Get your kicks on Route 66

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It was another earlier start in glorious fine weather again.Breakfast was fairly limited at the motel but we filled up best we could ready for the long day.Gretchen had been out for a long walk to try and keep her exercised condition cos I think she thinks she is losing it.!!!
She discovered Twisters Soda Fountain a real old time Soda Fountain shop with Coca Cola everything in it.There were even a six pack bottles of Coke selling for $150 !!!!!The seats at the Soda Fountain had CocaCola embossed on the back,Leigh you would have been in 7th heaven here.A really cool place.
We needed to do a bit of I-40 before the start of Route 66 on its own took us off to Ash Fork, own that the world has left behind.There was a beauty salon there that had a De Soto car on the roof.Naturally the salon was called DeSoto.However it wasnt open and didnt look like it had been for some years.So pictures and video were of the outside only.Then back on the interstate for a couple of miles and off again to 66.The roadside had been planted in sunflowers and though they were near the end of their season they still made a pretty picture as we cruised along the road.The weather was fine and warm and a convertible would have topped the cake so to speak.We made do with the Dodge Caliber which looked well out of place amongst the old cars that line the roadside whenever you pull into one of the towns on this stretch of 66,the mother road.
We soon arrived into Seligman.The place was abuzz with bloody tourists off about 7 or 8 buses parked right outside most of the stores we wanted to photograph !!
Eventually they all moved on after we had explored the shops and we were able to get the photos and video we wanted free of tourists getting in the shot.
This little dusty town probably has the most history that has been revived of the famous road and that is why we guess the tourists spend time thereWe assume most were on day trips from LasVegas to the Canyon with Seligman morning tea stop on the way.
We motored onto Peach Springs where we had lunch.This is the local stepping off point to the glass walk above the Canyon but the time one needs to take to get there and the price was too much for us so we gave it a miss.
We came across the second odd sort of roadworks on this road trip at Truxton.We came to a halt behind two bikies from Massuchusets who had been on the road for 2 weeks and were heading to Needles,california and then riding all the way back again.I suppose that is one of the good things of these roadworks were everything seems to ome to a stop in that you get out of your car while you wait and talk to anyone who wants to past the time of day with you.We had an escort thru the roadworks for about 5 miles and dint see any roadworks actually happening !!!!Very strange.
Next stop was Hackberry where the roadside shop had so much stuff about Route 66 that you couldnt take it all in.Gretchen got tied up with some old woman who wouldnt stop talking to her about nothing in general.We assume she was local as she befriended more people after we managed to escape her talk.
Then came Kingman and the end of Route 66.Along with the town came a brief heavy shower of rain.
We then turned onto AZ 93 and headed for Las vegas via the Hoover Dam.The road has little inhabitation for over 70 miles passing thru virtual desert.Every so often there was a trailer parked out in the middle of nowhere.How people survive or why they want to be there is beyond me.
About 5 miles short of the dam we passed thru a checkpoint to make sure we werent terrorists heading to blow up the dam.Gretchen reckoned she had noticed a camera a couple of miles before the checkpoint and as we looked innocent we were waved thru without stopping.
Arriving at the dam overlook we emerged from the car for the fist time in a couple of hours and were hit by the 100deg heat.This dam is another one of thoses USA icons you just have to see.It is MASSIVE and soon there will be a new road completed that will take you past the dam that will give even better views of how big this structure is.The road being built is very impressive too.
All too soon Vegas was in sight and despite going off at the wrong exit from the interstate we managed to arrive sucessfully at our hotel for the night,the Stratosphere.
It was a bit of a walk back to the main action on the strip but we needed to stretch the legs and there is so much to see on the strip which turns into a fairyland at night with the lights.We had diinner at Jimmy Buffets Margaritaville(isnt it great how someone can make good money after one hit song).The scene at this restaurant is all go and we managed to make it for the show where a blond chick dances around and ends up sliding down a tube into a bucket(large) of water much to the delight of the crowd.We watched 3 performances of the fountain to music outsides the Bellagio
Then it was time to trek back and late bedtime but having made the best of our short time in Vegas.

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