e started our excursion down Route 66 in Rolla, Missouri and finished 8 days later in Needles, California. It truly was
an adventure with every town, every mile of the road, every curve offering up something new for us to experience.
Somewhere I read 'Step back into a bygone era'. Believe me that's just what happens. Route 66 spans the
United States from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California. During the 1930's, 40's and 50's it became
'The Mainstreet', for travel from the Midwest to California. Named the 'Will Rogers Highway' and described as the
'Mother Road' by John Stienbeck in 'The Grapes of Wrath' this road has a history like no other highway
in the world. Now bypassed by 5 Interstate highways and decommissioned by the federal government, much of this
magnificent road and it's history still remain waiting to be rediscovered by those who will venture down its
path. Although much of Route 66 still remains, there are some sections that are no longer driveable or that lie buried under the Interstates.
he towns, the people, the diners, the tourist traps, the Souvenir shops, the Great Depression of the 1930's, the Dust Bowl,
all of this and more are what give Route 66 it's rich intriguing history. Quite honestly, words and pictures simply can not
entirely convey the thoughts, sights, and feelings this trip seems to evoke, it must be experienced.
So cruise through the rest of our journal. We hope you enjoy it and that it will inspire some of you to take your
own cruise on Route 66.
ctober 4th through the 16th 2002 is when we took our trip. We chose October for the
month to take our trip thinking we would miss the heat of summer yet have nice weather in the 70's, maybe the low
80's in places and we weren't disappointed. Our plan was, 9 days on Route 66 with one of those days being a side
trip to Phoenix. Leaving us 3 days for our return trip to Minnesota from Needles, California.
oday was just a travel day, we drove from our home in Minnesota to Jefferson City, Missouri where we spent the night at the "Best Western Capital Inn". The "Best Western Capital Inn" provided us nice clean and comfortable accommodations for our first night on the road. We had supper at Johnny's Bar B Que which is at the Capitol Inn. They had a rather interesting buffet that included Sauerkraut, several barbecued meats, potatoes and vegetables. Definitely not what WE are accustomed to, but none the less it was very tasty and we would recommend it if you ever stay in Jefferson City. We also investigated the bar, it also was an interesting establishment, quite obviously a rather popular local watering hole.
e gassed the car up in Rolla and decided it was time to get out the maps and book and figure out where we were to go from here. We were made aware of some of what was in store as we left Rolla and joined Route 66 on Martin Spring Dr which is the 'Outer Road'(we call it a frontage or service road). Just as you leave the edge of town, as the road curves left you hit a short stretch of old concrete Route 66. Almost immediately you feel like you have passed through some kind of time warp to some long past era.
ur first real treat came as we entered the 'Devil's Elbow' section just south of Arlington Mo. This section is a 4 lane divided section of 1940's concrete complete with the lip on the edge. It's actually known as the "Hooker cutoff" as it is a bypass of the original Route through "Devils Elbow". We pulled over and stopped, almost in awe, we could almost see vintage vehicles passing by. After winding along this beautiful stretch of old 4 lane you cross the Interstate and come into Waynesville.
n Springfield we spent the night at the "Best Western Rail Haven" Motel another Route 66 original and a MUST place to stay. Starting out as cabins and later being rebuilt into a motel when Glenstone St was widened to 4 lanes. Being in Springfield Missouri early in the afternoon we just had to spend a couple of hours at Bass Pro Shop. We cruised up and down Glenstone a couple of times, lots of cool neon to see here at night.
s we left Missouri we followed the "Old road" into Kansas past the closed processing plant at "Hells Half Acre", It's all that remains of the Zinc and Lead mining that was once done here. At the time we didn't realize what this was. The mining really devastated the land. We crossed the curved bridge over the railroad tracks into Galena, Kansas. Being Sunday morning Main street in Galena was pretty much deserted, we cruised slowly through town and with no signs of life we headed down the road to Riverton.
n down the road after going through Dotyville and Narcissa we stopped in Afton to see the Afton Station, but it was also closed, so we took a picture and continued on. At Foyil, Oklahoma we took a little side trip to see the "Totem Pole Park". It was built by Ed Galloway in the 1940's as a tribute to American Indians. Some of these concrete Totem Poles are absolutely huge !
e decided to try Norma's cafe in Sapulpa but it was closed and For Sale so we kept going and decided to find a place to eat in one of the next towns. Between Kellyville and Bristow we spotted the first oil well on our trip. It wasn't pumping, can it be cheaper to buy foreign oil? Maybe it's been pumped dry. The Rock cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma was closed for renevotions, so we ended up eating at the restaurant at our Motel.
efore leaving Stroud this morning we had breakfast at the Specialty House family restaurant, a good place to eat if you can't eat at The Rock cafe. We took a short detour through Davenport, we drove down Broadway of this little town. The speed limit is 15mph and for good reason, the street is cobblestone and so rough any faster and we would have ripped the exhaust and transmission off the car.
ukon, Oklahoma is the home town of Garth Brooks. It was lunch time so we decided to cruise down Garth Brooks boulevard and find Harry's American Grill. Harry's has a unique southwestern atmosphere and some really good TexMex food. Continuing down the road the terrain becomes flat around El Reno, with lots of scrubby vegetation and you can see forever. Route 66 through Calumet and Geary was a little tricky with the directions on our map. We managed to figure it out and made it to Bridgeport where we crossed the "Pony" bridge that goes over the Canadian river. It's named for the 38 arches or "Pony's" it has.
linton, Oklahoma is where the Oklahoma Route 66 museum is. It's a fabulous museum that traces the history of Route 66 as you walk from room to room with the aid of a cassette player they give you when you go in. At the end of the tour there is an excellent movie called "Route 66: An American Odyssey." And to top it off they have a fabulous gift shop ! Keep your eyes peeled for the yellow Monster Volkswagen Beetle on the right side just outside Clinton! Our next stop was in Elk City at the National Route 66 museum. Unfortunately they close at 5 pm and it was a little later than that when we got there. So we took a few pictures and headed for the Texas border.
vening was closing in as we drove into Shamrock, Texas. On the drive from the Oklahoma border you really see the desolation left behind by the Oil business drying up and the bypassing of Route 66 by the Interstate. Many of the little towns are nearly ghosts. Businesses look like whoever owned them one day hung a "Closed" sign in the window and walked away. There is an older alignment of Route 66 that runs parallel to the current alignment through this section Some of it looks like you could drive it, but in many places there are trees and shrubs growing up in the middle of it making those spots impassable. We were ready to get to our Motel and have some supper after a long interesting 11 or 12 hour day on the road. After checking into the motel we went next door to a little cafe and had supper. Forgetting we were in Texas I ordered a double cheeseburger. What I got was a bun with 2 hamburger patties that together probably weighed a pound and a half! It tasted wonderful though, good and greasy. The french fries were equally as good.
hamrock is the home of the "U Drop Inn cafe" it was closed for renovations. Just outside Shamrock was a field of cotton growing, it was the first time either of us had seen a cotton field. As we drove west we really started to notice more weeds growing up through the cracks in the road. I know it's a sign of age and deterioration, but it seemed to add character as well. The drive across the Texas panhandle is really kind of sad. Towns like McLean seem deserted as you drive through them, so little prosperity in what were once thriving small towns. In McLean the Texas Motel and restaurant stand empty and down the street an old gas station slowly crumbles away with time. On the way out of McLean on the left is an old Phillips 66 station and tank truck that have been restored. They stand there like a testament of prosperous times long past.
he section of dirt Route 66 between the Texas border and San Jon, New Mexico is kind of fascinating, as we drove along we talked about what it must have been like many years ago driving this same stretch in an old Model T ford. Out in the middle of the desert, nothing but hard sandy soil and scrub brush as far as you can see. People must have felt awfully alone out here. I know we felt alone, but some how the desert has a beauty all it's own and there are hardy souls that do call it home. About half way to San Jon we had one moment to break the silence as Judy screamed as we drove right over a Tarantula trying to make it across the road. We didn't hit it, but it must have been an awful fright for that poor little spider. Passing through San Jon the road becomes paved again and we headed for Tucumcari.
anta Rosa is home to the "Fat Man" made famous by the billboards that used to advertise the Club Cafe. The Club cafe is closed, but the legacy of the "Fat Man" has been carried on by Joseph's bar & grill. Santa Rosa also has the "Blue Hole" a sink hole some 80 feet deep that has THE most beautiful, clear sapphire blue water. We checked into our motel and then went to Joseph's bar & grill for supper, the atmosphere said Route 66 and the food was ok. Tomorrow we head up the Santa Fe loop of Route 66. Which was the earlier alignment of Route 66 that was later bypassed by the current alignment that goes straight west between Santa Rosa and Albuquerque.
s we headed north toward Santa Fe we started seeing small herds of Pronghorn antelope scattered across the grassy areas on either side of the highway. They're the first Pronghorns either of us had ever seen in the wild. The scenery was beautiful and ever changing as the road went up in elevation. We stopped in the tiny Pueblo(village) of Tecolote, New Mexico to see an old Iron Bridge which was part of the old alignment of Route 66 before it was paved. It never ceased to amaze us how people navigated that old dirt highway. Down the road near Pecos, New Mexico is the "Pecos National Monument" It's the remains of a large indian Pueblo and two Spanish missions on the old Santa Fe trail. We spent about an hour there and it was very interesting and worth the stop.
ext was a little side excursion to the bottom of the La Bajada hill which was part of the pre 1932 alignment of Route 66 before it was paved. It's one mile of road that has 23 hairpin turns and drops over 800 feet. We found our way to the tiny village of La Bajada, but because the ruts in the road were too deep we were unable to drive all the way back to the base of the hill. But if you wish and are driving a 4 wheel drive vehicle you can drive up to the base of the hill or park next to the old bridge and walk back to the base of the hill. But, be warned! If you are driving a 4 wheel drive vehicle it is NOT recommended that you try to drive up the hill as the road going up the hill is not in good shape.
eading west out of Grants, New Mexico the scenery is spectacular as Grants is in the heart of Mesa country. At Prewitt NM are the Red Rock Cliffs, Beautiful rusty red colors, they stand out majesticlly against the blue New Mexico sky. Just west of Thoreau(pronounced "Threw")you cross the Continental Divide. The Continental Divide is a dividing line that runs along the Rocky mountains from Canada to Mexico. Rain, snow and rivers West of the Continental Divide all drain to the Pacific ocean and rain, snow and rivers East of the Continental Divide drain to the Atlantic ocean. Next, we Stopped in Gallup to see the El Rancho hotel which since the 1930's has been the home away from home for many movie stars when they were on location filming movies. Just West of Gallup you pass Fort Yellowhorse. It's a movie set that was built for the 1950 Kirk Douglas film "The Big Carnival". It's also an indian trading post that was operated by Chief Yellowhorse who passed away in 1999, the trading post is still in operation with signs boasting "See a live Buffalo".
ust west of Navajo, Arizona is the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park. We were really impressed with the beauty of the Painted Desert, It looks as though the colors have been air brushed on to the hills and cliffs. As far as the eye can see, it's beautiful and eerie, almost mesmerizing. The Petrified forest was really something to see as well although personally we found it less interesting than the Painted Desert. We spent almost two hours at the park and it was well worth the time. We ate lunch in the cafeteria at the park visitors center and the food was pretty bad.
was standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona … As the Eagles song goes, Winslow is a neat little town. If you plan a trip on Route 66 make sure to make reservations to stay at the La Posada hotel in Winslow. The La Posada was the crown jewel of the the Fred Harvey railroad hotels. This beautiful old hotel is being painstakingly restored and is absolutely fabulous! We toured the hotel and wished we could have stayed the night. Next we stopped in the Old Trails Museum and spent nearly an hour there I think. The woman who was there was fascinating with her knowledge of the history of Winslow, the railroad, the La Posada hotel and the area in general. Plus it's the only place you can get an official "Standin' on a Corner" t-shirt. Back on the Interstate we headed for Flagstaff. We spent a lot of time on the interstate today, in eastern Arizona much of Route 66 lies buried under the Interstate so there are only small fragments of the old two lane road left. At Winona we rejoined the Old road for the drive into Flagstaff. About 15 miles or so out of Flagstaff you really notice how the landscape has changed from the brush,sand and rock of the desert to grassy with lots of pine and cedar trees.
lagstaff or Flag as it is known by roadies and the locals is the largest city on Route 66 in Arizona. As you drive into town on Santa Fe Avenue you are greeted by motel row along with the Museum Club, a Route 66 icon since the 1930's. Believe me at night the neon is something to behold. We stayed at the BestWestern Kings House Motel on motel row. What we didn't know is that motel row is built right across the street from the railroad tracks which are busy 24 hours a day. The motel is not far from a large intersection so train horns bellowed regularly all night long. We spent two nights in Flagstaff because we spent Friday on a side trip to see friends in Scottsdale.
olling into Seligman you're Blasted with an almost gaudy retro facade. Old cars dot the street and parking lot of the Snow Cap drive in. Down the street "The Rusty Bolt and Thunderbird Indian Store" is decorated outside with mannequin's on the balcony and 50's music drifts through the air. The owner of Angel's Barbershop, Angel Delgadillo is the driving force behind the movement in Arizona to preserve Route 66. We stopped and strolled down the street and looked around a bit. Just as we were getting ready to leave a group of Corvette's rumbled into town and stopped. Four of them, all different years starting in the mid 60's. What a cool sight to see.
eaving Seligman the next 90 miles of road to Kingman are a drivers dream. You literally get lost in the road cruising along at a nice easy speed. what a dream of a road to drive on! It's one of those stretches of road where your mind can really wander and ponder how cool it would be to be driving this in a '57 Chevy or better yet a 1960 Corvette. We still had to make it to Needles, so we cruised through Kingman and turned west on the Oatman road.
