The Navajo Nation has a very high per capita rate of known COVID, and authorities have decided to restrict travel in and out of this city.
Here’s a condensed verion.
You can still drive through Gallup on I-40, but people are not allowed to enter the city proper unless they live there, or have a demonstrated emergency.
That should stop the spread of the disease to Flagstaff (and let’s not forget Winona).
Gallup and Flagstaff are not next door to each other.
Unless something moved since I’ve been in SCal.
~VOW
Lookout, Kingman, Bairstow, and San Bernardino!
Bairstow?
I picked the wrong day to shop for pottery, weavings, and old pawn jewelry. :smack:
He was just trying to get some kicks.
The highway, it’s the best.
Known far and wide as Barstool. For kicks, park your RV overnight by the railyards and listen to the music of transport. Whistles, clanks, squeals, crunches, a real Symphonie Mechanique under the stars. Hmm, I wonder if Bun-Boy does takeout? Oh, Bun-Boy!
I wonder how many of Route 66’s classic spots will make it through this and survive. Or any of the many roadside tourist attractions across the US, for that matter.
I think he was pointing out the spelling error. It’s Barstow.
Home of the McDonald’s with a gift shop.
Or take the off-ramp onto CA-58 westbound to 99 north. Bakersfield, Fresno, Modesto, Stockton, Sacratomato all lined up like dominoes in that direction.
I thought Bun Boy was in Baker?
~VOW
We definitely dined at Bun Boy across from the Barstow rail yards. I’ve not been to Baker for awhile; I recall a giant thermometer and a multiple-jerky vendor. [pause] A little searching reveals bad news: Bun Boy in both Barstow and Baker are gone. I weep.
Back to Gallup. We last drove through just two years ago, stopped to shop for Native American arts and crafts as usual, ate tacos somewhere funky, and proceeded. I wonder how many pawnshops will survive the closures?
Or the people who stand on corners in Winslow. 
I did clinicals in the Gallup region so I’m familiar with the geography; they did have 2 hospitals, a community hospital and another that was run by the Indian Health Service, and neither were very big or very sophisticated. Critically ill people were usually sent to either Phoenix or Albuquerque.
Yep. It’s Barstow, not Bairstow.
The big thermometer has been busted for years. And even when it did “work,” it wasn’t accurate. It showed a temp much higher than a standard thermometer.
~VOW
Baker–gateway to the East Mojave National Scenic Area! We always used to have a “guess what the temp is” contest as we approached Baker…ah, the good old days. I was there last May, it’s just a gift shop now (but don’t miss the eggs frying in a skillet out front!). The Mad Greek Cafe across the street makes a tasty date shake, and it’s always fun to check out all the kitsch at the Alien Fresh Jerky store.
My first recollection of Baker California dates from 1966 when I rolled through on a moped and unrolled my sleeping bag under a table in the minuscule town park. I didn’t make it to Gallup that time, only weaving around till I hit Flagstaff, which has not improved much since then. I think a waffle shop on the main drag is using the same batter. :eek:
As for Winslow Arizona - the song’s event actually occurred in Flagstaff but that didn’t sound right. I sing it as Bisbee Arizona, a much more likely setting. Most residents land there by chance. It’s like my executive SIL attending a meeting at Ross Perot’s family ranch out in the middle of Fuckall Texas. She viewed the desolation and asked, “Ross, why did your family settle here?” He looked her in the eye and drawled, “Mule died.”
Back to Gallup, NM. We’d like to return. A Martians say, waiting is…