Day 8: Williams, AZ to Holbrook, AZ – Movie Magic, Fuel Scares, and Raven Curses

What a ride. Day 8 of our Route 66 100th Anniversary tour took us out of the haunted hallways of Williams and onto a stretch of the Mother Road packed with cinematic history, close-call fuel stops, and a run-in with some incredibly smart (and potentially vengeful) wildlife.

Here is how today’s run unfolded.

Easy Rider & The Stator Hater Clubhouse

Before leaving the Historic Grand Canyon Hotel, we lined up the bikes out front for a proper group photo under the sign.

We pointed the tires east toward Twin Lakes, pulling off to find a massive piece of cinematic history: the Pine Breeze Inn. If you’re a film buff, you’ll recognize it instantly as the spot from the opening sequence of Easy Rider where Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda are denied a room because they look a little too unruly. Naturally, Tyler had to pose in his hat, knocking on the door to recreate the movie scene.

Back out on the tarmac, a few local riders joined our pack for a few miles, forming a sweet little rolling convoy.

We rolled into Flagstaff looking for the historic Lumberjack Muffler Man, but it seems he’s been permanently retired from his post because we couldn’t find him anywhere. We did, however, find a massive, beautiful log cabin sitting on the market. We all agreed it would make the absolute perfect national clubhouse for the Stator Haters. Right out front, a killer retro neon guitar sign frames the street perfectly.

As we were clearing the outskirts of Flagstaff, we spotted something in a field to our right that unlocked a wave of nostalgia: one of those old-school, rocketship-shaped metal playground jungle gyms with the big slide dropping out of the middle. It was painted red, white, and blue just like a classic “Bomb Pop” popsicle. Billy and I both vividly remember playing on those exact structures when we were kids—though how that massive chunk of vintage playground metal survived the blistering Arizona sun all these decades is anyone’s guess!

Twin Arrows & The Great Fuel Panic

Just outside Flagstaff, we made a mandatory stop at the Twin Arrows Trading Post.

Originally opened as the Canyon Padre Trading Post, it was rebranded in 1955 with a gas station and two iconic 25-foot arrows driven into the dirt. It was a legendary Route 66 pitstop until Interstate 40 bypasses killed it off in the early ’90s. Sadly, one of the massive arrows collapsed a few years back and was removed, so only one remains standing today. Tyler was pumped to get a photo here because it served as the filming location for the “Joe Dirt” firecracker scene. It’s also visible in the background of Forrest Gump during his famous cross-country running montage when he wipes his face with a yellow T-shirt and coins the phrase, “Have a nice day.”

By this point, our tanks were running dangerously low and we were getting parched. The map promised fuel and cold drinks at the next landmark, but Pete’s low-fuel light was screaming. He told us his bike wouldn’t make it and to push on to the Geronimo Trading Post while he took an earlier exit to hunt for gas.

We limped into the Geronimo Trading Post only to find a double whammy: not only did they not have gas pumps, but the whole trading post was closed.

Things went sideways fast:

Tyler’s bike was flashing hot and starting to overheat.
Blake’s tank was bone dry.
Just then, Billy came riding up with a lifeline.

We managed to carefully backtrack a couple of exits to a Love’s Truck Stop. The pumps were miraculously open, but the joke was on us again—the main store was completely gutted and shut down for heavy construction. No cold drinks for the crew. We just had to laugh, fill the tanks, and push through.

Bribing Ravens in the Painted Desert

We finally made it into Holbrook, Arizona, and rolled up to the world-famous Wigwam Motel to check in. Because we arrived before their 3:00 PM check-in time, we headed over to Tom & Susie’s Diner for a fantastic, much-needed lunch.

With full stomachs, it was time to take Blake through the Petrified Forest National Park.

Our first stop was the spectacular Painted Desert Inn, which now serves as the visitor center and gift shop. After stocking up on our daily quota of patches and stickers, we geared up to ride the park loop. As we rolled out, I playfully honked my horn at a group of ravens sitting nearby, sending them scattering into the sky.

Pete immediately shook his head. “No, man. Don’t do that. Ravens have insane memories and they will follow you.” He reminded us of that famous BBC article about a photographer who regularly fed the local crows—when she accidentally dropped her lens cap in an alley, the birds actually tracked it down, picked it up, and brought it right back to her birdbath!

I thought he was joking, but at the next two scenic overlooks, ravens flew down, perched on the wooden railings, and just stared dead at me.

By the time they followed us to the third viewing spot, the bad juju felt real. I begged Blake for his bag of powdered donuts, broke them up, and threw them to our new feathered stalkers as a peace offering. It seemed to work, or at least bought us enough time to escape!

The ride through the rest of the park was breathtaking. The landscape looks incredibly similar to the rugged Badlands of South Dakota, but painted with an unbelievable spectrum of vibrant desert colors.

Telling Tall Tales at the Teepees

We finished the loop and rode back into Holbrook to officially check into our concrete teepees at the Wigwam Motel (another major Route 66 bucket list item checked off!). We grabbed our commemorative stickers and patches from the office, then cruised over to the Butterfield Stagecoach Steakhouse for a massive dinner.

On the way back, we took the bikes through the brand-new Holbrook drive-through Route 66 shield sign for an awesome night photo.

We spent the rest of the evening sitting outside our teepees under the desert stars, laughing until our stomachs hurt while retelling the legendary story of the time Billy accidentally set Blake on fire. Tyler (T2) had never heard the full breakdown of that disaster, so it was the perfect entertainment to close out the night.

It was an unforgettable day on the Mother Road. Tomorrow is going to be a long, high-mileage haul as we track through the mountains of Santa Fe on our way back toward Tucumcari, New Mexico.

Kickstands are up early. Sleep fast!