Riding the Rails....Again

Well, here I go again.  I need to get back down to Albuquerque to do some serious house hunting. I was thinking about driving but decided to take the train again. I enjoyed the Amtrak trip in March and the cost comparison between taking the train and driving is a reasonable trade off. The train costs a little more but takes less than a day while driving...at my pace...is a lengthy trip with two nights on the road.  The food is better than highway food and the accommodations are not bad. The  cost of renting a car is the main added expense but that still runs less than $200 for the week and I get to drive a new car.  I enjoy the road trip down to NM but if I get this house bought I'll be making a lot of highway trips later this year.

So, on Sunday I catch the local train in Jefferson City at 6:22 in the evening and head to Kansas City where I climb on board the Southwest Chief and we head west at about 11 PM and I'll be in Albuquerque by 4 PM the next day.


I just made this trip in March so my postings might be a little abbreviated unless something comes up.  I have about a half-dozen houses to look at so I might have news on that topic....I hope.

There have been so many storms and tornadoes out in the plains I'm beginning to wonder what Amtrak does under extreme storm conditions.  I'd rather not find out.

In Praise of Old Hotels #7

ROUTE 66 -- THE MOTHER ROAD

There is nothing quite like it -- an east-west highway running 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles...or actually Santa Monica.  America's own Silk Road connects the Great Lakes to the Pacific Ocean and laces together a bazillion points along the way. The iconic highway existed in a variety different local configurations for over fifty years until it was finally replaced by the interstate highway system.

If you want to find it today, look for the "Historic Route 66" signs and the relics of once thriving roadside businesses, like Lucille's gas station and tourist court near Hydro, Oklahoma. Lucille's is one of the many places that have been at least partially preserved along the old highway. Some places are tourist icons while others are living on in a second or third life long after the highway surrendered to the interstate.

THE BLUE SWALLOW MOTEL, TUCUMCARI, NEW MEXICO

You can't stay at Lucille's anymore but in Tucumcari, NM you can stay at the Blue Swallow Motel, one of many Mother Road era motels that still exist in this town at the junction of old Route 66 and US Highway 54. I understand that it may be under new management since I was there but I'm sure the old owners were very careful in selecting a buyer when they finally decided to sell.  It looks like room reservations can be made online at their website, which is a change from the former owners

The Blue Swallow Court opened in 1941 on Route 66 as it passed through Tucumcari. It has been modernized ...a little, but mostly it is much the way it was back in the 1940s and 1950s. Rooms are small but big enough. Decor is 1950s including the vintage television. The telephone is a 1940s era Bakelite rotary phone.

Each room has a garage where you could park your Hudson or Studebaker back in the day. Today, there are murals painted on the interior walls of the garages and the doors are often kept open to show them off. Mine was a scene from the movie "Easy Rider" but there were others including some from "Cars".  Outside you can sit and relax in the lawn chairs on your porch or maybe even the glider.  When I stayed I spent about an hour chatting with the owner out on the porch chairs. The two guys in the room next door cam out and talked for a while. They were from Denmark and were on a cross-country trip on rented Harleys. They said there is a regular travel business catering to Europeans for one-way Harley trips along old Route 66.  They picked them up in Chicago and would turn them in in Los Angeles and fly back home from there.

Under the former owners,  an added perk was a free breakfast if you checked out and were on your way at 7 AM. The free breakfast wasn't at the motel...no, it was down the road a little at the Pow Wow Restaurant and Lounge. The 7 AM exit was to allow the owners to get the rooms ready for the next guests...this is a "mom and pop" operation.

Tucumcari is a struggling place but probably the biggest town between Amarillo and Albuquerque. It has quite a collection of Mother Road era motels and tourist shops.

Next: ??? maybe a trip

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In Praise of Old Hotels #6

A COUPLE OF FINE TOURIST COURTS

Santa Fe and Cody Wyoming both thrive on the tourist trade. Santa Fe has a long history of travelers coming and going and Cody is a popular stopover for travelers heading to Yellowstone National Park.

THE IRMA HOTEL, CODY, WYOMING

The Irma Hotel was built by Buffalo Bill Cody and named for his daughter: that would be Irma. It was opened in 1902 and has been a local landmark ever since. The saloon on the ground floor is famous for the cherry wood back bar which was a gift from Queen Victoria...who died in 1901 and never visited the saloon.  The place is popular with bikers on their way to Sturgis or other western motorcycle rallies.

Buffalo Bill's ownership ended in 1913 when he sold it to his wife to keep creditors from taking it. Eventually the hotel passed into other hands and was expanded. Apparently some rooms are restored and furnished with antiques but we stayed in a more "modern" room that was spacious but looked like an old Howard Johnson's room.  I wasn't impressed with the room.

The place is as theatrical as Buffalo Bill. It could be described as a saloon with a hotel attached. The saloon was crowded and seemed to take up most of the ground floor of the building. we were hard pressed to find a place to sit but everyone was having a good time and the beer was cold.

One of the features of the hotel is the theatrical reenactment of a wild west gunfight out in the street. Tourists take their places on the covered sidewalk as the lawmen and outlaws face off and eventually shoot each other.  This is quite a cliche' but the hotel guests seem to eat it up.

We also went out to Stampede Park to see the Cody Night Rodeo, a nightly rodeo during the summer months. I've been to a few rodeos and this one was pretty good but, like everything else in Cody, it was a little over the top...but the real thing.


HOTEL ST. FRANCIS, SANTA FE, NEW MEXICO

In the heart of Santa Fe, down by the plaza, sits the 1920-era Hotel St. Francis. It is reputed to be the oldest hotel in Santa Fe, which surprises me a little considering the long history of travelers coming to this place and the fact that Santa Fe was the seat of government way back under Spanish and Mexican rule.  Hotel St. Francis is about a block away from the city plaza and the Palace of the Governors and a similar distance from the basilica of St. Francis.

The hotel is more Mediterranean in style than southwestern or pueblo but the color scheme seems to fit in with the local buildings and the Santa Fe ambiance. There are other hotels that feature the pueblo style if that is what the traveler wants. The hotel furnishings are sparse in comparison to some other historic inns or hotels. A lot of the furnishings seem to be made by local craftsmen.

Rooms are small but comfortable -- one doesn't come to Santa Fe to sit in their room so the size isn't a problem and is a reflection on the era when the hotel was built. We stayed a couple days and the room was adequate. We spent almost all of our time out walking around town and I don't recall eating at the hotel. There are great restaurants and pubs within walking distance.  We did have a few Irish Coffees in the hotel bar one evening and it was very nice and an intimate place to just relax and reflect on the day's activities.


The hotel is a little "upscale" and I had the feeling that the staff felt that they were, too. They were polite but not exactly friendly. I came away with a mildly negative impression of the place but I think it was mainly due to the staff because the accommodations were fine and the location was perfect for exploring downtown Santa Fe.

If you are wanting more of a traditional Santa Fe (Spanish Revival) style, the La Fonda is a block or so away. The La Fonda also dates to the 1920s and was owned by the Santa Fe Railroad and operated by Fred Harvey. We had lunch there and it was very nice.

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In Praise of Old Hotels #5

THE WILD BUNCH

The Wild Bunch

In an earlier post I mentioned a backpacking trip to the Big Horn Mountains of Wyoming. The Big Horns are in north central Wyoming and just south of the mountains is a region called The Hole in the Wall, where numerous outlaws  and desperadoes could hide out from the law back in the late 1800s. The law, such as it was out west, was in Buffalo, Wyoming, as was...and is...The Occidental Hotel.

THE OCCIDENTAL HOTEL, BUFFALO, WYOMING

If you are traveling west toward Yellowstone or maybe east toward Sturgis, SD or maybe Devil's Tower, be sure to take the time to spend a night at the Occidental Hotel. Of all the hotels I will cover in this series of blog posts, The Occidental is my favorite. The hotel originated in 1880 as a log building on the bank of a creek  near the Bozeman Trail. This was Johnson County, Wyoming...you might have heard of the Johnson County War between the small ranchers and farmers and the larger land  and cattle barons (1897) that was finally settled by the US Cavalry. Buffalo became the county seat and the Occidental prospered. Eventually the log hotel was replaced by a fine brick building and then it was enlarged over time.

This was THE place to stay and lots of famous people spent time at the Occidental. Butch Cassidy and The Sundance Kid would drift into town and stay in the room overlooking the sheriff's office. Owen Wister visited the Occidental and wrote part of The Virginian while staying in the balcony room overlooking Main street. Teddy Roosevelt stayed here. General Phil Sheridan stayed here. Buffalo Bill, Calamity Jane and Tom Horn stayed here as did President Herbert Hoover. Again, probably some of my relatives stayed here because they had a ranch about forty miles away and Buffalo was the closest "big" town.

Lobby/Parlor

The Occidental went into decline with the depression and then sank even deeper as highway motels sprang up. It finally became a local landmark as a bordello for several years and it endured it all. The hotel had only one manager for 58 years who carefully preserved everything. The building survived and, miraculously, most of the hotel's grand furnishings just got carted down into the basement where they sat until 1997 when the place was reborn. The place was on it's last legs and renovation took many years. It was only halfway renovated when we stayed here but it has progressed since then and today is a sight to behold. 

We stayed in the Teddy Roosevelt suite and my daughter stayed in the General Sheridan room, next door. There is the Owen Wister room and the Herbert Hoover suite, the Hole in the Wall room and the Madam's Retreat plus some cowboy rooms. When we visited, some of the old, run down sections were awaiting renovation and you could see how much work was involved in bringing the place back to life. There were even some scribbled notes on the walls from the old bordello days.  

Besides the hotel and the restored rooms, there is also a saloon. This place was a full service operation --- hotel, saloon, restaurant and barber shop. The saloon is well worth visiting even if you don't stay at the hotel. There are bullet holes in the walls...real bullet holes. The current saloon and it's furnishings date to 1908. It was a stand-up saloon so the bar stools and tables are a more recent addition. The bar is twenty-five feet long and could accommodate all sorts of outlaws and lawmen. Butch and Sundance died in 1908 in Bolivia (maybe?) but who knows, maybe they had a farewell drink at the Occidental Saloon. Ernest Hemingway was a hotel guest and I figure he had a drink or two at the saloon. 

Today there is also a restaurant (The Virginian) and a cafe (The Busy Bee) but I don't think they were back in operation when we were here. 

Hotel rooms run from about $110 to $210 in the summer...suites run about $185. Winter rates are significantly lower.

Check out the web page for details: http://www.occidentalwyoming.com/index.php

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Update...Travel Channel's "The Dead Files" did a TV episode exploring the paranormal experiences of hotel staff and guests.  FYI -- Nothing like that happened while we were guests at the Occidental and there were no discussions or hints of spooks or spirits from staff or the owner who gave us a tour of the hotel including parts that were not renovated.
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Next: More western hotels

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The Big Horns

In Praise of Old Hotels #4

HISTORICALLY SPEAKING

Almost by definition, old hotels are historical hotels but some are more historical than others. We stayed in a old hotel in San Antonio once that had been refurbished and then became a "boutique" hotel. Also in San Antonio there is the Crockett Hotel, 100+ years old, that stands about a stone's throw from the Alamo (I dare you...). Then there is the Menger Hotel in San Antonio which is famous because Teddy Roosevelt rode his horse into the Menger Hotel bar in 1898 and recruited volunteers for the Rough Riders. That Teddy story trumps the boutique and the chance to make history by throwing rocks at the Alamo...so I'd vote for the Menger.

BEEKMAN ARMS, RHINEBECK, NEW YORK

If you are in the Hudson River valley and can work it out, stay at the Beekman Arms...or at least, eat at the tavern. It is hard to beat the Beekman Arms at the historical hotel contest. The Beekman is the oldest continuously operating inn in the USA going back to well before the Revolutionary War. George Washington slept, ate, drank and did just about everything else here. Back then, the tavern looked out on the village green and he would sit in the tavern and watch the militia drill out on the green. Remember Chelsea Clinton's wedding? Yep...in Rhinebeck, and the Beekman played a big role in the wedding.   Aaron Burr and Alexander Hamilton traded insults at the Beekman which eventually led to their duel and the death of Hamilton. Benedict Arnold was a common sight at the Beekman.  Rhinebeck is a short distance from Hyde Park...FDR's home and the Roosevelts were here too. I'm sure some of my ancestors darkened the doorway at some point since they were from a nearby town.

Firehouse

Back in the old days, guests shared beds...maybe several guys to a bed. Private rooms were hard to come by. Today the Beekman Arms has a few rooms in the actual Inn but they have expanded to take over a half dozen or more historic structures in Rhinebeck and there are some very nice accommodations. You don't have to sleep in a bed with a stranger.  The time we stayed here we actually had a three-room suite on the upper floor of the old Rhinebeck firehouse...where the fireman used to sleep...but much nicer. The rooms were furnished with what looked like antiques (maybe replicas...?) and canopy beds.

Apart from registering at the front desk, you might not spend much time in the actual old inn unless you go into the tavern.  There are a few rooms but most rooms are in other buildings. The tavern is a classic old colonial-style tavern. The menu was varied and the food was good. Needless to say, if you are coming to the Beekman Arms, bring your money. There is a lot to see and do in this part of the Hudson Valley and it's well worth a visit.



BROOKSTOWN INN, WINSTON-SALEM, NORTH CAROLINA

Winston-Salem is steeped in history all by itself. The Moravians settled the place and there are several blocks of old and restored buildings in the historic "Old Salem" district. Everything looks historical. Wake Forest University is here and its main campus looks like a relic from the 1700s.  Winston Salem was also an early industrial site. Entrepreneurs from the town traveled north to see how the textile mills in New England functioned and then came back and established a cotton textile industry.

One of those early 19th century mills has been converted to the Brookstown Inn. The inn is in the main mill building but there is ample evidence of a sprawling complex of mill structures. Back in the day, the unmarried mill girls lived in a dormitory in the attic of the mill. When the renovation work was underway, workers cleaning and stripping the walls in the attic found lots of old graffiti, poems and sketches that the girls placed on the walls of their dormitory. Some of those are preserved and on view up on the top floor. Nothing tremendous happened here but you can see and understand a little of what mill worker life was like back before the Civil War.

The rooms in the inn are sparse with old-style furnishings and bare brick walls. The rooms are mostly on the actual mill floors with as much left as possible to give the feel of the old building. Considering the structure and the industrial history, the place is bright and cheery. The restaurant is nice...I think we only had breakfast but it was good food.

The Brookstown Inn offers a good base for exploring the rest of Winston Salem.


There are a couple listing organizations that serve as a resource if you want to stay at a good historic hotel. The National Trust for Historic Preservation established Historic Hotels of America in 1989 and they are active in maintaining standards and they keep their list current. The website is http://www.historichotels.org. Another similar listing is Historic Hotels of the Rockies at  http://www.historic-hotels.com.


Next: Butch and Sundance slept here

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In Praise of Old Hotels #3

HOTEL HAUNTS

Old hotels come with a lot of legends and stories repeated by staff and guests over the years. I've stayed at places that were two hundred fifty years old and some places that had early lives as textile factories and bordellos. If there are such things as ghosts, I think an old hotel would be a prime spot to encounter one.  I have yet to meet one...I think.

THE STRATER HOTEL, DURANGO, COLORADO

Let's dispense with the Strater ghost stories first. When we stayed at The Strater Hotel, probably in 2002, there were lots of stories of mysterious sightings and ghostly experiences. Each room had a room diary where guests would record their stay and say what they liked about the place and what they did during their stay. The diary in our room had entries from people from all over the world. There were frequent references to the resident ghosts...but mostly that they had not seen any.  There are plenty of folks who claim to have seen one of the three resident ghosts, including the sister of a previous owner. Fast forward to 2013 and the current hotel management disavows all knowledge of a resident ghost and says that the hotel is not haunted and never was. Well, I suppose that is the official word on the topic. I'm sure the stories still circulate.  I don't know how you would prove that the hotel is not haunted if people claim that it is.

The Strater Hotel was built in the late 1880s and is quite large. The architectural style might be Colorado Wedding Cake...the place certainly commands attention.  It was built by Henry Strater (yes, he is one of the ghosts) a local pharmacist. He built the hotel in a bid to make Durango a permanent place rather than a mining camp. The original cost was $70,000. I think he did a great job...the place is impressive. Besides the many hotel rooms there is a classic saloon...the Diamond Belle Saloon...that offers kind of an updated old west saloon experience. When we were there they had a resident ragtime piano player who was great and put on a good show.

The Strater's rooms are furnished with antiques. The hotel has the largest  collection of Victorian-era walnut furniture in the United States. Our room was decorated like a room in a bordello...complete with bright red flocked wallpaper.  Today the summer AARP rate for a classic queen room for two is $187.00. I don't recall paying that much but maybe we did. We were there in October so rates might have been less. I would pay the current rate but I like these old hotels. The Strater is part of the Historic Hotels of America and there might be discounts through the National Trust for Historic Preservation.

We didn't eat at the hotel. We opted to go out and explore the downtown area and found places to eat close by. And we slept well and were not awakened or startled by any ghostly beings. Louis L'Amour always stayed in the room over the saloon because he liked the noise and it helped him write his western novels.


SWEDISH COUNTRY INN, LINDSBORG, KANSAS

Lindsborg, Kansas, is located south of Salina, sort of in the middle of east-central Kansas. The town is mostly made up of transplanted Swedes, or more probably folks with Swedish ancestry. They are very proud of their Swedish background and have invested in a number of fiberglass Dala Horses that are decorated in various themes and placed around town on street corners. They make a big thing about being Swedish and that draws people to town who have similar interests. When they come to town they can stay at The Swedish Country Inn.

This hotel is small...only sixteen rooms...and is almost more like a B&B. It was originally built as a feed store but the owner had it converted to a hotel with a plan for thirty-two rooms. They ran out of money at sixteen rooms. It has sort of a Spanish look to it but that was the style back then.  It was a dormitory for the local college for a few years and then eventually was renovated and returned to being a hotel. They have worked hard to make it appear Swedish in it's current life.

The rooms are all fairly similar and are furnished with...you guessed it...Swedish stuff. The exposed woodwork is all very lightly stained or simply allowed to be unstained and lightly varnished. Furnishings are sparse...not a lot of stuff crammed into the rooms.

The breakfast spread is Swedish, too, but very good and there is plenty to choose from. You will not go away hungry.

Now I'm not saying that the Swedish Inn is haunted but something weird happened the night we stayed there. At about 3 AM I was awakened from a sound sleep by a strong smell of garlic. I'm not talking about just a little bit of garlic. This was like someone drove a truckload into the room. I don't ever recall being awakened by a smell before. Joanne did not smell it but she was not awakened. I finally decided that someone was cooking breakfast (at 3 AM?) and tried to go back to sleep. The smell continued until I finally got back to sleep. The next morning I expected to see something on the breakfast menu containing a lot of garlic. Nope...not a sign of garlic in anything we had for breakfast. I made a casual comment at the front desk about all that garlic they had cooking and they had no idea what I was talking about. So what was that smell?  Folklore associates garlic with vampires but mainly as a protection to ward off vampires and werewolves. Maybe that smell was keeping the Kansas vampires and werewolves away from us Missourians.

Next: Historic hotels

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In Praise of Old Hotels #2

There is, or (rather) was, a class of hotels that catered to folks travelling by train. These railroad hotels were located near train stations or close to the railroad tracks and in some cases were part of the train station. St. Louis's Union Station is a prime example of the co-located hotel and station.  Since I'm a train fan, I've stayed at a few old railroad hotels.

IZAAK WALTON INN, ESSEX, MONTANA (GLACIER N.P.)

Okay, I lied. Not all of these hotels were designed for travelers. The Izaak Walton Inn started as sort of a bunk house or dormitory for rail workers on the Great Northern Railway and that stretch of tracks around Glacier National Park needed a lot of work. They also have a small switching yard there and some resident locomotives that help move the trains over the mountain pass.  As far as I can tell, there really isn't anything else at Essex besides the Essex Inn. The place is located just outside of Glacier National Park and is serviced by the parks touring car concession so they come and pick you up for the tour and bring you back when you are done.

The Izaak Walton  Inn is a "flag stop" on Amtrak's Empire Builder route which means they will stop for you with advance notice but won't usually stop as a regular daily thing. I assume that during summer there are pretty frequent stops.  They stopped at least once while we were staying at the inn.

The Izaak Walton Inn is rustic and was never intended to be anything else but it has sort of a casual elegance to it. Part of it's charm is that it is isolated. Don't expect your cell phone to work and they didn't have Internet when we were there. While this is relaxing to some, it is frustrating to others...especially thirteen year old girls. There is a pay phone in the lobby but it is usually in the control of pre-teen and teenage kids complaining to their friends that they are practically being held hostage in this horrible place in the mountains. Do your kids a favor and leave them at home. We placated our daughter by getting her a single room all by herself across the hall and away from the sound of the frequent freight trains that go by.  That is an added feature...being close to the main railroad line there will be lots of trains going by and lots of train noise...day and night. Sleep can be a challenge so bring ear plugs. If you are a train buff you will love it and some people, I understand, can identify locomotives by the sound.

Rooms are spare but adequate. They have added private bath accommodations to the rooms and in some cases the set up is a little ingenious.  The walls are pine and the decor is Burlington-Northern. We figured that the room would accommodate three of us with our daughter on the spare convertible bed. Nope...the spare bed was almost useless. We opted to move her across the hall and, surprisingly, they had a vacant room. An expensive solution but worth it in the long run.

As I said, the Izaak Walton Inn is somewhat isolated so you will eat most of your meals at the hotel restaurant. Again, think rustic but also 'home made' and inventive. We were happy with the food but you are sort of a captive and the prices were a little high. Before you complain, bear in mind the isolation and cost to drive to the next town for meals.  The Izaak Walton  Inn is not one of the grand national park lodges but it is a unique experience and it is close enough to Glacier National Park to see wildlife and enjoy the area. We saw mountain goats a short distance from the inn and were able to explore the park on our own as well as on the tour.

THE IRON HORSE HOTEL, BLACKWATER, MISSOURI

Blackwater, Missouri, you ask?  Yes...Blackwater is a tiny town located west of Boonville, Missouri...um...west of Columbia, Missouri...um...sort of  like between St. Louis and Kansas City.  You have to want to be there....and I suggest you consider it.  Blackwater is an old town filled with those antique stores that you hear about in legends on Antiques Roadshow. The town has a small artists' colony and is sometimes a venue for ragtime piano performances (Scott Joplin lived in Sedalia...down the road a ways).  Arrow Rock (and the Arrow Rock Lyceum Theater) is a few minutes away as is Boonville and the local casino crowd. You can get to Columbia and a couple wineries in about twenty minutes. So, Blackwater is a good place to stay if you are interested in that kind of stuff.

The Iron Horse Hotel is a real old-time railroad hotel located about twenty-five feet from the tracks. They supply the ear plugs. Go out the front door and turn right and walk across the tracks and you are in a farmer's field....keep walking and you'll fall in the river. If you turn  left and you hit the antique stores. There is a small diner across the street but the Iron Horse has a great restaurant (think lamb and lobster) and you get breakfast with your room. It was not busy when we were there. In fact, they told us to lock up when we went to bed because we were the only ones there...a big responsibility.

All the rooms in the hotel are furnished in antiques. Some rooms are themed and all have names. All the rooms seemed to be over-sized for an old hotel so I wonder if there were alterations made sometime in the past. I believe all rooms had adjoining baths so those were added at some point. We did not eat at the restaurant but it has a very good reputation. As I said, breakfast is served with your room but they have a cheery breakfast room set aside for that purpose. I understand that there are new owners but the place used to have a distinct New Orleans flavor. Our breakfast was biegnets and New Orleans coffee. With the change in ownership there might be some changes from this description. I know they are now doing mystery dinner theater nights occasionally.

Union Pacific steam locomotive at Blackwater

Next: Hotel haunts

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