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Route 66 A Road Trip For The New Millenium, 2000 Background: Ken and Bev Cross and friends Rob and Penny Ballard from Swindon in Wiltshire (UK) wanted to mark the Millennium with a special holiday. Two and a half years previously Ken had started planning and researching via books and the Internet, and using CD Rom Map and Go software.
Ken and Bev had been driving around the States ever since they "did" California and Nevada on their honeymoon in 1991.
Day 1 to 3 - Chicago and Illinois A very pleasant flight from London to Detroit on North West, thanks to it only being 50 %!f(MISSING)ull. A totally under whelming welcome by US Immigration officials at the airport, why are they always so humourless and aggressive?
Our second leg was not so pleasant, after an hours delay due to thunderstorms we bumped and rolled our way to Chicago as thunder and lightning crashed all around us.
We found our Motel in Chicago (Ho Jo, La Salle) to be an old fashioned Motor Inn situated in an ideal position for walking to many of the tourist sites.
After 2 and a half years planning for this trip
our first problem was that Rob had left THE detailed information folder at home thinking that I had brought one, whereas I had the basic information folder and all the directional folders!
One early problem as a result was no address for "HIT THE ROAD", we had promised to visit. The Tourist Information was of no help, so we missed out there.
Day 1, 27th August We took an orientation trolley ride, lunch at Navy Pier and then a cruise up the river and out on that big pond bit of water. That evening (for Rob's sake really) we hit "Famous Dave’s" Blues and Ribs club which was just over the road from our hotel, the ribs were disappointing but Rob tells me the Blues was the best.........(I shall take his word for it!)
Day 2, 28th August We arranged to meet the famous LULU (AKA Lynn Bagdon, a well known local Route 66 addict) she arrived at our Motel and I knew it was her by the bumper (fender) stickers on her car and the raggedy doll with sleazy panty hose she was moving into the boot . Lulu drove us all over the bits
of Chicago we would otherwise not have seen and we lunched in the Famous Blues Brothers dining venue "The Billy Goat Tavern" where the chef would only give us double cheese boiger (sic), chips not fries and Pepsi not coke. It was all very amusing even though I had not seen the film (movie).
Note: must get the video out.
That evening we dined at “Dicks Last Resort” where the staff are experts at insults and bad service, we loved it and tried to give as good as we got. I was laughing so much that I walked out without signing the credit card slip!! Nevertheless the waiter chased me out firing insults and expletives.
We finished off the evening by going up the Hancock Tower after visiting the Buckingham fountain and having a whirl on the Big Wheel on Navy Pier.
Thanks for your company Lynn, and your tour guide services. The zip-lock bags came in real handy, but as for the beef jerky??? Well we have yet to find a use for it. Maybe shoe repairs?
Day 3, 29th August We left Chicago (at the R66 sign) and immediately encountered problems with numerous diversions due
to roadworks. We decided to just hit the freeway and get the heck out of town as soon as possible. We did not hit R66 until just before Funks Grove (home of maple syrup), where we made our first stop.
As we got out of the van the heat hit us! (We then had record temperatures for the rest of the trip, all the way to LA). We were very lucky at Funks, first of all Mrs F appeared, then after much searching she found the key to the shop, and finally we bought the last two tins of Sirup (sic).
Note: I have since heard from other travellers that she does this every time!
Our next stop was the disappointing Dixie Truckers hall of Fame. After an average lunch we set off for Springfield and the Lincoln Memorial. By now temperatures had reached 101° so we were not too keen on spending a great deal of time outside of our V-HIC-YULE (as Americans call it!). We managed a quick tour though.
We hit the Old Shell station at Mount Olive, we peered through the windows and saw quite a few old neon signs laying around inside.
Unfortunately as
we were due to meet Bob and Kitty Harmon (More R66 diehards from Mt. Vernon IL ) in St Louis at 7.30 that evening we did not have time to linger longer through Illinois and eventually hit the freeway into Pontoon Beach and our Motel the Camelot Inn. The pool was never more inviting!
It was at this stage we began to think of all the pool-less motels we had to come!
St Louis was
STEAMY! As we walked from the car park through the trees, plagued by bugs, I thought I was in the jungle as the sweat dripped down my back. The St Louis Arch looked awesome from close up, the ride up was claustrophobic but Bob and Kitty's company was great we had a great Italian meal with them. They presented us with a wonderful set of maps and the full set of "Here It Is". We again felt as if we could have spent more time in St Louis, but......
Thanks for taking the time to meet us folks, and I still think that was my meal of the trip.
361 miles Some thoughts on the first few days:
•If quote "The
Drive in Movies
Not something we have back home.Hancock Building is the Most Recognisable Building in The World" how come we had never heard of it?
•You still cannot get a good cup of tea in the USA.
•Why is the Best breakfast of the holiday (vacation) always on day one?
•The meals never get any smaller.
•Chicago is a lovely City.
•Why do the tour guides in Chicago keep mentioning Jerry Springer and Oprah?
•How come we had been in the States THREE DAYS and not yet hit a Wal-Mart???
•How can Famous Dave advertise "The Best Ribs in America" when they were the worst I've ever had outside the UK?
Day 4, Missouri, 30th August We left Illinois in fog so unfortunately missed getting any shots of The Arch as we rentered Missouri.
Temperature was already 93° and heat warnings had been given out for the Mid-West!
Bob Harmon had told us that trying to navigate through St Louis was not worth the hassle, and it was too early in the day for frozen custard, so we hit the freeway and headed straight for Times Beach. I think that this was the first time that the others in our group began to get a
"feel" for what we were doing. The Museum was great and the staff very helpful, we were even given a large packet of biscuits (cookies) for our journey. Oreos (I thought they were a baseball team?) "Twist and Shout" - very nice.
Having done all the planning for the trip, hence lots of research, I was reasonably familiar with the road and its history but the others had just glanced at the mounds of literature I had passed their way, and had decided to read and learn on the road.
Another dilemma reared, the gift shop was full of R66 gifts and memorabilia, should we buy now or later? Would we see better? Or would we not see the same items again?
We headed off, this time on 66, until we reached The Lewis Cafe in St Clair where we had a "good old fashioned lunch". I think we stuck out like a sore thumb as tourists, but nobody batted an eyelid. We all got excited as a Santa Fe railroad train thundered past blowing its whistle, and after lunch we stood alongside the track to video, photograph and record (Dictaphone) the next one. Little were we to
know that the railroad would be our
companion and bedtime mate for many of our stops along the way. For the record the train took 2 minutes and 17 seconds to pass!
We thought about stopping at the Jesse James Museum, took a look at the Shack that housed it and thought....nah!
We didn't bother with Meramec Caverns - if you've seen one cave............
We had photo opportunities at the Munger Moss and Wagon Wheel Motels and could not pass one of the many wineries without a small tasting. We stopped for coffee in Springfield where the young girl who served us wondered why we would want to come to Missouri.
For our night stop we went "Back to the Future" at the Boots Motel, I'm not sure whether Gene Autrey, or his horse, stayed in our room but it was very nice. I voted the Boots the best "Mom & Pop" we stayed in, and the owner assured us that the horse had stayed outside.
We found Carthage to have a nice feel about the place; the Jasper County courthouse is certainly an imposing building but seems out of place in such a small town. We
Turn left for Kansas
Blink and you miss it! strolled the streets in search of dinner but ended up at a Chinese buffet just opposite the motel, $7 for all you could eat! No alcohol though, we were beginning to realise, we were in "Small Town America". As it was still early and the town had gone to sleep for the week, we finally got some retail therapy at Wal-Mart. We passed the Gooseberry Diner on the way and vowed to stop for photos on the way back, unfortunately the lights were all off by the time we emerged laden with merchandise from the big W.
328 miles Day 5, Missouri - Kansas - Oklahoma, 31st August Breakfast at the Gooseberry Diner, but as expected, in daylight, no neon, not as spectacular. But still Koool!
We made a point of finding the Carthage Drive-in movie theatre (theatre), I had never seen one before, and it’s not something that our British weather encourages! We had a look around and chatted to the owner (and yet another souvenir shopping spree!)
Into Kansas, we stop to snap the 66 Kansas sign in Galena; a battered pickup with locals (I dare not use the
term "Rednecks"!) gave us a very strange, long hard look as they rumbled by.
Made a U-turn in Riverton after we had passed the Eisler Bros, stopped for a friendly chat and (more mementoes!)
Picture taken with John Wayne! And a few war stories from the old gentleman behind the counter.
Snapped the Rainbow bridge and before we knew it was bye bye Kansas, hello Oklahoma.
Our biggest frustrations of the trip came in the Catoosa area, where the f... is the Blue Whale?? I don’t know how many wasted miles we covered we never did find it, but we did see our first dead critter or pesky varmint! Armadillo I think. Up until then all we had seen was mile upon mile of dead rubber!
Our total dead critter count by the end of the holiday (vacation) was a modest 4 Armadillo, 3 Possum, 1 skunk, 1 racoon, 1 rabbit a porcupine and 5 not known.
We stopped for lunch in Tulsa after singing "that song" all the way in. By now the temperature was hitting 107°!
Had a photo shoot and coffee at the Rock Cafe at Stroud and then headed for Chandler and the Lincoln Motel.
We found the rooms to be neat and tidy but very small and we never managed to cool down at all.
Chandler really was a one-horse town, and the horse had left town some time ago!
We were told the best place to eat was "Grannies Country Kitchen”! An anniversary to remember, as usual no alcohol and we spent the whole meal (home cookin') being talked at by a 7 foot tall, god fearing country boy who reminded me of Jethro Clampett from the "Beverly Hillbillies". The staff were obviously used to him because we saw them watching from the corner, with the occasional snigger, glad that someone else was a target for a change.
A tour of the town took 2 minutes and then back to the motel, to really finish off our Anniversary celebrations, Bev spent the rest of the night throwing up!
Newsflash! Fires raged on the outskirts of OKO City near Arcadia lakes.
246 miles Day 6, Oklahoma 1st Sept After Bev had such a lousy night she could not manage breakfast, so Bob, Penny and I decided that McDonalds in Wal-Mart would be the quickest option.
Wrong! This McD must be
the slowest fast food joint in the world; the server was so incompetent I would not trust her to stack shelves. The guy at the drive in window had served about 10 cars in the time she took; he was so embarrassed that he offered us free pies. The "highlight" of her performance was when Penny complained about her breakfast burger and the girl actually lifted the top of the bun to look inside, and poked it with her finger!!
We did not emerge from Wal-Mart without a purchase or two!
Arcadia was next and boy did we miss out on a great night stop! I chatted to the owner of the Hillbillees Cafe and B&B, Norma Braxton, she invited us to have a look around at the unique, rustic lodgings that had an Old West type of look. If we had stayed there instead of Chandler we could have enjoyed live music and cold beer with our meal, hot tub and pool and a unique sleep experience followed by full breakfast in our rooms.
We then visited the Red Barn, but did not stay too long as the heat was getting unbearable. In fact we hit 109
degrees that day. On our way to OKC we saw no signs of the fires that had been raging just the night before.
We visited the Cowboy Hall of Fame while Bev sat in the foyer as she was feeling drained. A very impressive Museum, which deserved more time, spent, but as Bev was unwell, and we had a date with Elvis that evening....... anyway the museum was suddenly invaded by busloads of "wrinklies".
Lunch in Bethany at a neat (modern) road themed diner, we then missed the Trading Post, saw the Bridge at Lake Overholzer and never found the Big 8 in El Reno.
This afternoon was yet to turn into one of the most memorable of the trip. We were on the freeway trying to make up time when I spotted a plume of smoke in the fields, but it was moving and as it got nearer I alerted the others and the shout of "TORNADO" went up. I woke a sickly Bev and Bob got his video camera rolling. The excitement was building as we realised that it would cross the road right in front of us, we did in fact drive through a pile of
debris as the phenomenon disappeared only to reappear after crossing the freeway - WOW!
Ok we know what you are all thinking! Stupid Limeys it was a mere dust devil or whirlwind. NO! We do not want to know! We will not hear another word on the subject thank you!
We eventually reached Hydro and after cruising the "town" had to call in at the post office to ask directions to Lucilles. We still went wrong but saw it over the other side of the freeway as we headed west. We could have continued and said, "seen it, that's another tick", but we turned around and eventually we were parked outside. This was probably the defining point of the trip that brought home to us all the true meaning of Route 66, the scene was very poignant just a plain white cross backing on to the freeway and facing the building, with many floral tributes at its base, for Lucille “Mother of the Road”. The others had only ever heard of Lucille from what I had told them. We had had missed meeting her by a matter of weeks, I think from this point on we were determined to
U Drop Inn
Unfortunately closed stay on "The Road" whenever we could.
We reached Clinton at 5-o-clock, seems like a pleasant town. We booked into the Tradewinds, and immediately checked out Elvis's room, Bev then went to bed. (The Tradewinds Motel in Clinton Oklahoma, a sixties classic, sits on Route 66. Built by "Doc" Mason, a retired vet, it was one of Elvis Presley's favourites. Halfway between Memphis and Las Vegas, the King stayed four times. We three dined at the Tradewinds R66 diner, again no alcohol! Lots of men dining in cowboy hats though. (Funny though it wasn't sunny inside!)
165miles Personal Comment from back home:
We have just had our photographs back, all 360 plus of them!
But also the credit card statement popped through the letterbox this morning (Gulp!)
Saturday night we are having a Route 66 reunion around Bob & Penny's house, a few memories will be shared a scan through all of the photos and a review of the video footage. And who knows, maybe some chicken fried steak and mashed potato? Dont know where to get collard greens in the UK!
Day 7, Oklahoma - Texas, 2nd Sept We awoke to sunny skies (no
surprise there then!) and a revitalised Bev so it was the R66 diner for breakfast followed by the very impressive R66 Museum, and yet more souvenirs. I finally succumbed and bought Michael Wallis's book (The Mother Road), a big mistake to leave it so late, but we were really into "The Road" by now!
We crossed into Texas via Erik and Texola stopping to take some pictures of the cotton fields (whilst emulating the Beachboys… Just a mile from Texarkana!) and reached Shamrock just in time for lunch. I obviously had not done my research because we aimed to dine at "U-Drop-In", not realising it had shut down, so we made do with the Western Motel over the road.
McLean and the Devils Rope Museum was next, we only stopped out of curiosity and because it was free (!) hmmm, a fine collection of..... barbed wire.
Still the lady who was looking after the place was very nice to chat to, and of course we made some purchases..........well you've got to, haven't you?
Very impressed with the old Phillips Gas Station, it looks exactly like it does in the book.
We gave Jericho a miss, I don’t think Alamo would
Big Texan, Amarillo
Serenaded with "The Yellow Rose Of Texas" appreciate us taking their van off road, and hit Groom by 4 o clock, a quick pic of the Leaning tower and the Cross and on to Amarillo.
Time 1636: Arrive Big Texan.
Wow, in your face or wot? Big, brassy and very well turned out! No I'm not talking about Becky Ransome (although....)
This hotel just screamed come on in and enjoy yourselves, so we did. As we checked in there was a note from Ms Becky (Human resources manager) asking us to phone her at home, so, after a refreshing swim from Galveston to Dallas via Lubbock (the pool is shaped like Texas) we got in touch and arranged to meet in the bar at 7. None of us are really Beer drinkers, but the first two pints never hit the sides, after Oko it went down really well. Becky spotted us straight away, I wonder how? Maybe we were the only ones "dressed" for dinner and not wearing baseball caps!
Becky joined us for dinner and recommended the starter of Rattlesnake, buffalo balls and fried rabbit, different, but not a lot of room left for a modest Texan steak. After our prohibition experience in Oklahoma we
rather overdid it on the wine as well, still it was their own label, they probably had a wine well out back.
Strolling cowboy minstrels added to the great atmosphere
185 Miles Day 8, Sunday 3rd September in Texas Drove through Palo Duro canyon, followed by a bit of retail therapy at K Mart, quick lunch and then to Cal Farley's Boys Ranch for the Annual rodeo.
We could not believe it but after we had driven out for dinner that night we realised we had clocked up 200 miles today. Still, it is a big state!
Day 9, Texas - New Mexico We departed very impressed with the Big Texan, big shame the Tornado Museum was closed for the season though - wot no guests at the hotel after Labour (Labor sic) Day Becky? And please get that step fixed, I tripped up THREE times!
We stopped at the Cadillac Ranch for a picture shoot after finding ourselves on the wrong side of (off) the freeway initially. A strange idea but very compelling and atmospheric.
We arrived at Midpoint Café www. midpoint66.com in Adrian at noon after a few pics in Wildorado and Vega.
Bob said he was not hungry, I said he'd have to be, because we had to have lunch at Midpoint, and it was impossible because Bob was always hungry!
A very nice place to stop, and very friendly too, it’s run by Fran and Mel, mother and daughter. There happened to be some other Brits in there at the same time, they were on honeymoon and doing Route 66 in 2 weeks!
We had just ordered our meal when the waitress said "Are you Ken & Bev & Bob & Penny?"
We replied in the affirmative, rather puzzled, she said that Becky had stopped by and also rung to say we were coming!
We took the obligatory photos with the sign and wished our hosts farewell.
Next stop, the eerie Ghost Town, Glenrio complete with buzzards floating overhead.
We reached Tucumcari rather early, luckily the Tepee Trading Post was still open because there did not seem a lot else to do on a roasting hot Labour (Labor) Day. It was today I decided that my Mother Road book needed some additions, so I got Mike Callens (the owner) to sign it for me, and vowed to hunt for more 66
celebrities as we progressed.
We made the mandatory purchases and then checked in at the Blue Swallow. As we were stuck for entertainment - no pool etc we drove the strip and decided to hit the bar in the Pow Wow Inn, I nearly got kicked out for being an intolerable Brit. I voiced my usual complaint about how Budweiser was breaking the Trade Descriptions Act by calling itself a beer. Things settled down and we made friends because we then got invited back for the evening to dine on fresh salmon and listen to some good music. We said our body clocks were still an hour ahead so we could not stay late but we were told the band started at 7.30
Guess what? They were out of salmon and the music did not start until 9.30 because the regulars were watching American Rugby!!!! Thanks Pow Wow. So we cruised the strip after dinner, that took 5 minutes, then had an early night.
149 miles. Day 10, New Mexico Tuesday 5th September We had a quick browse around the Route 66 exhibit at the local museum, it's free if you don't want to look around
the rest of the Museum, but it’s in a small outbuilding at the back behind an old Santa Fe Caboose.
We reached Santa Rosa where we found the Fat Man smiling down at us but “The Club Café” was just an empty lot, we struggled to find the Blue Hole but when we did it was just nice to stick your feet in to cool off. Did you know that
it pumps out 3000 gallons of water per minute, and it’s a constant 61 degrees? We noticed the R66 Auto museum but just satisfied ourselves with external shots. None of us are really that interested in cars.
We started to see the best scenery on our trip so far as we began our steady climb up towards Las Vegas (NM). An hour spent wandering around this pleasant little town and then it’s on the road once more for Santa Fe.
One thing that is very noticeable along this route, is the many groups of trailer settlements that have seen better days, a striking contrast to the wealth of Santa Fe we were soon to encounter.
We arrived at the Visitor Centre (Center) in Santa Fe, and enquired the whereabouts
of our lodgings. After unsuccessfully scouring the maps, thechap had to ring our B&B to find out their location.
We had decided on B&B in SF because the Hotels were quite expensive and we wanted to experience US B&B. As it happened we could not have chosen better The Castillo Inn www.castilloinn.com. was probably the cheapest B&B in SF, ideally situated for a stroll into the square yet a haven of tranquillity.
It is not too far off the Old 66 so I have no hesitation in recommending it and Kendra our hostess makes the best Granola we have ever tasted, as well as the only decent cup of tea on this holiday.
A couple of wine coolers, a shower and then its a stroll down to the square, a browse around the very expensive shops and then dinner at "The Shed". I had been to SF before and had warned the others to expect something completely different to any place we had yet encountered; it has a feeling of not being a part of the US. A very pleasant city.
By now the trip was starting to catch up with us and we were all very tired, and
the effects of the altitude was not helping at all. We retired for the night in probably the most comfortable bed of the trip and I had my worst night yet! I may have been blessed with the same bug that knocked Bev for six, but without the vomiting, the next morning I was fit for nothing.
209 miles Day 11, New Mexico, Wednesday 6th September Today we planned to travel the Turquoise trail down to Sandia Park, it was my turn to drive but Bob took over and I consigned myself to the rear of the van like a pet dog.
We drove to the summit of Sandia Peak for the fantastic views of N Mexico, we had intended to catch the cable car down and back but Wednesday was the one-day it was not running.
At the end of the road, on our way down, we visited "Tinkertown" which is an incredible collection of junk, knick-knacks and memorabilia that has grown from a hobby into a fascinating visitor attraction.
We then called in at Madrid, which is an old mining town, which has been taken over by an "Arty Farty" crowd, ponced up and pricing
Neon delight
Like Motels of yesteryear. the locals out of the market. The sort of shops where the owner sits in the corner and passes judgment of you the moment you dare to enter his hallowed store.
Much nicer but battered around the edges was the old mining community of Cerrillos where we visited the Turquoise Museum, and strolled the streets where "Young Guns " had been filmed.
That evening back at our B&B it was decided to send out for pizza, in deference to my being unwell and in awareness of the high prices in Santa Fe eating establishments, as well as the cosiness of our dwelling, and the effects of altitude on our energy levels. The pizza chap had as much trouble finding the place as we had had, but at the prices they charged they could well afford to waste their petrol (gas).
132 miles Day 12, New Mexico 7th Sept Depart Santa Fe at 9.45 after a hearty breakfast with the temperature at 80 degrees, which Kendra says, is hot for Santa Fe.
Today we are taking the long roundabout route through the mountains and down to Santa Fe. The route is called the Jemez Mountain Trail and
is not R 66 so I apologise in advance to the purists for veering from the subject matter (!)
On expert (Kendra) advice we gave Chimayo a miss and wished we had avoided Espanola.
We had hoped to see some Pueblos and cliff dwellings but all we saw was an ugly strip, and then we could find no road signs pointing to Los Alamos either so had to retrace our steps.
We did find the best radio station on our trip so far - Los Alamos (Oldies).
The surrounding hills were covered in a cloak of blackened charcoal as the results of the recent fires showed just how close to disaster the town had come. Los Alamos looked like a nice place to live.
I assume most people their work for the Government.
We spent a couple of hours exploring the fascinating cliff dwellings at the Bandelier National Monument, although Bob was forced to turn back half way down the trail as his bad back was playing him up. (what had he been up to?) After lunch we headed for Jemez, and a possible dip in the Springs?
As we crossed the top of the mountains we came across
the awesome sight of Valle Grande, one of the largest volcanic calderas in the world, some 14 miles across, and looking to all intents like a Swiss Alpine meadow.
We gave up the idea of a swim in the springs as we did not think Bob's back would be up to a hike, just as well as we saw no signs to it. Nothing new there then!
We then headed for the Sandia Peak tramway, joining R66 at Bernalillo, we all got quite excited at seeing our first Buffalo or should that be Bison?
The ride up the mountain was pretty cool, in more ways than one and the views were as spectacular as the day before. The thrill of the day for everyone up top was when 4 wind surfers jumped off into the skies, caught the winds and soared up another few hundred feet above our heads where they seemed to stay for ever. Had a long chat to an ex GI who had imported his bride from the UK.
We made our way into Albuquerque along the strip, Central Avenue, trying to find an Hotel.
# Note:
(Now, when I published our plans, we Sandia Peak Aerial Tramway
World's longest single-span aerial tramway had booked to stay at the El Vado. Well the power of the R66 forum was evident when, in Oklahoma, experiencing heat wave after heat wave (waves of heat) I recalled the many pages of discussion about the El Vado's inefficient cooling systems. We decided to cancel our booking reluctantly.)
The first motel we stopped at Bob was put off by the fact that the reception was behind a (bullet proof?) glass window, so we moved on. Both Bob and Penny were a bit apprehensive about the feel of the area/strip but we eventually booked into the Luxury Inn (this also had a glass enclosed reception). The hotel was Asian run, immaculate and very comfortable, though B&P would have been more at ease on the first floor.
We dined at a family restaurant to the east of the strip and then cruised the length in search of the R66 diner, and admiring the neon. Nob hill looked to be a vibrant part of the avenue, we passed the 66 diner, the impressive Art Deco Kimo Theatre in downtown and then did a quick cruise around the Old Town area before returning to our motel for the night.
The hotel
was very busy, full, mainly with workers from the State fair that was setting up over the road.
193 miles Day 13, New Mexico, Fri 8th September We left our Motel heading west down Central Ave, our destination was the Route 66 Diner for breakfast. We missed it! We sailed right past without noticing it, when we finally got back it was easy to see why, boy does it look different in the daytime without it's neon!
Our next mistake was not to have dined there the previous evening, because they do not open for breakfast!!! We had to make do with daytime photos and decided to press on, well no choice really.
It was then it started to RAIN for the first time on our trip! We didn't come to the States for rain! Don't you think we get enough of that at home?
We called in at the El Vado to say hello and got my book signed by Mr Ali, we sighed with regret that we had not stopped at the El Vado, the weather in Albuquerque had not been too hot during our stay.
We then had breakfast in Casa Grande where
the folks were very friendly, absolutely NO chilli though. Afterwards we made our way down to the Rio Grande River for the mandatory photo shoot, is there a Western that this river did not appear in? Answers on a postcard.....
We turned to look at Albuquerque one last time as we reached the top of Nine Mile Hill but the City and Mountains were shrouded in smog.
Our destination now was one I had been eagerly anticipating for some days. Sky City, Acoma Pueblo. It is a fair drive from the Interstate or R66 (15 miles) but it is certainly worth it, nothing prepares you for the view as you drive up onto the crest of the hills overlooking the "hidden"valley below and the "enchanted Mesa" to the East, it takes your breath away.
As you drive down and in to the valley you almost expect to see John Wayne pursued by band of Indians, this is the land of Hollywood Movies, and in fact many have been filmed there.
We checked in at the Visitor Centre (center); it was a temporary structure, the other had recently burnt down, paid a licence fee for one camera and had to
leave the video camera in the van, we were then transported up the steep hill to the village by mini-bus.
Our guide Orlando was one of only a few to still live in the village (he still suffered from burns as a result of the fire), which has been in constant habitation since AD1150. The only blot on the landscape was the many multi coloured WC cabins scattered over the hillside. Orlando told us they were ATM machines, but they only took deposits! The tour was
fascinating, even more so as storms rolled in down the valley from the west and lightning shattered the skies all around us.
After a memorable 3 hours we hit 66 again en route, through the Badlands to Grants. Our first stop was the very picturesque R66 Bargain store opposite the Mining museum. It was great as a photo opportunity but we kept our hands firmly in our pockets when we saw the prices, do they think were Tourists or something?
We spoke to a great bunch of girls in the Tourist Information/ Museum, as well as being very helpful; they managed to sell me a T-shirt. We then called in at the Monte
Carlo for coffees and a laugh with the very engaging waitress.
Next stop Continental divide; it's not a very fair division is it? The east gets a bigger slice than the west! As we progressed west towards Gallup the landscape became very dramatic as the first signs of the red rock range came into view and followed us all the way to Gallup.
We turned into get a look at Red Rock Canyon and saw our first Tumbleweed!
Excitement broke out in the van as it tumbled across the road in front of us. I wanted to get our cameras out but Bob said that the setting would not be right and that we should wait for an ideal setting, i.e. a Ghost town. Little were we to know that we would never see a Tumbleweed again!
The Canyon looked very spectacular, Bob would like to know if U2 played a concert there? Anyone?
Tonight we were staying in the splendour of El Rancho; we had all been looking forward to this. As we entered the lobby we were not disappointed, it was as stunning as we expected. We were not in the rooms that we had been
told on the phone, Bev and I were in Alan Ladd instead of Sydney Greenstreet, it did not matter she had not heard of either of them - well, she was still a mere youngster! Bob and Penny were supposed to be in Richard Boone who they were unfamiliar with, but Bob was very thrilled to be in Errol Flynn, and was looking forward to emulating him!
After the splendours of the rest of the hotel the dining room was a bit of a disappointment, we had dressed for dinner (well smartly casual, not black tie!) expecting something special (the publicity did say romantic candlelit dinners) but nobody else had, even vests, shorts and no shoes were fine it seemed. We went into the bar afterwards and that was even worse, a dark, smoke filled male bastion with a blaring juke box, we ordered drinks and drank them in the peaceful haven of the lobby and then spent some time trying to put names to famous faces in the picture gallery that overlooked the lobby. Unfortunately the Margaritas that Penny and Bev had were made from Giggle juice! Also Penny got quite upset when the hotel prevented her from
putting any more money into the honkey tonk piano by taping over the slot, well it was quite late Pen!
177 miles Day 14, New Mexico to Arizona Saturday 9th September We set off from El Rancho unaware that today was going to be one of the most frustrating of the trip so far.
We breakfasted at a "greasy spoon" somewhere along the strip, before trying to find the road out to Window Rock, a few shuttles up and down the road and we eventually found our way out of town. We were heading for the Navajo Indian Nation Annual Fair.
We arrived at the edge of WR at 1045 and we left at 1345, we had spent the whole time in the car and had driven, maybe 5 miles. During the whole journey we never saw anything of interest, all we saw were people selling cold drinks to our fellow motorists all along the verge and the rest looked like a giant flea market, the whole area was covered in a cloud of dust. We could not wait to get away, onto the open road and head off to Hubble Trading Post, we missed it! We
then drove 44 miles of straight road without seeing another car as we headed back to find Route 66.
We were aiming for Chambers and a cup of coffee and comfort break, we got to the Trading Post and guess what? Cafe and toilets were closed! By now, we were hot, thirsty, bursting and frustrated. We hit the freeway for Holbrook; we arrived at 3.45pm, 5 hours and 25 minutes after leaving Gallup only 69 miles away! That will teach us to leave the Route!
We called in at Joe and Aggies for a coffee and a wonderful apple thingy with cream. I had a good chat with Alice (daughter of J&A) and her daughter Kim. Alice signed my book and then I persuaded her to do our daily intro on the video diary. Along the road we stopped for a photo shoot at the Tepee Motel (wished we had stayed there!) and then headed for The Jackrabbit Trading Post, another signature in the book and more retail therapy. Time was getting on and after wasting most of the day we were keen to get to Winslow before dark, and make the Roadwork's shop before closing time.
We turned
the corner into second street and..... Wow! there was "Standin' On a Corner". If you have not seen it, then you must, it's really well done. Trompe L'oiel murals on the walls, an attractive brickwork pavement, and an old fashioned lamp post with a bronze statue leaning against it. As you approach the area on foot, the music suddenly starts, it's great, and you think you've set it off. But you are being observed from above! Diane is watching from her shop window in "Roadwork's" and switches her stereo on every time someone approaches.
We went upstairs hoping that the shop did not close, only to find out that we had gained an hour as we had crossed into Az!
Well we had a great chat to Diane followed by more souvenir purchases - Lulu had said it was the best place to shop. We discovered that she was open on Sunday so we said we would return in the morning for better light and to video with music.
We went next door to the Old Trails Museum, it was just as well we did not want to video because the road was filled with a gigantic RV, engine running
as the driver videoed the Corner, he was still there when we came out of the museum, I suppose if he switches the engine off and gets out he will lose all essential services.
We headed off for our Hotel - La Posada, what a place! They have done a really good restoration job. We were in the Victor Mature room (again Bev had not heard of him!) Bob& Penny were sleeping with Mary Pickford. There was a wedding reception on when we arrived so the hotel was a little crowded, but it is so big that it did not matter. We decided to leave exploration 'till later when the hotel was quieter.
We dined in a family restaurant called Dos Amigos recommended by Diane, I cant remember what the food was like but the service was great. Although the place was busy our waitress managed to keep several tables serviced simultaneously and with a smile. She knew exactly what British tourists liked and did her best to pamper to our foibles!
We went back to a now peaceful La Posada and explored a bit and then chilled out in the garden with a beer (well Bud!)
193 miles Day 15, Arizona - Sunday 10th September This is how Sunday mornings should be, after a wonderful nights sleep, we relax out on the patio of the tranquil inner garden of La Posada, eating our breakfast and reading the newspapers, whilst the chanting of Gregorian monks filters through the windows from the great hall.
It is very hard to drag ourselves away, but Bob and I eventually wander through to the rear gardens hoping to catch a glimpse of a Santa Fe Train thundering by on the track that parallels the rear of the property. We see no trains thundering by, just the gentle shunting of a goods train easing out of the sidings.
We have a date with the Eagles so make our way back into town, where, on cue Diane plays the music and Bob shoots his video. We then get Diane to introduce our daily diary, another Star is born! I succumb and buy yet another T-shirt! www.route66roadworks.com
We hit the freeway out of town and before we know it Meteor City appears on the other side of the road. We believe it to be closed so make no attempt to get there
Santa Fe Railway
Our constant companion. and instead push on to Two Guns. Joseph City came and went, how do places get to call themselves a city? the dictionary definition is - "A large town"
2 Guns - What a shame about the threatening notices and barbed wire ( having been to the Museum we engage in a heated debate as to the origins and make of the wire!) it looked a very interesting place, well worth exploring. I ventured in far enough to take some pix whilst the others kept lookout.
Winona was gone in a flash - instantly forgettable!
We arrived in Flagstaff at 1100 and parked at the Tourist Information at the Station. A stroll through the town and a coffee and then we just had to go into the Cowboy outfitters........that black hat was very nice... and comfortable too.
We all agreed that Flagstaff looked like the sort of place we could live, a very nice place, beautiful scenery and an agreeable climate to boot.
WARNING - GOING OFF ROUTE 66!
We picked up some grub and headed north for Sunset Crater and The Painted Desert where we had a picnic amongst the lava flows. It was a detour we
wished we had not bothered with really; it was not really worth the entrance fee. Strange but two maps showed different routes as "Scenic", I have come to realise that "Scenic" depends on the State you happen to be in. Some States are really grasping at straws sometimes; I reckon they just throw the odd one in for the hell of it.
Grand Canyon was all it promised to be - lots of Wows! We stayed in the Red Feather Lodge and dined at The Steakhouse, the food was excellent but they do their best to rip tourists off. They hid a 15%!t(MISSING)ip on the bill as extras, the menu says 15%!w(MISSING)ill be charged on parties of 6 or more, but they seemed to be charging everyone, we challenged it and they scrubbed it, we did not leave a tip!
205 miles Day 16, Arizona - Monday 11th September Monday was spent at the Grand Canyon, as it’s not 66 I wont say much except one very strange event we witnessed.
We were walking along the rim when we heard a noise on the other side of the hedge, on the road. Into view,
from around the corner came a group of four young men. All were wearing matching T shirts hats, and shorts and they were "goose stepping" in file whilst one walked backwards calling out the pace "Links, rechts, links. Links, rechts, links!" and videoing the whole thing. They were completely unaware of our presence as they frog-marched off
down the road in the mid-day sun. (A Hitler youth training camp?!)
Day 17, Arizona - Tuesday 12th September Tuesday we rose early and headed for Williams breakfast and back to 66, we sat down to our over easy just in time to see the Grand Canyon Express depart. We then popped next door to "Twisters" Soda bar and were just about to take pictures and video when a car pulled up and parked right outside. The occupants turned out to be a couple of French lads who, after a bit of Anglo French "entente cordiale", agreed to move their offending vehicle for the sake of artistic impression. After Twisters we visited the folk at the Route 66 magazine, www.route66magazine.com had a chat with Sandi, and more retail therapy! There were some more Brits in there but they were only doing
Angels Delgado's barber shop and store
Angel was President of the R66 association, and a very nice chap. a very small part of 66. and then drove along the main street. We all said that we wished we had planned to night stop there, another nice little town.
Seligman next stop and shock horror.... the place is full of b***** tourists! There are three coaches parked in the street. Now the good thing about a journey like this is getting away from tourists and mass commercialism (I don't believe I just said that! we are in the States after all!)
We wandered along the street patiently waiting for the coaches to suck their charges back on board and depart after their 30-minute exposure to Route 66. How many of these people will return home and tell their friends that they had "done" Route 66?
We decided it was safe and entered Angels Delgadillos' store, www.route66giftshop.com
I spoke to his daughter, and enquired about a haircut. Angel was phoned at home and before long I was sitting in his chair, spinning around and was a spectator for his cabaret act, his haircuts aren't bad either, and he only does special requests and VIP's
Under the knife!
Haircut from Angel. nowadays.
Of course we got him to sign The (Mother Road) Book, but Angel does nothing by halves - signature time and date were followed by a stamp and lots of love hearts! And of course retail therapy followed!
You know the old saying "You aint seen nothing yet? We next door to the "Snow Cap" for a shake, we got ourselves yet another cabaret act Angel's brother Juan was an absolute scream. It takes a while to realise that he is in fact not senile but a bit of a comedian. Unfortunately Bob's battery on his cam had run out!
Kingman was our stop for the night and the "Brunswick Hotel" www.hotel-brunswick.com on 66. We arrived rather early, at 3.25pm so decided to stroll around town, 20 minutes later we were back in the hotel! Luckily they have a very fine old fashioned and comfortable bar, it came complete with cowboy propped up at one end We sat and chatted to the Owner/Chef, Frenchman Gerard Guedon and found out how a Frenchman would end up living in Kingman, and how he came to buy the Brunswick.
The Brunswick is right next door to the historic old Beale hotel,
which Gerard had considered buying, but unfortunately it needs one heck of a lot of investment. The Brunswick {1909} is just as historic, and in fact we were told that Andy Devine got his distinctive voice from the time he fell from the Brunswick's balcony, when he was a boy, and a piece of wood lodged in his neck.
We dined in tonight and we were not disappointed, Gerard manages to combine French and American cooking to please all tastes. As you would expect, the wine list was excellent and the ambiance was superb. It was great not to have to drive anywhere. Of course, nothing is ever perfect, and you soon realise, when you find your earplugs at the side of your bed that the one drawback to the Brunswick is that you must like trains, because the hotel hears 80 to 90 a day! At the moment Gerard is experimenting with a "white noise" gadget that may cut out any sound, watch this space because the Brunswick deserves to be on your itinerary.
PS: No I'm not being paid to write this!
188miles Day 18, Arizona/California/Nevada - Wednesday 13th September We all staggered downstairs
this morning after a night of counting trains and not sheep, Santa Fe have a lot to answer for! #
We tucked into a real continental breakfast served up by a real Continental! Or, a Petit Dejeuner to the linguists amongst you. Bob and Penny decided that although they had kept them awake, they still loved the trains and went up onto the (Andy Devine) balcony with their camcorder to catch the next one. Would you believe it? Not a b***** sign of anything!!
(#Note. Jessie Guedon tells me that the white noise machines are working so don't bother ringing the bell, they wont hear you!) Today we were due to travel across the mountains to Oatman; Maurice said that we should not miss the cowboy shoot-out at noon. This caused a problem as we figured that we would get their too early on our schedule. We decided the answer was that we take the freeway to Needles and do the road in reverse back to Kingman via Oatman, thus not wasting any valuable time. Damn clever heh?
The timings worked well, we zoomed down to Needles got all the appropriate ticks on the board and arrived
in Oatman at 1130. What a great place, what a pity that they cannot make the main street a no parking zone, has anyone tried getting any decent photographs of the old buildings or the burros with cars and coaches blocking the street? Heaven knows what it would be like in the tourist season, at weekends. Still I suppose land is at a premium in Arizona :-)
Weekends!! That reminds me......... thanks for the tip about the gunfights Maurice, they only put them on at weekends! DOH!
Oh well we made do with some cold Buds (Yes even I had one! well I don't drink alcohol at lunchtimes) in the renowned Oatman Hotel and listened to the honkey tonk. No sign of Clark Gable though.
Note: I had forgotten about the Fruit and Veg Border Patrol. After we had crossed the border into the Republic of California we saw the checkpoint looming in the distance I informed the others about this hang-up that the:"Golden State" has about the rest of the USA and their bugs, and that we had lots of fruit left in the van. We furiously stuffed bananas plums and apples down our throats as fast as
we could as we approached - no I'm kidding we acted the innocent tourists and smiled our way through. We were a bit wary about the "Goon" towers and tank traps though and did not breathe a sigh of relief until we were well on our way to Needles.
The trip across the mountains was spectacular, it was a shame we could not visit a gold mine, but as usual time was tight (especially with the long detour!) We reached Kingman at 1pm the place looked somehow strangely familiar!
We were hoping to eat at Mr D's Diner but they were renovating it, we crossed the road to the Powerhouse* but there was a very long queue of senior citizens so we ended up in an establishment called Carl Juniors which was McDonalds, Burger King and Wendy's in disguise.
(* Note Jessie tells me that they are now doing the catering at the Power House) WARNING - NON-R66!
The journey across to Las Vegas was very uninspiring, yet the map shows a scenic route. We passed many signs for Historical markers, some we did not even notice and some.... well if we had tried to stop,
we would have caused a pile up. Some are quite disappointing when you do get to read them....
"Capt Brown camped here on his way to Fort Diaper"!
We made a side trip to Willow Beach to paddle in the cold Colorado River and then we arrived at Hoover dam. What a difference a few years makes! The place is a regular tourist honey pot now; since I last visited they have built what looks like a multi-storey car park and shopping Mall.
We arrived in Vegas at 4.15 in temperatures of 105 degrees and hit the wine coolers as soon as we had checked in to our Econo Lodge.
Bob and Penny were too whacked, but Bev and I decided to get our bearings and cruise the strip to see what had changed since our honeymoon in ' 91. We knew that our honeymoon hotel the Dunes had been levelled, and we had heard about all the new development, but WOW! When we were there, Camelot was THE hotel, and now it just looked plain and drab alongside the likes of New York, New York, Luxor and the like.
Historical Note:
The last time we were here they
were filming “Honeymoon in Vegas” at Ballys, we thought the bellboy had flipped when we checked in - He said, "did you all see those flying Elvis's?" We humoured (humored) him and gave him a big tip to go away! We now know what he meant as we have subsequently seen the film (movie). We also had the helicopter filming as it buzzed around outside our 38th floor balcony at midnight.
That evening we dined at the Circus Circus Buffet watched the acrobats and then popped over to Stratosphere where we rode to the top for spectacular views of Vegas by night. It's amazing how the edges of Vegas are so prominent, a ball of light and then nothing, just empty blackness.
Right: BACK ON SUBJECT!!!!!!!!!! 66 related - honest
We ascended from the tower and went in search of liquid refreshment, the bar in Stratosphere had a small stage and a band was just about to start. Bob got excited 'cos it was Blues again; he was shaking his head and snapping his fingers! When he came back down to earth he decided to video some of the act, and blow me down with an Arizona tumbleweed!!
Guess what they started to play?? We had travelled over 2500 miles and had not heard Route 66
played once on the radio once and yet here we were in Vegas.................
We all joined Bob in snapping our fingers and shaking our heads!! Penny got carried away and decided to have a drink forgetting the camera was rolling; we have a great close up of a bottle of Bud! Otherwise a great addition to our video diary.
251 miles Day 20, Nevada / California - Friday 15th September I have been reluctant to finish this Travel Journal, hence I delayed completing this last chapter. I have been re-living our epic journey through my ramblings and I have been unwilling to catch the flight home for a second time.
We obviously missed out a fare chunk of California Route 66 by diverting to Las Vegas but it had to be done. We left 66 at Needles and returned to it again at Barstow. The only thing I will say about the journey from Vegas to Barstow, is, what a terrible road to join two major cities! (LA I mean not Barstow!)
We found the Barstow 66 museum
and had a good "chin-wag" (English expression) with the staff and I bought another 66 baseball cap. Does this mean I now have to take up the game?? God Forbid!!
We wanted to visit Hinkley; the town featured in “Erin Brockovich”, but could not afford the time. We set off on Old 66 through Hodge, Helendale and Oro Grande; I suppose it was better than travelling the freeway but rather disappointing after previous days. We called in at Victorville to see the Roy Rogers Museum, Penny decided to stay in the van to catch up on her diary and when we got inside Bob and Bev said they were not interested in going round
the museum. So we browsed the shop and departed. We came off the freeway at Cajon Blvd and meandered into San Bernadino. By now it was 1.40pm and time was getting tight (we had a prior appointment in Hollywood) and we could not believe how much further we had to go, so we grabbed a quick bite and then hit the freeway.
We eventually exited the super slab, well not so super in LA more like Indianapolis! At West Hollywood and got a reasonable view of the sign as we headed for Santa Monica.
We reached the END OF ROUTE 66 in Santa Monica at 4.15pm, 3 hours 20 after leaving Victorville! We could not find the Route 66 marker but a friendly (?) cycling policeman pointed it out to me. We had a mandatory paddle in the Pacific and congratulated ourselves on our achievement. We only spent 40 minutes on the beach as our prior appointment beckoned. We all agreed that we wished we had an extra couple of days to do nothing but lay on the beach (I normally hate doing that!), the journey had been exhausting.
We arrived at the hotel at 6.30pm (1hr 35 from Santa Monica! to travel 19 miles!)
Our hotel was the Super 8 on Sunset Blvd in West Hollywood, when I booked it I did not realise it was on 66! Bonus! This hotel must be the best budget hotel I have ever stayed in, well impressed!
It was now MAD PANIC to make our prior engagement some of us showered (some of us didn't!) We threw our bags in the rooms and made a dash for the HOLLYWOOD BOWL.
We arrived just in time for the concert with Debbie Reynolds and The Hollywood Bowl Orchestra plus "Pink Martini" and convinced ourselves that they had arranged a Farewell especially for us! It was a great evening, what a way to end our holiday, various acts were on, names? I cannot recall, but the whole evening finale'd in a fireworks display that was pure Hollywood (Hooray! For It). Just one plea, would the person who has my red fleece top please return it.... thanks.
355 miles All that remains to say is that we ended the holiday having driven 3646 miles through 9 States, met some great people and had a thoroughly enjoyable time.
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Jim Simpson
non-member comment
Great Trip
It sounds like a fabulous trip, in fact, get the impression you would like to do it again! Certainly sounds like the holiday of a lifetime.