Route 66 Road Trip

[rvwandering]

Yeah, we're old! :-D

 

[rvwandering]

Holbrook and Winslow


If you want to buy rocks Holbrook is the place! My favorite is the Rainbow Rock Shop with homemade concrete dinosaurs lined up outside.



The Wigwam Village Motel is one of three Wigwam Villages still standing. It was built in 1950 and operated as a motel until the 1970s, then a gas station until 1988 when the original owner’s family opened it as a motel again.



The free Navajo County Historical Society Museum is filled with donated items but, as we’ve found in many of these small town museums, very little historic information.  The lot is large enough for RVs.

We went exploring on the south side of the railroad tracks and found the Arizona Rancho. This building has a long history. It was built in the early 1880s by Pedro Montaño as a single family home but with added additions it soon became a rooming house, then a hotel and it also served as a dance hall, a Masonic Lodge and a hospital at various times. It was last used as a youth hostel and appears to be empty now.



Bucket of Blood Street is also located on the other side of the tracks. The street is named after the Bucket of Blood Saloon. The saloon- the red stone building on the right, now closed - was originally called Perkin’s Cottage Salon but the name was changed after a gun fight in which “buckets of blood” covered the floor.



Back on the interstate for a few miles and off at exit 280 to see the World’s Largest Petrified Tree at the Geronimo Trading Post. It’s the one standing up on the left in the photo. The little gray spot is Tony. Room for RVs in the lot.



Cross over the interstate at exit 274 and travel along the frontage road to visit the giant jackrabbit.
Room for RVs in the lot.

    

You can’t go to Winslow and skip standing on the corner!



Winslow is a great town for walking. Parking is available on the streets and many attractions are just a few blocks apart.

La Posada Hotel opened in 1930. It was the showpiece of the Fred Harvey Company, who operated restaurants and hotels along the western rail lines. The hotel closed in 1957 and the building was used for railroad offices. In 1994 Allan Affeldt and his wife Tina Mion bought the building to save it from destruction. It has been completely restored. The public areas of the hotel are opened to visitors so feel free to wander around. It’s a beautiful building. Tina Mion is an artist and many of her pieces are on display. A free museum of her work is located on the upper level.



The nicely done and free to visit Old Trails Museum covers area history.



McHood Park, about 5 miles south of Winslow, has a great free campground. A restroom ( non-potable water) is opened during the summer. There’s a choice of pull through paved sites, sites next to the small lake or sites with a lake view. All have picnic tables and some are large enough for any RV.

 

[rvwandering]

Winslow to Williams

Meteor City Trading Post started as a gas station in 1938 and a store was added a few years later. It’s been closed since 2012. Besides the dome and teepee there’s also a large dream catcher on the grounds. Lots of room for RVs.

    

We drove six miles south to Meteor Crater without checking the admission price beforehand – $18.00 for an adult! Since we’d had seen it years ago we skipped it this time. The crater was first discovered by Europeans in the late 1800s and was thought to be of volcanic origins. In 1903, mining engineer and businessman Daniel M. Barringer, hypostasizing that it was produced by a meteor and that the meteor was buried at the bottom of the crater, staked a claim on the land. He spent 27 years trying to find the meteor which had vaporized on impact with the earth.

The crater and the land around it are still owned by the family. The admission price includes a gift shop, museum, film and a short paved trail along the rim with viewing decks. A RV parking area is available.



There’s not much left of Two Guns, just the shell of a campground office, some large water tanks and the stone walls of an old zoo, however the human history of this little spot reaches back to 1050 and includes Indian raids, stagecoach robberies, murders and lots of dirty dealing. Hard to imagine looking at it now.



Twin Arrows Trading Post has been closed since 1998 but the huge arrows were restored in 2009. 



The Twin Arrows Casino, on the opposite side of the interstate, is a good place to spend the night. There’s a oversize vehicle lot but we backed up over the dirt so that we were using just one space and stayed a quieter and little used section of different lot. 



Eldon Pueblo Archeological Site preserves the stone walls of a Sinagua village, inhabited from about A.D. 1070 to 1275. A short walking trail and a interpretive leaflet give a good overview of the site. The parking lot is a pull through loop. It’s small but large RVs will fit if there aren’t many other visitors.



Flagstaff, which got it’s start as a lumber and railroad town, is a popular destination because of it’s close proximity to the Grand Canyon, several national monuments and acres of national forest. We were more interested in getting to a lower elevation and warmer weather so our trip through Flagstaff was quick. The national forest west of Flagstaff has many good boondocking spots. This one is located just off the road to the Naval Observatory. It looks like it could be busy and crowded during the summer but it was very quiet and empty in December. It’s fairly flat with large clearings, big enough for any RV. There’s some interstate noise. (sorry about the poor photo quality - the settings were wrong)



The Pine Breeze Inn was built in the 1940s and included a gas station, cabins and a restaurant. The location was used in the movie “Easy Rider”. When the bikers stopped to get a room the owner put a “no vacancy” sign in the window. There’s a RV park behind the buildings.



Williams is a cute, little town that has been catering to tourists for over 100 years. In 1901, the Santa Fe Railway added a 60-mile spur to the Grand Canyon which became very popular as an easy way for day trippers to see the canyon. By 1968 few people were taking the train and the route was discontinued but in 1989 the train trips were started again and this is once more a popular way to travel to the canyon.

 

[highdesertranger]

very nice. I also stopped at the meteor crater a few years back, I couldn't believe the price and left. I am so enjoying your trip. highdesertrager

 

[rvwandering]

We should have known better. I remember it being expensive years ago but I wasn't expecting it to be that much! It doesn't seem right to have to pay to see something created by nature.

 

[WriterMs]

So much of your scenery in the last couple of posts are my "old stomping grounds," that they really bring back fond memories (for the most part). And you have taken the time to go off the main drag in places I never did.

Several vandwellers write of boondocking near Williams, but I had never seen a pic of the town itself until your post.

Thanks for sharing so much fascinating detail with us!

 

[highdesertranger]

I suspect that the original discoverer passed and left the claim to heirs. the heirs not being into the knowledge or respect for what it actually is, only saw dollar signs. they really don't want to spread the knowledge only to make money. I have no proof of this it's only speculation on my part, but I see this all the time. highdesertranger

 

[rvwandering]

Ash Fork and Seligman

Ash Fork is another small town that has suffered from being bypassed by the interstate but it has cool old buildings and signs. The free museum is filled with donated historic items and the building itself has an interesting history. Ash Fork, an important junction on the Santa Fe rail line, had a Harvey House hotel and restaurant, the Escalante, considered one of the best Harvey Houses in the west. Unfortunately it was demolished in 1968. The museum building served as a warehouse for the Harvey House. When Route 66 was being constructed the Arizona highway department bought it to store equipment and supplies.
Plenty of room for RVs in the lot.



This 1950s Texaco Station is now a hair salon which is only opened a day or two every month.



The pretty stone Cooper State Motel was built in the 1930s.



Ted’s, a truck stop, is closed but the Oasis seems to be going strong.
 
    

 A  big thank you to Low Tech for providing an introduction for a stay over in Ash Fork. Had a great time talking with Bruce!

And back on the interstate for a few miles then off at exit 123 for a 150 mile long section Route 66. Arizona makes up for all of the interstate driving with this last section of road stretching from Seligman to the California border.



Angel Delgadillo founded the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona in 1987 to promote the road after it had been been decommissioned. He’s become famous around the world and may be found in his shop in Seligman which is opened seven days a week.



Angel’s brother, Juan Delgadillo, built the Snow Cap Drive In in 1953 himself,piece by piece, using scrap lumber. Since Juan’s death in 2004, the Snow Cap has been run by his children.



The Supai Motel was built in the 1950s.



The Cooper Cart was originally a restaurant but now houses a store selling Route 66 memorabilia and souvenirs.



 There's lots of parking along the streets in Seligman. The entire town is just a few blocks long so park and walk around to see everything.

 

[rvwandering]

Seligman to Kingman

After leaving Seligman we headed off the pavement to camp on Arizona Trust Land. Camping is allowed for up to 14 days at a time and a permit is required. The permit is $15.00 a year so it’s a good deal but the permit can only be obtained through the mail. We didn’t have one and risked getting fined. This spot is a few miles in on Pico Road and has a nice view of the mountains. It’s been fairly heavily used but is completely free of trash and litter.



The Grand Canyon Caverns, which have been opened to tour for 80 years, are the largest dry caverns in the US. 



The grounds are decorated with old cars and dinosaur sculptures. Plenty of parking for RVs.



This 1903 school house is a remnant of the sad practice of removing Native American children from their families. It was believed that the children would be better off if they learned to speak English and were taught a trade. The schools were often far from the children's’ homes and they would not see anyone from their families for years at a time.



Hackberry started as a mining town in the late 1800s, became a tourist stop along Route 66 and a near ghost town when the interstate bypassed it. The Hackberry General Store, however, has become a famous landmark along the road. Bob Waldmire reopened it in 1992 as a souvenir shop and visitor center. It’s been owned and operated by John and Kerry Pritchard since 1998.



There’s a lot of great old stuff to look at both inside and outside. Plenty of parking for RVs.



Route 66 runs straight through the heart of Kingman.



 Lots of motels with wonderful old neon signs. El Trovatore Motel was built in 1939.



Two very good, small museums are located in Kingman. We visited both of them last spring. Kingman was one of the last cities to be bypassed when I-40 was completed in the 1980s. The Route 66 Museum follows the history of the road from Indian trails, to wagon road, to paved highway. The dust bowl refugee display is especially interesting.



The Mohave Museum focuses on the Native Americans who lived and hunted near Kingman, the conflicts that arose from prospectors seeking gold and the growth of mining and ranching in the area. 

 

[rvwandering]

Kingman to Topock

The last section of Route 66 in Arizona goes over Sitgreaves Pass. It’s steep and narrow with many curves and very scenic. Vehicles over 40’ are prohibited.



In 1926 Cool Springs had a service station and a cafe. Cabins were added a few years later. The buildings on the location look old and authentic but a fire in 1966 had reduced them to a pile of rubble. Ned and Michelle Leuchtner, who bought the property in 2001, restored the gas station (now a snack and souvenir shop) using vintage photographs as a guide. 



When Route 66 came past Ed Edgerton’s mining claim he saw a good opportunity and opened a trading post with a gas station, cafe and cabins. It’s been closed for years but the buildings are in fairly good condition and there’s a lot of equipment scattered around. The property is fenced off so it’s not possible to get a closer look. 

        

There are several spots at the top of the pass to pull over and get a good view of the mountains and the road winding it’s way down.



Almost all of the land along this section is BLM land but there are few roads and most of the ones that do exist are pretty rough and narrow, jeep and OHV trails rather than roads. 



Gold was discovered in Oatman in the 1860s and the boom that followed brought hundreds of miners to the area. Today tourists and wild burros outnumber the permanent residents. Main Street (Route 66) is lined with stores, restaurants and cars. It can be hard to find a place to park.

         

Between Oatman and Topock there are at least five large, flat pull offs along the road that are good for overnight stops. They’re not far off the road but there’s little traffic so it’s very quiet.

 

[highdesertranger]

love it great job. highdesertranger

 

[flying kurbmaster]

it wouldn't be a stretch to turn this into a coffee table travel book of route 66, good job, I enjoyed the journey thanks

 

[rvwandering]

Needles to Ludlow

Route 66 travelers must get onto the interstate to cross the Colorado River into California. A short dead end at exit 153 leads to this big concrete billboard and a view of the Old Trails Arch Bridge, formerly the path of National Old Trail Road and Route 66, now supporting a pipe line. The billboard’s original message welcomed travelers to Arizona.



Needles got it start as a rail town and became a popular stop along Route 66. It still has some nice neon signs and Art Deco buildings.

       

A fun mural featuring Snoopy’s brother Spike who lives in the desert near Needles.



Route 66 between Kingman and Ludlow travels through 110 lonely miles of the Mojave Desert. It crosses the interstate at Fenner where there’s a gas station but not much else. Roy’s Cafe at Amboy has been restored but all of the other gas and food stops have been long abandoned.

Essex is almost a ghost town. Even the post office is closed.



A really old billboard advertises rooms at the Flamingo in Laughlin, NV. It was probably bright pink at one time.



This original Route 66 rest area is very good spot to spend the night. It’s just a long roadside pull off with a few interpretive signs.



This huge sign marks the Roadrunner’s Retreat Cafe and Station. The Roadrunner was built in the 1960s and closed shortly after the road was bypassed in 1972.



Roy’s Cafe has been featured in movies, music videos and a TV commercial. It’s been restored by Albert Okura, the owner of the Jaun Pollo chicken chain. The little cabins house an art display which left us puzzled.



Ludlow, a former mining town, now has just a few inhabited houses, two gas stations, a small motel, a restaurant and a population of 10.

 

[rvwandering]

Ludlow to San Bernardino

Route 66 west of Ludlow follows alongside the interstate for 27 miles. The road is in really bad condition so I recommend skipping it. It’s so bad that we drove on the gravel shoulder part of the way because it was a smoother ride! The painted 66 shields are in very good shape because there’s so little traffic. :-D



The original Bagdad Cafe was 50 miles west of this location and is long gone but this cafe near Newberry Springs was used as the setting for the movie “Bagdad Cafe” so it’s a popular stop. The motel seen in the movie is no longer standing but the sign is still there along with an old Airstream trailer. 



Barstow got it’s start as a railroad town. Now it’s where I-40 and I-15 meet and merge to continue onto LA. Many of the original Route 66 era motels still line the road through downtown.One of the most interesting is the El Rancho which was built in 1947 using railroad ties for the walls.



Three small, free museums are located in Barstow. The Mojave Valley River Museum is filled with donated articles including Native American artifacts, minerals, fossils, gold mining tools and antique furniture. The parking lot is small so large RVs will fit better on the street or at the park located on the opposite side of the street.



Although Amtrak still stops at Barstow, the depot, which was bustling with activity in the early 1900s when passengers rushed off of the train to eat at the Harvey House restaurant, is now quiet and almost empty. The building houses the Chamber of Commerce, a few city offices, Route 66 Museum and the Western Railroad Museum.

Both museums are full of artifacts but small so it doesn’t take long to see them. They’re opened Friday, Saturday and Sunday only. The railroad museum has very little information about any of the items which makes it hard to figure out how they were all used. Engines, cabooses, and service vehicles are on display outside. The parking lot is large enough for any RV. Large RVs can park across the spaces by the train cars. The museums are on opposite ends of the depot.

     

Watch for the sun sparkling off of the bottles at Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch south of Helendale. Slow down to stop and walk through this usual forest. There’s enough room on the side of the road for RV parking but go carefully because it has a hump. 

 Elmer Long’s interest in bottle collecting started when he was a boy, taking road trips with his father and exploring old dumps along the way. Eventually he had a large collection of bottles and other junk. The bottle ranch was born when he inherited his father’s bottle collection and wanted a way to display everything.

Don’t forget to look up to see all of the stuff at the top of each of the trees!



The fun little California Route 66 Museum in Victorville is a must stop. The museum is packed with Route 66 memorabilia. Visitors may also climb into a VW hippy van or an “Okie” truck for a cute photo opportunity. The parking lot is small and difficult to get into. On street parking of RVs is not permitted in Victorville but there is a large public parking lot across the street where RVs can park.



I’m not sure if the haze in the air as we headed down the interstate into LA was caused by population or dust.



Taking exit 129 leads to this section of Route 66 through Cajon Pass. The two lanes on the left are not used any more. After six miles the road is blocked off so it’s back on the interstate for the final miles down the hill. 

 

[WheelEstate USA]

I'm excited as the last miles to the ocean fall behind. This has been the most amazing trip.

 

[rvpopeye]

You're getting near the end of your journey down (across?) 66
Thanks for bringing me along ! It was like being there. Great job of photo journalism. Go for the book , sure you'll do well.

BTW I've always wanted a pickup nosed class C like yours and still do.
SOOOOO much easier to work on the motor than the vans like mine...

 

[rvwandering]

San Bernardino to Santa Monica

The free McDonald’s Museum is a bit of a side trip off of Route 66 but worth it. This is not the orginal building, just the site of the first McDonald’s started by the McDonald brothers. A tale of revenge explains why the restaurant is no longer standing. In 1954 Ray Kroc, who at the time was selling milk shake machines, visited the restaurant and decided to become a franchisee. Kroc opened his first restaurant in Des Plaines, Illinois and in 1961 he bought the brothers out but they refused to sell the original restaurant. Kroc was furious and opened another McDonalds just a block away. The brothers, who lost the rights to their name, were soon forced out of business and Kroc had the building torn down.



The property is now owned by Albert Okura, the founder of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain. It’s also the corporation headquarters. The museum is a little run down and the collections of artifacts are very haphazardly displayed. Make sure to take a walk around the outside of the building to see the wonderful mural and the big fiberglass cartoon figures. We parked along the street but the lot is large enough for small RVs.

    

It’s 76 miles from San Bernardino to Santa Monica through what has become one long residential and commercial street as small towns have merged into a suburban sprawl. Unless you’re determined to drive as much of Route 66 as possible get on the interstate and skip this section. We did drive it all and saw a few interesting old sites but most of it is unremarkable.

The Wigwam Motel was built in 1949, the last of a chain of seven and one of only three that still remain.



The nicely restored Dale’s Garage is located on Shamrock Street in Monrovia.



The Aztec Hotel was built in 1925 with Mayan inspired mosaics, murals, and reliefs inside and out. It was called the Aztec because the architect believed that the public was not sufficiently familiar with the Mayan culture.



The Arroyo Seco Parkway was the first freeway in the west and the first limited access stretch of Route 66. It’s not built to modern standards and has many tight curves and short ramps. It’s best to drive along it in around noon to avoid traffic jams.



The final 15 miles is really slow going along Sunset Blvd and Santa Monica Blvd.



Santa Monica Pier – the official end of Route 66!

                              

      Thanks for following along! Hope you enjoyed the journey as much as we did!

 

[blars]

People who lived in LA for a long time still call the Arroyo Seco Parkway the Pasadena Freeway -- I think the rename was to try and convince people to travel it slower. Since route 66 was rerouted, there are some "Historic route 66" signs on parallel streets.

 

[highdesertranger]

bravo, excellent trip log I thoroughly enjoyed it. I am almost sad it's over. so where to now? highdesertranger

 

[WheelEstate USA]

What a wonderful trip its been. Thank you so much for sharing.