Hello everyone,
It’s been an eventful few days and I thought I’d fill you
all in on my travels. On Tuesday, we were up early to head out for our trip
down the Mother Road aka Historic Route 66. We headed NW towards Topock, where
we could begin our journey along Route 66. Unfortunately, due to the severe
storms from the night before, the road from Topock to Oatman was closed. I
thought, “No biggie, we’ll head to Needles and start there”. So I drove into
California and stopped in Needles, a cute little town known for Snoopy (and his
Uncle). Then it was off to find Route 66. Now, this included quite a detour
that took us through 3 states (California, Nevada and Arizona) but we
eventually made it to Kingman, where we began Route 66. It was a 2 hour, 128
mile (206 km) detour but we drove around Dead Mountains Wilderness Area,
through the Mojave Valley and on some remote but beautiful roads. It was worth
the detour!
Once we started Historic Route 66 from Kingman, it was smooth
sailing along the route: beautiful scenery, quite (and secluded) roads and
amazing weather. The Historic Route 66 is 87 miles (140 km) of uninterrupted 2
lane highway. We drove right on the outskirts of a storm and saw train after
train (I even raced one – what a thrill!). It was wonderful. I loved driving
with the top down, wind wiping through my hair, music playing and every now and
then, gunning the engine (I love the power of my car!).
Our first stop was in Hackberry. It is pretty much just the
general store but what a store it is. It’s eclectic, old school and so very
interesting. Outside, there are old cars, older cars and then some relics. It
was so cool to see the old corvettes, model T and beater trucks. Thankfully, we
were just leaving as a motorcade of tourists came in. But we also got to see a
gang of motorbikes – now that would be a trip!
After Hackberry, we kept going through to Peach Springs
where we stopped at the Hualapai Lodge for a quick rest before continuing
through the Hualapai Indian Reservation. Then it was straight on through to
Seligman, where the route began! Once the I-40 was built back in the 1970’s and
traffic was diverted from Seligman, Angel, the town’s barber began the campaign
to make Route 66 historic. The campaign was a success and now, the route is
popular again and towns are thriving. Now, this does not mean that everything
is back to the way it was, sadly, there are quite a few abandoned buildings,
businesses and homes along the route, but some towns have found a way to draw
tourists. Seligman is one of them. It was the inspiration for the movie “Cars”
and there are old cars with eyes that clearly reveal the characters scattered
around town. It was fun to explore and search them out.
Once we were down the route, it was on to the I-40 and back
to Lake Havasu City. It was a great day for driving (minus the detour due to
flooded roads) and we saw some amazing scenery and interesting towns along the
way. I can proudly say I drove the Mother Road, Historic Route 66!
So that was yesterday, today was much more relaxed. Went to
the beach, laid around reading, went out for dinner, read some more. I really
have to say, I’m enjoying my holiday immensely!
Tomorrow I head into Phoenix for an overnight with my
friend, Jaime. I met her 5 years ago when I was backpacking through France. We
got along so well that I visited her a few times in Washington DC and travelled
to Croatia, Slovenia and Montenegro with her 4 years ago. It will be great to
catch up and explore another part of Arizona.
Until my next post,
Lisa
No comments:
Post a Comment