By Thomas Best
Those of you following along over the last month know that I am offering a travelogue of driving along Route 66. Today, I will discuss the 401 miles crossing the state of Arizona, which in Spanish means the “dry zone.”
Pam and I love visiting national parks. That is why we made a point of driving and walking through the “Painted Desert” and “Petrified Forest.” People flock here to see and touch pieces of petrified wood from 200 million years ago. This a region where an ancient forest once stood until it was destroyed by a lava flow. However, what you are now witnessing is not wood, but crystallized quartz left over from mineral rich ground-water which seeped into the dead tree.
Next, do you know these lyrics “I was standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, what a fine sight to see. There’s a girl, my Lord, in a flat-bed Ford, slowin’ down to take a look at me?” We visited this site in Winslow, which is now decorated with a series of statues, murals, and even a “flat-bed Ford” which Glenn Fry sang about in The Eagles song, “Take it Easy.”
Perhaps our favorite little town on the entire trip was Seligman. Countless funky little shops in this town (of not even 500 people) sell all sorts of souvenirs, show off old cars, and offer a number of great restaurants. Deldagillo’s Snow Cap is one of these well-adorned restaurants and ice cream stands, originally created by Juan Deladillo in the 1950s out of scrap wood from a Santa Fe Railroad yard. The barber shop in town was once run by a man referred to as the “Angel of Route 66:” Angel Delgadillo. When Interstate 40 bypassed this town, Angel pushed the state of Arizona to declare his town part of a historic highway zone. For years, travelers stopped to get their hair cut and thank him for his efforts. While we were there, two big busses full of French tourists arrived in town to spend their money and get a slice of American nostalgia. I imagine some later stopped to eat at the “Roadkill Café and O.K. Saloon.” Their sign says it all: “You kill it; we grill it!”
Kingman was our next to last stop. Their central park has a huge steam locomotive from the Santa Fe Railroad. I would like to think that this engine once chugged through Galesburg. But one of the best things about Kingman is their Route 66 Museum. I especially loved the displays related to the Dust Bowl and John Steinbeck’s “Grapes of Wrath.” It was also here that I learned that a cross-country road race was staged from Los Angeles to Chicago in the 1920s to advertise the opening of the highway. That’s right, a group of runners ran the route. Oh, and then for good measure, the promoter had them run to New York City to finish their race!
Past Kingman, you turn off on the old route of some 50 miles through the Black Mountains and a blistering desert where you will reach the once booming gold mining town of Oatman. The well-worn road heading this way is narrow, curvy, and often frightening. Gold was discovered in this region in 1915 and would eventually produce about $15 million in diggings. The town was named for a young woman, Olive Oatman, a girl originally from Illinois, who was kidnapped by some Native Americans and later sold to another tribe. Her face was famously etched with a tattoo to identify her as a member of the tribe who took her captive. She was released in 1856. The main attraction in town are dozens of donkeys, who live in the hills outside of town. They wander down into town to be fed by the tourists. One followed Pam into a store. The owner yelled “Get out!” Pam was startled, thinking he meant her. No, he was talking to one of the donkeys who thought he would follow Pam in for a snack of alpha pellets.
Such stories are really fun. Next week we wrap up our trip by heading for Los Angeles.
photo by https://www.defensivedriving.org/dmv-handbook/21-essential-route-66-attractions-you-cant-miss/
