The Hoover Dam & Route 66

---

The Hoover Dam and Route 66 9th September 208

The journey from Las Vegas to Arizona and the Grand Canyon was brilliant! From Vegas we went first to the Hoover Dam and then the scenery was just a series of stunning contrasts, desert, mountains, prairie and then forest. First the desert, it is still the Mojave but here it is more diverse than on the drive to Vegas, with large swathes of cactus and outcrops of boulder and rock. Then we passed through part of the Black Mountain range which was truly dramatic and after the mountains came the prairie, just like in an old Western film; we looked out for wagon trains and Indian scouts on the hills but didn’t see any. We did see plenty of old wagons outside bars on Route 66 however. It is a great drive on this old historic route precisely because it passes through all the old little towns and pit stops. Finally we got to a town called Williams where we stopped for the night at a motel with the original name of “Route 66 Inn”; wonder how many of those there are between Chicago and L.A.? Williams is in the Kaibab National Forest which is a huge pine forest; it stretches both sides of the Grand Canyon. Williams is a great place and its only 54 miles from the Canyon. It was quite chilly in the evening and spitting a bit with rain but we ate and drank outside at a restaurant where they had a barbecue going and really good live music. Two great singers with their guitars; one guy did more blues and the other more country but both had the versatility to play requests and it was really good entertainment. The chicken, corn cobs and ranch-style beans were pretty good too. They said that Paul McCartney was here recently when he did Route 66 for his 66th birthday. Well, if it’s good enough for McCartney…..Don’t suppose he sang outside any cafes, however! This was a perfect evening, made even more so by the thought that tomorrow we shall see the Canyon.

---

Photos

Lizard
Lizard at HooverDam

Lake Mead
Lake Mead above the Hoover Dam

Hoover Dam
The Hoover Dam

Black Mountains
Black Mountains, Arizona, Route 66

John, Route 66
A rest along the route

Route 66 Inn
Overnight stop at Williams, 54 miles from Grand Canyon