you not plan heavy activities for the day after your mule ride’.
They weren’t kidding.
The next morning, nobody moved from bed. The alarms went on, where shut off, and everyone went back to sleep. They had their campsite until 3pm and were in no rush to head out. As long as they reached the Arizona/California border by tonight, they’d keep on schedule.
Eventually they had to eat so they dragged their tender butts out of bed to quiet the rumbling of hungry stomachs echoing through the quiet RV. The campground showers were visited again, this time for a plummeting of hot water to ease the aches. They rested some more then took a slow walk into town for lunch. Getting mobile helped a lot and by 3:00pm, they were moving out.
“I can’t believe this journey is almost over,” Mrs. Willowby signed.
“I know what you mean,” Adam commented. “By next week, we’ll be sleeping in our own beds again.”
“And seeing our friends,” Hannah added enthusiastically.
“And cooking proper meals in my kitchen; I never thought I’d miss it. So many new recipes to try.”
“And watching our big screen TV and playing with my toys!”
Kris concluded, “And getting back to work. It’s been a great break but I’m ready to create music again.”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
SELIGMAN, ARIZONA
The drive from Grand Canyon Village to Needles, California was 234 miles and nearly 4 hours long. With backs and backsides still troublesome, Kris and Adam shared driving duties. They’d go about fifty miles then pull over and pass it on to the other.
In the meantime, the kids occupied themselves watching a movie on their laptop while Mrs. Willowby flipped through the cookbooks she’d bought and hadn’t sent back home, making notes of what she wanted to make herself. Kris or Adam, depending on who wasn’t driving at the time, stretched out in the co-pilot’s chair and relaxed.
The only stop they made was in Seligman for dinner. Surrounded by cattle country, Seligman was part of the famed Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, and the Route 66 magic was still alive and well.
Where to stop wasn’t an option. The minute they found this place in their planning, they knew … Adam and Kris anyway … that they had to eat here.
How often do you get to tell friends and family that you ate at The Roadkill Café?
It looked like a normal café from the outside and when you stepped inside, the animal trophy heads were disconcerting if you weren’t used to it but they’d been places with this kind of décor before. What made it different was the menu. They knew that the Health Department wouldn’t give this restaurant a license if they really served roadkill but the creative naming of the dishes and the motto of ‘You Kill It, We Grill It’ was fun and fodder for great stories in the future.
They waited to be seated, looking around at the kitsch and antiques.
Kris felt a tug on his sleeve and looked at his girl.
“Are they serious about that?” she asked, pointing to the sign attached to the post:
HEY THERE PARTNER, NO FIRE ARMS BEYOND THIS HERE DOOR
It was printed above a cartoon cowboy but looking around at all the dead animals, he questioned the humor in it.
After being seated and giving their orders, they checked out some of the décor before the food came. On one wall was a poem entitled ‘The Roadkill Café’ by Arnot Ross McCullum. It was so funny Adam took a picture of it with his phone to add to their scrapbook on Arizona:
‘ I had my dinner yesterday
In a place they call Roadkill Café
They serve their dishes full of tricks
Scraped off Highway 66
There’s Frog Leg Pasta a la mode
Squirrel Lasagna a la road
Hamster hash, Rack of Coon
Chunk of Skunk
Leg of Loon
Fat free Cat, Pit Bull pie
Seagull Soup
With Eagles’ eye
The Buffalo wings are very good
They lift them gently from the hood
Turtle Toes are quite a deal
They serve them hot, right off the wheel
Ground Hound Meatballs
Soufflé of Snake
Deep Ditch Rooster
Flattened Drake
The chef is really quite a fella
I’m sure he’s full of Salmonella
The food is tasty … the food is dandy
Just keep your barf bag close and handy!’
“Daddy, can I have a penny?”
“A penny?! What are you going to buy with a penny sweetie?”
“I’m not buying anything, I’m gonna pinch it.” Hannah grabbed his hand and showed him the Penny Pincher Coin Machine. “I want to make one.”
Kris dug in his pocket and gave her a handful of change. It actually cost 51¢, 50 cents to operate the machine and the penny to flatten.
“Make four more while you’re at it.”
“No problem.”
She dropped the coins in to the machine and turned the crank. Various rollers took the copper coin and flattened it to the width of a credit card and then stamped it with The Roadkill Café’s name. Heading back to the table, she handed them out.
“This is sooooo cool!”
“Our dinner is going to be too if we don’t hurry up and eat,” Mrs. Willowby announced.
They had already visited the all-you-can-eat salad bar while Hannah was busy and their dinner and drinks had arrived. The nanny had put together a garden salad for her and with everyone assembled, they dove into the Deer Delectables, Bad-Brake Steak, Caddy Grilled Patty, Fender Tenders and Splatter Platter.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA
“That’s it Joshie, hands on the steering wheel … keep your eyes on the road … good boy, now look at me … big smile … got it! Hannah, you’re next.”
Kris showed Adam the pictures on his phone while their son got out from behind Winnie’s controls and Hannah took his place. After they took her picture, Mrs. Willowby had a go and then she took pictures of the boys behind the wheel.
Parked safely in the campground, the quintet was going crazy snapping pictures of everything Winnie. It was a bittersweet night, their last sleep over in the beloved RV who carried them safely across half the country and who had become their second home. Tomorrow Eber and Leila were meeting them outside San Bernardino to take Winnie back to the RV dealership. Right now, they were camped out between the Mohave Mountains of Arizona and the Mojave Desert of California but the urban sprawl of the Greater Los Angeles area was within a few hours; the LA highways and city streets were no place to maneuver an RV. For that, they’d have their own family vehicle back.
The kids had asked their parents if they could buy her but it wasn’t in the cards. This trip had taken place mainly because time was passing and soon the kids would be too busy with their own lives to want to hang out with their parents. Adam and Kris didn’t see any future need to permanently own an RV and besides, where would they store it.
Hannah understood, Joshie not so much until they explained it this way:
Did he love Winnie?
Yes he did.
Did he want to see Winnie sitting still for the rest of her ‘life’, alone and gathering dirt or would he want Winnie to give other families the wonderful experience she gave them and live out her ‘life’ on the road happy?
Joshie got it. He was still sad and was going to miss her but he got it.
That was why they were taking pictures and videos of Winnie inside and out. Don’t ask why they took pics of themselves sitting on the tiny toilet or crammed in the tight shower; the answer was … because.
“Laddies … children … the sun’s starting to set.”
Cameras still in hand, for the first and last time they climbed up the access ladder at the back of the RV and perched themselves on the roof to watch the colors play across the sky.
“Will we be going home tomorrow?” Joshie asked, sitting on his Papa’s criss-crossed legs and leaning his head against the strong shoulder.
“No quite. We’re staying over a few more nights in a couple of cities.”
“Why? It’s home … why are staying somewhere else?”
Adam wrapped arms around his son.
“It’s funny Joshie Bear but when you live in a city that other people around the world love to visit, you never think of it that way. To us, Los Angeles is home, not a place to go to for a vacation. Because of that, we don’t really visit the tourists’ sights. Sure, we’ve gone to museums and parks around LA and Hollywood, and we’ve gone to the beach and the zoo, but there is so much more in our area we never explore. That’s why were going to take a few more days and learn about the history in our own backyard.”
“That’s so true,” Mrs. Willowby commented. “I grew up outside London and though my family occasionally went to a castle or museum, we didn’t really consider it somewhere to go for vacation.”
Hannah had been listening to all this, head in her Daddy’s lap. The sun was nearly gone and the stars were coming out.
“We should take mini road trips on the weekends.”
Kris brushed hair out of her face.
“You want to spend more time with the old men?”
“Nooooo,” she laughed, “we want to spend more time with you.”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Penny Pincher Machine (not the one Hannah used but same concept) ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=dYnZ-Ikut1k
State: Arizona ~ Chapter 7-8
Rating: PG
Pairing: adam/kris, OMCs
Summary: The Allen-Lamberts take a road trip along Historic Route 66
Disclaimer: I don’t own Adam or Kris. This story is fiction. Other major characters are fictional; the places they visit in this story are real. Imaginary character created for part of this trip.
Dedicated to adamluvr36_fic ~ just because ♥
Extra disclaimer: The poem inserted in this story is not mine. I have given the actual poet credit for it within the story.
Leaving Grand Canyon, heading towards Arizona/California border. Another short chapter … family still too sore to do much of anything. You might need some tissues, last scene getting sentimental
Time for an Allen-Lambert universe mini series. Hannah is 12 years old, Josh is 7 years old. Mrs. Willowby comes along too! Get ready for Americana and nostalgia.
Overview map of The Mother Road ~ http://www.historic66.com/description/map.html
Retrace the trip ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/45756.html#cutid1
Masterlist of Allen-Lambert universe ~ http://cunningdeb.livejournal.com/21722.html#cutid1
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
ROAD TRIP DAY 47:
GRAND CANYON, ARIZONA
On the website for the mule rides, it was written that ‘Many riders will experience a great deal of soreness after having been on mules in the Grand Canyon all day. It is suggested that you not plan heavy activities for the day after your mule ride’.
They weren’t kidding.
The next morning, nobody moved from bed. The alarms went on, where shut off, and everyone went back to sleep. They had their campsite until 3pm and were in no rush to head out. As long as they reached the Arizona/California border by tonight, they’d keep on schedule.
Eventually they had to eat so they dragged their tender butts out of bed to quiet the rumbling of hungry stomachs echoing through the quiet RV. The campground showers were visited again, this time for a plummeting of hot water to ease the aches. They rested some more then took a slow walk into town for lunch. Getting mobile helped a lot and by 3:00pm, they were moving out.
“I can’t believe this journey is almost over,” Mrs. Willowby signed.
“I know what you mean,” Adam commented. “By next week, we’ll be sleeping in our own beds again.”
“And seeing our friends,” Hannah added enthusiastically.
“And cooking proper meals in my kitchen; I never thought I’d miss it. So many new recipes to try.”
“And watching our big screen TV and playing with my toys!”
Kris concluded, “And getting back to work. It’s been a great break but I’m ready to create music again.”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
SELIGMAN, ARIZONA
The drive from Grand Canyon Village to Needles, California was 234 miles and nearly 4 hours long. With backs and backsides still troublesome, Kris and Adam shared driving duties. They’d go about fifty miles then pull over and pass it on to the other.
In the meantime, the kids occupied themselves watching a movie on their laptop while Mrs. Willowby flipped through the cookbooks she’d bought and hadn’t sent back home, making notes of what she wanted to make herself. Kris or Adam, depending on who wasn’t driving at the time, stretched out in the co-pilot’s chair and relaxed.
The only stop they made was in Seligman for dinner. Surrounded by cattle country, Seligman was part of the famed Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad, and the Route 66 magic was still alive and well.
Where to stop wasn’t an option. The minute they found this place in their planning, they knew … Adam and Kris anyway … that they had to eat here.
How often do you get to tell friends and family that you ate at The Roadkill Café?
It looked like a normal café from the outside and when you stepped inside, the animal trophy heads were disconcerting if you weren’t used to it but they’d been places with this kind of décor before. What made it different was the menu. They knew that the Health Department wouldn’t give this restaurant a license if they really served roadkill but the creative naming of the dishes and the motto of ‘You Kill It, We Grill It’ was fun and fodder for great stories in the future.
They waited to be seated, looking around at the kitsch and antiques.
Kris felt a tug on his sleeve and looked at his girl.
“Are they serious about that?” she asked, pointing to the sign attached to the post:
HEY THERE PARTNER, NO FIRE ARMS BEYOND THIS HERE DOOR
It was printed above a cartoon cowboy but looking around at all the dead animals, he questioned the humor in it.
After being seated and giving their orders, they checked out some of the décor before the food came. On one wall was a poem entitled ‘The Roadkill Café’ by Arnot Ross McCullum. It was so funny Adam took a picture of it with his phone to add to their scrapbook on Arizona:
‘ I had my dinner yesterday
In a place they call Roadkill Café
They serve their dishes full of tricks
Scraped off Highway 66
There’s Frog Leg Pasta a la mode
Squirrel Lasagna a la road
Hamster hash, Rack of Coon
Chunk of Skunk
Leg of Loon
Fat free Cat, Pit Bull pie
Seagull Soup
With Eagles’ eye
The Buffalo wings are very good
They lift them gently from the hood
Turtle Toes are quite a deal
They serve them hot, right off the wheel
Ground Hound Meatballs
Soufflé of Snake
Deep Ditch Rooster
Flattened Drake
The chef is really quite a fella
I’m sure he’s full of Salmonella
The food is tasty … the food is dandy
Just keep your barf bag close and handy!’
“Daddy, can I have a penny?”
“A penny?! What are you going to buy with a penny sweetie?”
“I’m not buying anything, I’m gonna pinch it.” Hannah grabbed his hand and showed him the Penny Pincher Coin Machine. “I want to make one.”
Kris dug in his pocket and gave her a handful of change. It actually cost 51¢, 50 cents to operate the machine and the penny to flatten.
“Make four more while you’re at it.”
“No problem.”
She dropped the coins in to the machine and turned the crank. Various rollers took the copper coin and flattened it to the width of a credit card and then stamped it with The Roadkill Café’s name. Heading back to the table, she handed them out.
“This is sooooo cool!”
“Our dinner is going to be too if we don’t hurry up and eat,” Mrs. Willowby announced.
They had already visited the all-you-can-eat salad bar while Hannah was busy and their dinner and drinks had arrived. The nanny had put together a garden salad for her and with everyone assembled, they dove into the Deer Delectables, Bad-Brake Steak, Caddy Grilled Patty, Fender Tenders and Splatter Platter.
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA
“That’s it Joshie, hands on the steering wheel … keep your eyes on the road … good boy, now look at me … big smile … got it! Hannah, you’re next.”
Kris showed Adam the pictures on his phone while their son got out from behind Winnie’s controls and Hannah took his place. After they took her picture, Mrs. Willowby had a go and then she took pictures of the boys behind the wheel.
Parked safely in the campground, the quintet was going crazy snapping pictures of everything Winnie. It was a bittersweet night, their last sleep over in the beloved RV who carried them safely across half the country and who had become their second home. Tomorrow Eber and Leila were meeting them outside San Bernardino to take Winnie back to the RV dealership. Right now, they were camped out between the Mohave Mountains of Arizona and the Mojave Desert of California but the urban sprawl of the Greater Los Angeles area was within a few hours; the LA highways and city streets were no place to maneuver an RV. For that, they’d have their own family vehicle back.
The kids had asked their parents if they could buy her but it wasn’t in the cards. This trip had taken place mainly because time was passing and soon the kids would be too busy with their own lives to want to hang out with their parents. Adam and Kris didn’t see any future need to permanently own an RV and besides, where would they store it.
Hannah understood, Joshie not so much until they explained it this way:
Did he love Winnie?
Yes he did.
Did he want to see Winnie sitting still for the rest of her ‘life’, alone and gathering dirt or would he want Winnie to give other families the wonderful experience she gave them and live out her ‘life’ on the road happy?
Joshie got it. He was still sad and was going to miss her but he got it.
That was why they were taking pictures and videos of Winnie inside and out. Don’t ask why they took pics of themselves sitting on the tiny toilet or crammed in the tight shower; the answer was … because.
“Laddies … children … the sun’s starting to set.”
Cameras still in hand, for the first and last time they climbed up the access ladder at the back of the RV and perched themselves on the roof to watch the colors play across the sky.
“Will we be going home tomorrow?” Joshie asked, sitting on his Papa’s criss-crossed legs and leaning his head against the strong shoulder.
“No quite. We’re staying over a few more nights in a couple of cities.”
“Why? It’s home … why are staying somewhere else?”
Adam wrapped arms around his son.
“It’s funny Joshie Bear but when you live in a city that other people around the world love to visit, you never think of it that way. To us, Los Angeles is home, not a place to go to for a vacation. Because of that, we don’t really visit the tourists’ sights. Sure, we’ve gone to museums and parks around LA and Hollywood, and we’ve gone to the beach and the zoo, but there is so much more in our area we never explore. That’s why were going to take a few more days and learn about the history in our own backyard.”
“That’s so true,” Mrs. Willowby commented. “I grew up outside London and though my family occasionally went to a castle or museum, we didn’t really consider it somewhere to go for vacation.”
Hannah had been listening to all this, head in her Daddy’s lap. The sun was nearly gone and the stars were coming out.
“We should take mini road trips on the weekends.”
Kris brushed hair out of her face.
“You want to spend more time with the old men?”
“Nooooo,” she laughed, “we want to spend more time with you.”
~~~~ ☼ ~~~~
Penny Pincher Machine (not the one Hannah used but same concept) ~ http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=endscreen&NR=1&v=dYnZ-Ikut1k