Now that our calf muscles, quads, hamstrings and glutes had been wrecked by the Grand Canyon's Bright Angel Trail, it was back on the road! (Everytime we stopped and got out of the car on this day, we looked like a couple of hobbling 100-year-olds!)
From the 6500 foot elevation of Williams, we proceeded down (over many miles) into the great Mojave desert region of western Arizona and eastern California. About 35 miles west of Williams, we took a short side trip onto a very worn and rough early alignment of Route 66, for an interesting photo op - a large tree growing through the road surface on the west end of a small bridge crossing Partridge Creek. Yet another reminder of how the Mother Road has been abandoned to nature in many places.
+-+Seligman+AZ.jpg)
Next was Seligman, which was one of the coolest towns on the trip. Here is an example of a town which was bypassed by the interstate, but is still kicking due to Route 66 nostalgia. When John Lassiter, the director of Cars, was doing research for the movie, he noted that Seligman was the closest thing to a real-life version of Radiator Springs, because of the spirit of the people. At the Route 66 Museum in town, we spoke with one of those special people: Mirna Delgadillo. Mirna's father, Angel, was one of the first people to petition for "Historic Route 66" signage, and 
enlisted Mom and Pop shop owners from many other towns in Arizona to do the same. This movement spread to other states where towns had suffered from lack of traffic. Much of the resurgence of Route 66's popularity and economic health is due to Angel and Mirna. Another thing we really liked about them: they only sold souvenir items made in the USA (difficult to do today!). So, we gave them some business and bought our official "trip shirts."
Our other main stops for the day were Kingman and Oatman AZ, before crossing into California.
At Kingman, we stopped for lunch at the very 50s Mr. D'z Diner.
The exterior and interior of this restaurant was period+-+Kingman+AZ.jpg)
correct, right down to the black and white linoleum tile floor and the turquoise vinyl-covered bar stools. The burgers and fries were great, too!
In contrast, Oatman AZ is a real trip back to the mid-to-late 1800s. After descending for many miles through gold mining country, over tight switchbacks in very hot, very dusty conditions, Oatman appeared out of nowhere like a western movie set.+-+Oatman+AZ.jpg)
Burros are roaming the streets (we bought a bag of carrots for $1.00 to feed them, as did hundreds of others). 
The last town in Arizona westbound was Topock, then we crossed the Colorado River into Needles, CA. 
After Needles, the scene was rather desolate, with many miles of flat road in 120-degree heat of the Mojave. Towns like Goffs, Amboy, Bagdad, and Ludlow have barely any indication that businesses ever existed there, except for long-empty shells of gas stations and motels; and the infrequent appearance of a tree or two!
Barstow CA brought a sigh of relief - this is an another example of a town that is still vibrant in spite of the Interstate! We stopped at the beautiful Santa Fe Depot which now houses yet another Route 66 Museum. About 32 miles west was Victorville, which was also a mining town, but nowadays looks more like typical suburbia. At long last, we emerged from the desert to parallel the foothills of the San Bernardino mountains, and green grass, flowers and lush trees reappeared.
As the sun was almost ready to set, we arrived at our sleeping spot for the night - the OTHER existing Wigwam Motel! Like the one in Holbrook AZ, this one has been well cared for and updated (Internet, cable and a fridge in a wigwam... go figure!). We'll never forget our night in Wigwam #117. It really made us feel like Route 66 "roadies."
From the 6500 foot elevation of Williams, we proceeded down (over many miles) into the great Mojave desert region of western Arizona and eastern California. About 35 miles west of Williams, we took a short side trip onto a very worn and rough early alignment of Route 66, for an interesting photo op - a large tree growing through the road surface on the west end of a small bridge crossing Partridge Creek. Yet another reminder of how the Mother Road has been abandoned to nature in many places.+-+Seligman+AZ.jpg)
Next was Seligman, which was one of the coolest towns on the trip. Here is an example of a town which was bypassed by the interstate, but is still kicking due to Route 66 nostalgia. When John Lassiter, the director of Cars, was doing research for the movie, he noted that Seligman was the closest thing to a real-life version of Radiator Springs, because of the spirit of the people. At the Route 66 Museum in town, we spoke with one of those special people: Mirna Delgadillo. Mirna's father, Angel, was one of the first people to petition for "Historic Route 66" signage, and 
enlisted Mom and Pop shop owners from many other towns in Arizona to do the same. This movement spread to other states where towns had suffered from lack of traffic. Much of the resurgence of Route 66's popularity and economic health is due to Angel and Mirna. Another thing we really liked about them: they only sold souvenir items made in the USA (difficult to do today!). So, we gave them some business and bought our official "trip shirts."Our other main stops for the day were Kingman and Oatman AZ, before crossing into California.
At Kingman, we stopped for lunch at the very 50s Mr. D'z Diner.
The exterior and interior of this restaurant was period correct, right down to the black and white linoleum tile floor and the turquoise vinyl-covered bar stools. The burgers and fries were great, too!In contrast, Oatman AZ is a real trip back to the mid-to-late 1800s. After descending for many miles through gold mining country, over tight switchbacks in very hot, very dusty conditions, Oatman appeared out of nowhere like a western movie set.
+-+Oatman+AZ.jpg)
Burros are roaming the streets (we bought a bag of carrots for $1.00 to feed them, as did hundreds of others). 
The last town in Arizona westbound was Topock, then we crossed the Colorado River into Needles, CA. 
After Needles, the scene was rather desolate, with many miles of flat road in 120-degree heat of the Mojave. Towns like Goffs, Amboy, Bagdad, and Ludlow have barely any indication that businesses ever existed there, except for long-empty shells of gas stations and motels; and the infrequent appearance of a tree or two!Barstow CA brought a sigh of relief - this is an another example of a town that is still vibrant in spite of the Interstate! We stopped at the beautiful Santa Fe Depot which now houses yet another Route 66 Museum. About 32 miles west was Victorville, which was also a mining town, but nowadays looks more like typical suburbia. At long last, we emerged from the desert to parallel the foothills of the San Bernardino mountains, and green grass, flowers and lush trees reappeared.
As the sun was almost ready to set, we arrived at our sleeping spot for the night - the OTHER existing Wigwam Motel! Like the one in Holbrook AZ, this one has been well cared for and updated (Internet, cable and a fridge in a wigwam... go figure!). We'll never forget our night in Wigwam #117. It really made us feel like Route 66 "roadies."
In case you were wondering, this is what the inside of a wigwam looks like! I never realized that Native Americans had TVs, refrigerators, and WiFi in their humble lodgings, but seeing was believing! You could just imagine kids pleading to their parents from the back of the station wagon in the 50s, "Dad, PLEEEASE let's stay in a wigwam tonight!" This property, and its sister back in Holbrook AZ, have both been nicely maintained and updated. Due to the barrel shape of the room, the bath area was rather tight quarters, with a stand up shower. After a long day of traveling in the Mojave, our wigs were warm (ha ha), and we were more than ready for a rest in our "native dwelling."
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