Gettin' More Kicks on Route 66!

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

It winds from Chicago to LA,
More than two thousand miles all the way.
Get your kicks on route sixty-six.

Now you go through Saint Louis,

Joplin, Missouri,
And Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.
You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip:
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

This song has been going through my head ever since we began our Route 66 adventure in Gallup, New Mexico. We've also traveled through Flagstaff, Arizona, Winona, Kingman & Barstow. That's the end of our personal  Route 66 trip, and it has been wonderful. I can only imagine what traveling along this route was like in the '40s & '50s. So many of the old motels and restaurants are still there - some of them abandoned, but so many still operating. I'm glad that we made the point of seeking out both the big and little towns along the way. The small towns were so much more enjoyable than the big ones.

We left the Grand Canyon Monday morning and headed for Kingman, Arizona, with many stops planned along the way. First we stopped in Williams to give my car a much needed bath at the car wash. Duchess has experienced this many times in the past, but each time she feels that she needs to bark at the water splashing against the window.

On the road to Kingman, via Seligman...

Approaching the Seligman exit...

Larry has a T-shirt from the Road Kill Cafe in Seligman that he got over 20 years ago, and I really wanted to get one for Andy & Ben, so we stopped there for lunch.

 

We ordered root beers...

and clam strips and crab cakes. Kind of a strange choice for a city far away from the ocean, but we couldn't resist.

After lunch, we parked Jumbo on the street and walked around for a couple of blocks.There are actually less than 500 full-time residents in Seligman, but they have held on fast to their Route 66 heritage.  I love the old buildings that have survived since the days when  hordes of motorists drove through the town.

We didn't go inside The Rusty Bolt, but enjoyed the vintage cars out front and the mannequins that were all over the place-

Elvis in front of the Rusty Bolt.

 The old motels remind me of some that I stayed in when I was a child.

Back on the road headed for Kingman...

 

I didn't realize Kingman was such a big town. Among Route 66 aficionados, it is known as the main hub of the longest uninterrupted stretch of the historic highway. We found the Pilot Truck Stop where we wedged our way between two big rigs and settled in for the night. The buzz of the truck next to us was actually rather soothing, and we slept well.

The next morning we filled up with gas and Larry checked the tire pressure on Jumbo.

We drove around town a bit before moving on, going down Andy Devine Ave., which is what Route 66 is now called, but because of the traffic it was difficult to get many pictures.

We left Kingman and headed towards Needles, California.

I was very interested in the various types of vegetation I had noticed along the side of the road, and was glad when Larry turned into a Rest Area so I could see it close up.

I don't know what this is, but it was very prickly!

Larry found a rock for Chloe's collection...

We made it to California!!!

We got to the California Check Station, and they asked Larry if he had firewood or plants, and when it was my turn she didn't ask me if I had anything at all. Just said "Have a great day!" and I was off!

Never having been to Needles, I didn't know what to expect, bu it turned out to be a charming town - and warm! It was 70 degrees. Quite a change from when we left Denver eight days ago with a temperature of 10 degrees or thereabouts!

A palm tree means California to me!

We drove down the stretch of Route 66 that goes through town and saw a few abandoned motels...

We stopped at the Chamber of Commerce. I went inside and found five volunteers with no tourists to help but me, so they loaded me up with information, both written and verbal. I found out that the building behind them was the old El Garces Train Station, home to the Fred Harvey Hotel and Restaurant. It was built in 1908 and operated until 1949, staffed by "Harvey Girls." It is now in the process of being restored. They are hoping to do the same with many of the other buildings around town.

Larry & Duchess in front of the Harvey House.

We left Needles and moved on down the road towards Barstow, where we planned to spend the night at a Pilot Truck Stop.

We stopped at a rest area in the Mojave Desert which had some interesting looking trees and a lot of lava.

We found a piece of lava for Chloe!

When we reached Barstow, we found it to be a big, confusing mess! Its located at the junction of four major freeways and highways in the middle of the Mojave desert. We were looking for a WalMart, since Jumbo's steps had decided to misbehave and not always go down when they should, and we thought a step stool would make it easier for me to get in and out. We drove around and didn't see a WalMart, but did see a sign for another Harvey House, so stopped to check it out. This one must have been quite a gem in its day. Imagine getting off the train and being shown into a place like this for a scrumptious meal and a luxurious  place to stay.

Larry didn't want to stay at the Flying J Truck Stop in Barstow, so we drove on to Boron, or actually a few miles from it, to the Pilot Truck Stop there. The woman at the counter said we could stay in the back with the trucks or park in the big dirt lot behind the Burger King, so that's where we are. I thought I'd been in the middle of nowhere before, but I think this is the real thing!

 

It's been a long day - time for bed!