Here's what's going on this week in Michigan! For our full event listing, please check the Shows link on our website, Bands in Town, and our Facebook events tab. We WILL be headed out west in September and can't wait to hit the open road.
I'm sending a big hug to our friends in NY. We had a great weekend because of you and I can't thank you enough for being there for us! It was a short but sweet trip but we will be back in NY in November.
And a big thank you to the handsome and charming Matt Van for joining us!
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The image of the used car lot cowboy, proper name: Dude Man, was taken earlier this summer on Route 66 in the cute town of Gallup, NM. He is known as one of many "Muffler Men" around the country from the mid century that were used primarily to promote service stations. Paul Bunyan was purportedly the first and held an ax. There is a Chicken Boy, Spaceman, and other varieties of Muffler Men around the country.
We have driven Route 66 so many times, yet haven't had much opportunity to explore Gallup. Since Dylan and I were traveling alone while passing through, we made it a priority to carve out a little time for Gallup and the El Rancho Hotel/Motel was a high priority. It was a hot spot for celebrities while filming in the area from the time it was built through much of the 60's. You can take a look around or book a room named for a movie start that stayed there.
Gallup is a treasure trove of neon and vintage Route 66 relics and it is nice to see the town pays tribute to the history of the mother road, as it should, and capitalizes a little from it. It also seems to be experiencing some revitalization in the few years since we've been visiting/driving through and you can tell residents care about their community, culture, local business and the arts. We started our morning there at Gallup Coffee Roasters in the cute, little downtown. Fresh roasted fuel is always appreciated on a long trip and it did not disappoint. God knows we drive through often enough on our way from Detroit to wherever... We will stop again soon.
We made an early morning walk through town while things were mostly still quite before heading off to nearby hiking trails. A short but sweet visit before heading off to the nearest green chile cheese burger on the way to Albuquerque. Now I am hungry!
If you are interested:
Rand McNally named Gallup the most patriotic small town in America due to the number of veterans and the proportion of the population that enlists; a large number of which are Native Americans, and also due to the manner and frequency with which they honor their veterans.
There is a museum dedicated to the Navajo Code Talkers and it is the home of Hiroshi Miyamura, Korean War Vet and recipient of the Medal of Honor.
You can no longer get your kicks on Route 666 - The name of the highway that traveled through Gallup, was renamed in 2003 to 491. Superstition, rumors of paranormal activities, etc were just to spooky to bear and presumably it is now sanctified and all demons have fled. Maybe.
The Rex Museum that details the towns history was once a brothel and of course a grocery store.
Half the population is Navajo.
Sadly, it has the highest rate of death due to exposure in the country among other problems that primarily affect the Native American population.
One of several murals downtown
Watch for snakes!
I'd like to make a collect call or something like that. Anybody have 50 cent piece?
Hiking
Hey You -------- Have you subscribed to our email newsletter? Please do. Scroll down to the bottom or our homepage and enter your email address. Dont forget to add info@jwhandsomedevils.com to your contacts so we make it to your inbox.