Our Epic Southwest 1975 Road Trip in a Little Pinto

We traversed six states in 30 days

Our first six years together is now a blur. We got married (1969). We had two kids (’70 and ‘73). Then we went on a road trip (‘75). I remember the road trip.

We were on the road by Sunday, September 7th. And we drove and drove for 30 days and got back home on October 6th. It was our longest road trip to date.

Background

Earlier that summer we visited the local CSAA (California State Automobile Association) office, and a travel agent made up what they called a “trip-tik” for us, marking our journey and highlighting places to see. We also grabbed a half dozen CSAA travel guides with writeups on what to see and details on motels and restaurants. I then started a journal with a budget for each day. Our total budget was $1100.00. We purchased a little white Ford Pinto wagon the year before and we packed it with Pampers (Debbie was only two years and two months at the beginning of our trip; Denise was already a mature four years and nine months) and we were set to go.

Our plan was to drive through the American southwest paying special attention to all of the National Parks (NP) and National Monuments (NM) and National Recreation Areas (NRA) and Indian reservations (IR) we came across and when we reached New Mexico spend some time attempting to find an Indian boy named Ronnie Lee who we were sponsoring through a charitable institution. Ronnie had been writing to us once a month, but we hadn’t heard from him in a while, and we thought it would be worth the try to see if we could find him!

By the way, we didn’t use the term Native American in those days. The natives either used Indian, too, or the word for “people” in their own language to describe themselves. From my memoirs: We soon found out that we had one minor problem with the car. I did most of the driving on the trip and Mommy would often sit in the back to take care of Debbie. This was fine with Denise who loved to sit in the front passenger seat. Now Denise weighed exactly forty pounds at the time, and we soon discovered that the seat belt warning sensor for the front passenger seat was set for exactly forty pounds. All she had to do was squirm a little and the alarm would go off. Denise squirmed a lot.

California-Nevada (three days)

We spent Sunday night in Bakersfield and the next day arrived in Las Vegas. Debbie Reynolds was the headliner at The Desert Inn. We told our Debbie that her name was up in lights. The kids were amazed at the town’s neon lights.

The next day we stopped by the visitor center at Lake Mead NRA and then walked across Hoover Dam from Nevada to Arizona.

Arizona (six days)

We then drove to Kingman and the next morning on to the Grand Canyon. We spent the night at Yavapai Lodge and had dinner at the lodge’s cafeteria. They charged you $.06 for one slice of butter! The next day we went on a picture-taking tour of the South Rim and then drove to Flagstaff where we spent the night and the next day drove through Oak Creek Canyon and Sedona to Phoenix, stopping for a little while at Tuzigoot NM.

We stayed in Phoenix for three days. I don’t think it ever got below 100 degrees! The kids loved the playground at Encanto Park. We also visited the Phoenix Zoo where we bought souvenir hats for everyone. And we made brief stops at the suburbs of Tempe and Scottsdale. We just window-shopped in Scottsdale. It was Sunday and most of the stores were closed.

After Phoenix we drove to Mesa where we walked through the Mormon Temple gardens and then visited the University of Arizona Boyce Thompson Arboretum. Then we drove through the San Carlos IR and spent the night in Show Low, named after a poker game. The main street is called Deuce of Clubs Blvd, named after the card that the winner turned over! The next day we toured the Fort Apache IR and then drove north to Holbrook and to the Petrified Forest NP and then east on I-40 through the Painted Desert to New Mexico.

From my memoirs: Tragedy struck right in the middle of one hot drive. Did I ever mention that we had no air conditioning in our car? Well, we often drove with all the windows down and on this one day a sudden wind swept through the car and blew Denise’s brand-new Phoenix Zoo hat right out the window. Denise cried and cried because her world had ended. We promised her that we would replace the hat as soon as possible but she wanted to go back to the zoo immediately and get another hat just like the one she lost.

New Mexico (six days)

We stayed two nights in Gallup. On the first day we explored the Ramah IR south of Gallup, stopping at El Morro NM and at the Pine Hill Indian School where we inquired about Ronnie Lee. We were told that he moved back to Gallup and someone on the school’s staff drew us a map.

We then went to visit the adjacent Zuni IR but the office to obtain photo permits was closed. It was Indian Day at the State Fair in Albuquerque and all Indians got in free! So, I couldn’t take any pictures!

We found the Lee family on our second day in Gallup and spent several hours with them. Ronnie’s mother, Ethel Lee, is Navajo and all the kids were raised Navajo and speak the language. Ronnie’s Father, Sam is Apache. He likes to be called “Mr. Lee.” Ronnie also has an older brother Marvin and two younger sisters, Viola and Brenda. The kids were all attending Sacred Heart Catholic school.

We then drove to Albuquerque where we spent the night and toured the Old Town the next morning.

From Albuquerque we drove to Santa Fe, stopping along the way to visit the Santo Domingo (aka Kewa) Pueblo. No picture taking allowed. We spent the next night in Santa Fe where we got to see the Cathedral of St Francis. I had recently read Willa Cather’s Death Comes for the Archbishop and wanted to see this church.

We also visited the Fenn Galleries, and I had a nice conversation with the proprietor, Forrest Fenn, about the Russian artist Nicolai Fechin who came to Taos in the 1920s. Fenn was quite a character. He’s the guy who buried a treasure chest of gold and gems in 2010 and left clues in his memoirs where in the Rocky Mountains it could be found. The chest was found in Wyoming ten years later.

We visited the San Ildefonso Pueblo on the way to Taos where we also explored the Taos Pueblo. We also visited the Rancho de Taos church (aka St Francis of Assisi) that Georgia O’Keefe made famous with her paintings.

From Taos we drove through the scenic Red River valley and the Sangre de Cristo mountains to Raton just below the Colorado border.

Colorado (six days)

We spent three nights in Colorado Springs. On our first day we visited the Gardens of the Gods and Santa’s Workshop at the North Pole. Our motel included a kitchenette and that evening we had our first home-cooked meal in a while (spaghetti).

From my memoirs: On our second day in Colorado Springs, we visited the Will Rogers Memorial on Cheyenne Mountain and also the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo where we bought a hat for Denise to replace the one she lost ten days before. On a hike up a trail to the Memorial a baby rattler struck out at Debbie who was walking in front of me. I immediately grabbed Debbie and lifted her up and away from danger. The rattler missed. I carried Debbie the rest of the way.

We then drove west on highway 50 to Salida, Canon City and Montrose with brief stops at the Royal Gorge and Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. It was snowing at Monarch Pass, the highest elevation on our trip at 11,300 feet.

After Montrose we visited the Ute Indian Museum and then drove down the Million Dollar highway (US 550, some say it got its name from the cost to build it; others say from the view; still others say from the value of the ore removed) past Ouray and Silverton to Durango.

The next day we visited Mesa Verde NP and then spent the night in Cortez. The following day we drove through the Ute Mountain Ute IR and stopped at Four Corners. I took a picture of my wife and kids each standing in a different state. And I was in yet another! The Four Corners monument also forms the border between the Navajo Nation (who maintain the monument) and the Ute Mountain Ute IR.

Utah — Arizona (5 days)

We spent the next day in Monument Valley on the Navajo IR. I grew up watching all of those John Ford / John Wayne Westerns that were filmed in Monument Valley and this was quite a thrill to see it all in person!

From my memoirs: Goulding’s Lodge, the only motel in Monument Valley, was filled up and so we drove an additional 22 miles and spent the night at Mexican Hat. After registering at the motel (San Juan Inn, still there!) front desk and buying some sandwiches, I said to the manager “And I’ll have one of those beers right behind you.” “No, you won’t,” he said. “It’s Sunday!” It was our first encounter with the Mormon Blue Laws that we later ran into throughout our travels in Utah and southern Idaho.

We then drove back to Arizona to Page and saw the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell. At Tuba City, the largest town in any IR in the country, we bought two tires and filled our gas tank. Gas was $.709 per gallon, the highest we paid on our entire trip. We then headed for the Grand Canyon North Rim, where we spent the night.

From the Grand Canyon we drove north through the Kaibab Paiute IR to Pipe Springs NM, and then back to Utah where we toured Zion NP and spent the night in Springdale. I spent some time at the Zion Visitor Center the next morning and after breakfast we headed for Nevada.

Nevada — California (four days)

From Springdale we drove all the way to Las Vegas, stopping at Mesquite just inside the Nevada state line for a picnic lunch. We sat through two Circus Circus trapeze acts. Denise was thrilled.

Our original plan was to drive from Las Vegas to Barstow and then over to Bakersfield and up highway 99 to the Bay Area. But we had decided to skip Bryce Canyon NP after Zion and so we were two days ahead of schedule. Change of Plans: we kept on going on I-15 after hitting Barstow and drove all the way to Anaheim. The next day we made our first visit to Disneyland. The kids were in heaven! Even Mommy and Daddy were thrilled.

We stayed a second night in Anaheim and then drove up highway 101 all the way home.

All told, we hit four National Parks, three National Monuments, two National Recreation Areas, seven Indian Reservations and three Pueblos. We also stopped by Las Vegas twice and made our first visit to Disneyland. We went over budget by about $300.00. But we thought it was worth it. What do you think?

Did I tell you that I threw away my razor at the beginning of our trip? Well, my beard was fully grown by the end of the trip. And it’s still there. All gray now, though.