Our Best Trip Ever - Part 4 - A Railfan Oasis, The La Posada Hotel

(Continued from: Our Best Trip Ever - Part 3 - The Run East Continues)

Day 1 (Continued)

La Posada Hotel Background

There are some, but not many, places that offer a spectacular railroad viewing opportunity coupled with truly refreshing and luxurious accommodations track side. Our favorite, to date, is located in Winslow, Arizona and it is truly an oasis for railfans and travelers alike. It is the La Posada Hotel , a National Historic Landmark, and billed as “Arizona’s grandest estate.”

The La Posada Hotel’s historic and notable story begins back in 1901, when the Fred Harvey Company, of the famous Harvey Houses, offered the job of decorating the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque, New Mexico, to an aspiring interior designer Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter.

Mary Jane Colter, an American architect.Eventually she began working full-time for the Fred Harvey Company in 1910 and remained in their employ for the next 30 years. In her career she designed many notable lodges and hotels - many of which are located in or near the rim of the Grand Canyon including the Phantom Ranch, Hopi House, Hermit’s Rest, Lookout Studio, Bright Angel Lodge, and the Desert View Watchtower.

As part of the landmark collaboration between the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe Railrway Company and the Fred Harvey Company, she designed and decorated the La Posada Hotel in 1929. She had a part in every design aspect of the project right down to the china and the modified Harvey Girls uniforms.

The hotel remained in service with the Santa Fe Railway until it closed in 1957. For the next 34 years the property was used as the headquarters of the Santa Fe Railway’s Arizona operations with Colter’s charm and character hidden behind false walls and vinyl flooring. In 1994, with the risk of demolition looming, Allan Affeldt, a self-taught architect and a man with tremendous vision, purchased the property from the railroad — saving this piece of history from certain doom.

Allan Affeldt’s vision was to restore the La Posada’s grandeur to what Mary Colter had created and open the hotel once again despite his lack of hotelier skills. So in 1997, Allan and his wife, artist Tina Mion, moved in to the La Posada Hotel and began their over $12 million restoration effort. No one, not even the Winslow City Council had faith that the effort would ever be completed. Fortunately, they were wrong. Thanks to the tireless dedication of Allan and his team the La Posada Hotel has reopened replete with Mary Colter’s original vision and feel, and, just like Mary Colter, and with selfish interests duly noted, I consider her La Posada Hotel her masterpiece — and today it is also Allan Affeldt’s masterpiece.

La Posada Hotel Postcard - © Copyright 2011, Debra Parra

La Posada Hotel Gardens Postcard - © Copyright 2011, Debra Parra

Check-In Time

Perhaps not unlike train travelers of years past, just under twenty-four hours after we left our modest abode in Ontario, California, we checked-in at the La Posada Hotel. Once we had keys in hand, we headed out to the truck to gather our luggage and cherished belongings because for the next two days we were to figuratively bathe in luxury and, literally, an in-room jacuzzi tub!

Once we reached our impeccable room the grit and grime of a full day’s travel and chase became apparent. After I got my items situated, as I need to be organized, and while Deb slumbered on the bed, I took a shower, all the while eager to watch the night’s train activity on BNSF’s vaunted transcon from less than a stone’s throw away from the hotel.

Check-Out Time

No, we weren’t scheduled to check-out of the hotel for two more days, rather I am talking about checking out the hotel. Once showered, and after bidding Deb a brief farewell as she rested, I armed myself with my camera and made my way towards the lobby for a few interior shots of the beautifully restored and appointed hotel.

The following two shots give a glimpse into the spectacular furnishings and accoutrements of the public areas of the La Posada Hotel:

La Posada Hotel Ballroom - The Ballroom of the gorgeous La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

La Posada Hotel Cinderblock Court - The Cinderblock Court of the gorgeous La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry As I went outside to have a smoke and check on the train action I saw something novel and unique. I ran to the truck to grab my tripod to try to get clean photos of the something that should make for a killer image.

In the next post I’ll show you shots from the grounds around the La Posada Hotel.

Our Best Trip Ever - Part 3 - The Run East Continues

(Continued from: Our Best Trip Ever - Part 2 - The Run East)

Day 1 (Continued)

The Townsend Winona Road overpass provides a nice vantage point to take in the action of BNSF trains as they transit the area near Winona, Arizona. Looking west, most of the elements that comprise an interesting composition, at least for me, can be found from the overpass — sweeping curves, a discernible grade, a distant view, and a nice, mountainous backdrop. The view from the eastern side of the overpass is less spectacular but similar.

My first stop at this location was in July of 2006, and, as the following graphic reveals, little has changed since then. Originally we had happened upon this location not by design by but happenstance. We were following the signal indications while paralleling the Seligman Subdivision from Interstate 40 when the signals indicated that an eastbound would soon be coming by our location. I took the next exit, which happened to be the Townsend Winona Road exit. I was a tad bit disappointed to see that the train was a “baretable train” (empty flatcars and well cars). The photo on the left is the train from July 2006.

Five Years Apart - Winona, Arizona from the overpass. The left photo is from July 2006 and the right is April 2011.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

On this latest trip, in April 2011, I had planned specifically to shoot from this location again. This time, I hoped to spend more time there and, hopefully, catch a few trains. In turns out that luck was on my side as the lineup of trains coincided with our arrival. As we have since learned from this trip, the traffic patterns would suggest that the BNSF (dispatcher) likes to run trains in bunches, either east or west, or sometimes, both.

BNSF 4713 East 1 - BNSF 4713 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 1039 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and two more unidentified DASH 9’s have the head end power duties for this eastbound stack train rounding a curve at Winona, Arizona as a westbound “Z” Train blows by on track one.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

BNSF 4713 East 2 - BNSF 4713 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 1039 (GE DASH 9-44CW), and two more unidentified DASH 9’s have the head end power duties for this eastbound stack train rounding a curve at Winona, Arizona as a westbound “Z” Train blows by on track one.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

After I had shot several trains at the overpass I realized that we still had some time before were due at the La Posada Hotel for check-in. Looking at the map, I was intrigued by the presence of a large curve that the tracks made nearby. I wondered about the photographic possibilities at the location so off we went to see if we could get close enough to it to get some photos.

We spotted the curve from the road but the scene appeared too cluttered for my liking. We drove further down the road a bit and then turned around. I had seen a dirt road just prior to the curve that might offer a better opportunity. After seeing no signage indicating that the road was private we used it to access a cool spot much closer to the curve that had an amazing angle and the sun at our backs. Perfect.

As Deb took a hike in the surrounding area, on “snake patrol,” I watched and photographed several trains go through the curve. All of them were westbound, heading away from me, which wasn’t ideal. We hung out some more.

Eventually I could see the head end of an approaching eastbound. I shot the following sequence of shots as it hustled by: 

BNSF 7521 East 1 - BNSF 7521 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4017 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 7856 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7698 (GE ES44DC) ease this eastbound stack train around the dogleg curve at milepost 331.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

BNSF 7521 East 2 - BNSF 7521 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4017 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 7856 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7698 (GE ES44DC) ease this eastbound stack train around the dogleg curve at milepost 331.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe PerryBNSF 7521 East 3 - BNSF 7521 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 4017 (GE DASH 9-44CW), BNSF 7856 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7698 (GE ES44DC) ease this eastbound stack train around the dogleg curve at milepost 331.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

At this point it was time to move on. I was tired from the night’s travels and the little rest I was able to attain. We were going to spend two days chilling out at the La Posada so as I packed up the gear, I looked forward to a relative short drive to Winslow and the comfort of a freshly made king size bed…

In the next post I’ll cover our time at the amazing La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.

Our Best Trip Ever - Part 2 - The Run East

(Continued from: Our Best Trip Ever - Part 1 - The Planning)

D-Day

On Saturday morning, with great anticipation and eagerness, I loaded the final pieces of gear into the truck and the perishables into the camper’s fridge. I have learned over the years that it seems something always comes up at the last minute as we prepare to depart, especially when it involves more that a weekend road trip, so I packed some flex-time into the first day of our trip. Good thing too because we needed it.

After I finished the loading and set the destination into our GPS I sought out Deb. I found her in the kitchen making the final few touches on the meals that we would take on our trip. Our intent was to eat well this trip so Deb prepared chicken enchiladas, spaghetti, and our favorite, Japanese curry over rice, to take with us.

She needed more time so I settled down to rest a bit. Perhaps it was due to the anticipation of the pending trip or all of the work I put into preparing the truck and camper the week before, but I found myself unable to sleep Friday night and I was tired. I drifted to sleep.

After a short respite, eventually we were ready to depart. Our reservations at the La Posada Hotel weren’t until Sunday evening so we had the rest of Saturday and most of Sunday to get there. Originally I had planned to shoot targets of opportunity along the Needles Sub as we headed east out of California but, due to our late departure, I opted just to drive straight through to Flagstaff. We did just that.

Having heard that Walmart allows overnight parking for RVer’s sometimes, and considering I was in need of some rest, we headed to a Walmart in Flagstaff. Upon our arrival at 11:30 PM, we were surprised to find that the store was open. This was apparently one of those “new-fangled” 24-hour stores. We went inside to garner permission to park overnight.

As I headed out to the truck for a nap, Deb, having slept some of the way to Flagstaff in the passenger seat, proceeded to shop in the nearly empty Super Walmart for hours, and hours, and hours. I suspect that she must have felt as if she was in heaven - not unlike my ventures to Fry’s Electronics. As soon as I had drifted off to sleep I was awoken by a parking lot monster - the overnight truck vacuum! As the truck made it’s rounds vacuuming up the discarded flotasm that littered the parking lot it became clear that my efforts were in vane. I headed inside to join Deb on her shopping spree.

The track of our first “official” day on the Seligman Sub. The black camera icons indicate the locations that I shot.

Day 1

LightTrac App from Rivolu Pte. Ltd, showing the Winona, AZ sunrise opportunities.Enough fooling around, it was time to shoot. I looked for an appropriate location in hopes of catching some sunrise shots between Flagstaff and Winslow. Using a very cool iPhone application from Rivolu Pte. Ltd, called LightTrac, for sunrise data, I picked the area near Winona, Arizona for my quarry.

“LightTrac helps photographers plan their outdoor photo shoots ahead of time by helping them find the perfect light conditions, time and location to photograph their subjects anywhere in the world.”

We headed east out of Flagstaff on Interstate 40 bound for Winona all the while racing the pending sunrise. Eventually we reached the road that led towards the rails, an area known as Darling, Arizona, and I looked at the surrounding terrain for a decent location to set-up. I can only do so much planning with maps and cool apps because it is difficult, if not impossible, to glean true sight angles and scene composition data without actually being there. No map is going to show you the locations of trees, fences, billboards, power lines and the like. Nonetheless, it gets me in the ballpark.

Eventually I settled on a spot in the road which had a slight rise due to the fact that the tracks were higher than the road here. Apparently the tracks were laid on a small fill to level the grade. I do have the benefit of going to the roof of the camper to take shots which affords me an additional 11’ of elevation. I did just that.

Upon my rooftop perch, I surveyed the surrounding scene and took a moment to appreciate the fact that I was doing something I love immensely, with someone I love immensely. It was clearly going to be a beautiful day. The sun was clawing towards the horizon and there was a slight chill to the air.

I set-up the tripod and took note of the distant signals which indicated no train in the immediate area. I decided to fire off a few test shots. Once I did, we waited. Eventually the sun rose enough to cast a beautiful glow about the horizon.

A Darling Dawn - A beautiful start to the day is underway at Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

A Darling Dawn 2 - A beautiful start to the day is underway at Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

As in the case on all parts of BNSF’s Seligman Subdivision, one does not have to wait long for traffic. Eventually the distant signals indicated an approaching train and soon thereafter the headlight appeared flickering on the horizon. This is the shot of our first train on the trip:

Dawn Doublestacker at Darling - As dawn gives way to sunrise, our first train of the day dashes through Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

Judging from that photo it is a good thing I opted to set-up on the roof or else the train would have been behind those bushes. Another westbound train appeared in the distance and the sun had risen enough to fully light my location so I decided to shoot a panorama shot:

Panorama shot of Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe PerryAfter Deb prepared, and I subsequently eagerly comsumed, one of her breakfast offerings I took a walkabout and positioned myself in various locations in the area for some different shots. At one point I had passed underneath the tracks at an underpass which was a little too small for my camper to pass through and shot, what turns out to be, one of my favorite shots of the day. I caught an eastbound stack train with the sun glinting off of the train. While post-processing the photo I couldn’t decide between which version, either color or sepia, that I prefered so I kept both:

Sunrise and Stacker on the Seligman Sub - As the sun glints off of its train, BNSF 7667 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7896 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7736 (GE ES44DC) lead an eastbound doublestack train towards the rising sun along the ranch lands of Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry Sunrise and Stacker on the Seligman Sub in Sepia - As the sun glints off of its train, BNSF 7667 (GE ES44DC), BNSF 7896 (GE ES44DC), and BNSF 7736 (GE ES44DC) lead an eastbound doublestack train towards the rising sun along the ranch lands of Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe PerryAfter I had my fill of the Darling location I decided to head to the often photographed location where the BNSF tracks pass under Townsend Winona Road in Winona proper. As we headed that way I took a few shots along the way.

BNSF Eastbound Stack Train with San Francisco Peaks - An eastbound BNSF intermodal train greets the morning sun with the dramatic San Francisco and Elden Mountains providing the backdrop near Darling, Arizona.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

BNSF 5169 West - BNSF 5169 (GE DASH 9-44CW) and BNSF 4196 (GE DASH 9-44CW) lean into a superelevated curve as they approach Winona, Arizona with their intermodal charge in tow.
[4/17/2011 - Seligman Subdivision] © Copyright 2011, Joe Perry

In the next post I’ll cover our photos from Winona, Arizona.