Stranded on a corner in Winslow, Arizona

We left Standing on the Corner Park in Winslow, headed for another long stretch of I-40 through central Arizona. When we got to the on ramp, though, we found a highway patrol car blocking it. A large snowstorm with high winds had closed 200 miles of I-40, between Winslow to Kingman.

Noting all the cars parked on the side of the road, we decided to get a motel room - even though it was 10 AM - thinking they might start going fast. We snagged one at the Winslow Inn (not recommended, by the way), then went to find a place to eat and gather more information.

No one we talked to had any idea how long the closing would last, or what sort of weather was headed for Winslow. The forecast called for more snow in Flagstaff through midnight. After we ate, we headed back to the Winslow Inn to fire up the computer and use their WiFi to make another plan.

The Plan B we came up with was to head back east on I-40, then south and around the storm on I-10 through Phoenix, headed for Twentynine Palms and Nick. After we spent a day or so with him, we could start Route 66 at the western end, then follow it back to Winslow, assuming the weather cleared up in the intervening days. We checked out of the motel (after being in it less than an hour), and headed back to the interstate.

Westbound traffic as far as the eye can see

When we got there, we saw a steady stream of traffic headed down the westbound ramp. They had reopened I-40, and Plan A was back on the table! We joined everyone else, and headed for Flagstaff.

Six hours of closed interstate made for a lot of congestion, mostly 18 wheelers trying to make up lost time. We soon longed for the sparsely populated Route 66 we'd come to know and love. But it got even worse as we approached Flagstaff and the storm that had closed the road in the first place. Heavy snow and heavier traffic made for a killer combination. At one point we took over two hours to cover less than twelve miles.

With the traffic on I-40, Route 66 was a Winter wonderland

We eventually made it to the Seligman turnoff, where we got to leave the traffic behind. From there to Kingman (where we spent the night) it was off and on weather, but reasonable and pretty driving. Not an experience we want to repeat, but the high point of adventure on the  trip.