Looking back on June 7, 2018
On June 7, 2018, I had a very specific ambition in Winslow, Arizona. I wanted to stand on the corner.
My original geocaching log makes my position on this perfectly clear: the stop was a must-do, despite remarks from family members about the silliness of it. I did not record those remarks word for word. I did record the find, and there is photographic evidence that I got my turn on the corner. I consider that a satisfactory outcome.
A Street Corner with a Soundtrack
We were traveling with bapierson and LEGOexplorer on our Arizona vacation. The trip included places that are impressive on a geological scale—the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, Petrified Forest. Winslow offered something smaller, more specific, and rather easier to fit into a photograph.
The connection, of course, is “Take It Easy,” written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey and made famous by the Eagles. The Winslow Chamber’s description of Standin’ on the Corner Park explains how that song helped turn an ordinary downtown intersection into a destination.
At the corner are the bronze guitarist, the mural, and the red flatbed Ford. Our photographs have all the ingredients. They also have me beside the statue, looking entirely willing to be the tourist I had come there to be.
There are times to pretend you are above the obvious tourist photograph. Visiting a place whose entire premise is standing on a particular corner is probably not one of them.
A Virtual Souvenir
Our geocaching stop was Standin on the corner.... (GC64F7), a Virtual Cache. No container had to be pulled out of the streetscape and no hidden logbook was involved. The landmark itself was the reason to be there.
bapierson and LEGOexplorer each added their own June 7 find. My log recorded my determination to stop; the photograph recorded the result. The family commentary was apparently an acceptable price to pay.
The cache was a good fit for the place. We could enjoy the corner, take the photographs, and come away with a find tied to somewhere instantly recognizable. A Virtual can be a remarkably effective souvenir when the location is the part you want to remember.
Worth Stopping For
Route 66 travel has room for a stop like this. Between the national parks and the big scenic destinations, there can also be a downtown corner, a familiar song, and a photograph you are quite happy to pose for.
The larger vacation belongs in Canyons, Craters, and the Mother Road: Our Arizona Adventure. This little piece of it gets its own story because it had such a simple purpose, and we actually did it.
I wanted to stand on the corner in Winslow. I stood on the corner in Winslow. There was even a geocache. Sometimes the vacation itinerary works out exactly as intended.
Field Notes
- Adventure: June 7, 2018
- Location: Standin’ on the Corner Park, Winslow, Arizona
- Companions: bapierson and LEGOexplorer
- Cache: Standin on the corner.... (GC64F7) — Virtual
- Song connection: “Take It Easy,” written by Jackson Browne and Glenn Frey; recorded by the Eagles
- Photographs: Steven Pierson, June 7, 2018
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