Overnight Stop

 

It's been almost three years since I drove to New Mexico to visit the Very Large Array.  I stopped to visit interesting places on the way there and on the way back but, I spent the first night on the road in the town of Show Low Arizona.  The town offered the best option for accommodations between Phoenix and my destination.  

Show Low is small town of only about 10,000 inhabitants but its location about half way between Phoenix and Albuquerque makes it a good stop for travelers along Highway US 60.  About 100 miles east of the Salt River Canyon, I entered the town of Show Low Arizona.  I wasn't expecting to find something to photograph here but as I entered the town, I spotted this very large Queen Anne Victorian house.  I learned later that it houses office space and one occupant was a real estate agent.

After checking in at a very nice Holiday Inn Express, I wandered around the hotel grounds and spotted a couple of interesting wood carvings.  This friendly bear was one.

This other bear was extending a warm welcome.

For my dinner, I wanted something a little nicer than the usual fast food places so I asked the woman at the front desk where would be a good place to eat.  She recommended Los Corrales which was conveniently located less than a mile away.  It was a colorful place with lots of real Mexican touches in its decor.  I loved the bar stools.

In the waiting area, there were these wonderful benches decorated with idyllic Mexican scenes.  I had to wait for the right moment to snap these two photos because these benches were always full of people waiting for tables.  Los Corrales was a popular place to eat.

After dinner I took a little drive around the town looking for something interesting but I think this wonderful house was the best I could do.  

If you are wondering how Show Low got its name, there is a legend that there were two men who were partners in a very large ranch and the two decided there wasn't enough room there for the two of them.  They decided to settle the split with a card game called "seven-up".  The winner would stay on the ranch and loser would go.  The game went on and on with no winner until one of the men said "If you show low, you win." The other man turned over the deuce of clubs and won the game.  So the town is named Show Low and the Main Street through town is Deuce of Clubs.  

It might be a small place but it has a colorful history.