…demanded the ultra-cool vintage billboard on Old Route 66 in Arizona.
“OK,” I replied.
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
“Take Pictures!”…
Category: Photography
Take nothing but photographs…
Photo by Stephanie Roberts, http://ObsessiveHobbyist.com
Abandoned…
The road from Flagstaff to Winslow, Arizona is interesting, but depressing. So many of the Route 66 attractions are disintegrating into unsalvageable ruins. It all makes for great photos, but the reality is harsh. Twin Arrows, Two Guns, Meteor City…
TWO GUNS — At one time a campground and zoo where families made memories
TWIN ARROWS — This area is a dichotomy, as much of Route 66 is. The arrows have been repainted and maintained, but the buildings fall down around them. The whole area is surrounded by concrete K-rails at an exit ramp, and I might have been able to climb over them if it wasn’t pouring down rain when I got there. But somehow the rain seemed appropriate.
Day 5- Winslow to Albuquerque via Exit 303
270 miles; $3.39/gallon gas; pulled into the Sandia Peak Inn in Albuquerque at 10pm.
Great morning saying a leisurely good-by to La Posada, which has quickly become very homey to me. I really think I could live here (in La Posada, not Winslow). When you venture out into the town further than a couple of blocks from downtown, the poverty slaps you in the face. Every time I went out, even to my car in the hotel parking lot, someone asked me for money. This doesn’t even happen in LA, so it was surprising and sad.
First stop of the day was in Holbrook, where I did a quick u-turn when I saw a cute little dog park with GRASS! And a shade tree! A man with a long gray ponytail was playing with his German Shepherd, who loved Colby (OK, who doesn’t?). He was originally from North Carolina and had moved out here to work at the Navajo reservation. I also met Leslie & Matt, a cute couple in their 20’s who were traveling Route 66 east to west, from Champagne, Illinois, so we exchanged notes. That’s one of the great things about traveling with your dog…you meet the nicest people.
Holbrook is home to the famous Wigwam Motel (811 W Hopi Dr, Holbrook, AZ 86025, 928-524-3048). It’s one of only 2 of the original 7 that remains open — the other is on Route 66 in Rialto, California, http://wigwammotel.com. Earlier post about that one — “Sleep in a TeePee”. Both ask the question “Have you slept in a Tee Pee lately?” and try to entice travelers with nostalgic props on the properties. In Holbrook there are great old vintage cars scattered around the place and when you see only one of those cars in front on a teepee, it’s easy to imagine a 1950’s road trip when Route 66 was in its hey-day. I wanted to stay here, but it didn’t work out timing-wise, so I just drove through and then headed on out towards Albuquerque.
Just east of Holbrook, I got distracted for HOURS of photo fun at I-40/Route 66’s Exit 303. The most fun was STEWART’S ROCK SHOP, as already reported, but I can’t imagine a single exit along Route 66 with more nostalgic kitsch, camp, rocks, and quirky, eccentric fun. First up was the PAINTED DESERT INDIAN CENTER, 13 miles east of Holbrook, on the southwest side of Exit 303…
AND THEN THE ROCK FACTORY, just down the road from the Indian Center…
Then some fun with motorcyclists, a cool hippie bus/van/camper, another major photo distraction at Fort Courage (crusty old billboards…more later), a disappointing stop at the run-down/mostly abandoned Continental Divide, a quick run through Gallup, New Mexico to see the famous El Rancho Motel, rain, rainbows, and…rolled into Albuquerque at 10:00pm. Long day!!!
Day 4- The Dichotomy of Winslow
Winslow is probably most famous for its appearance in The Eagles’ big hit, “Takin’ it Easy”…
Standin’ on the corner in Winslow, Arizona, Such a fine site to see…there’s a girl, my Lord, in a flatbed Ford…slowin’ down to take at look at me…
I was feeling sad about Route 66, American poverty, and general neglect as I drove into Winslow, and I was afraid it would be the same as Two Guns, Twin Arrows, and Meteor City — abandoned, neglected, sad. And much of Winslow is exactly that, and I didn’t go out one time without being approached by a homeless person. But there’s a small area downtown — around the “Standin’ on the Corner” corner — that’s been revitalized, and a nice walking trail down by the railroad a block away. And, of course, there’s a healthy dose of Route 66 nostalgia thrown in…
Sadly, much of Winslow has been bypassed, neglected, or forgotten…
And, just outside of Winslow, yet another Old Route 66 dead end. I’m surprised that so much of the old route is still drive-able, so I don’t mind the dead ends — at least it’s recognition of the original…
Day 3- Flagstaff to Winslow
Only 80 miles today. Gas was $3.39/gallon.
Flagstaff is cool!!! I expected to like the historic part, but I had no idea there’s a vibrant art scene in Flagstaff. It’s kind of the last place I thought I’d find street art, which I love, but there’s some cool stuff there if you wander the alleys (which I do) (sorry, Mom).
Lots of cool architecture and old signs…
Merry Independence Day!
Found this gorgeous mural a couple of years ago on a building in Seligman, Arizona on Route 66. Headed that way today! Follow the fun.
Obsessive Travel Research (it’s a thing)… Route 66
A little light research
My tools…
I marked a FEW things to check out(!)
I suffer from OTR, Obsessive Travel Research (OK, it’s not really a thing – but it should be). I like to think of myself as a spontaneous gal. But I also don’t want to miss anything, and I don’t want to end up sleeping in my car, so I tend to over-research. SO…if you’re getting ready to check out Route 66, you’ll benefit from my obsession. Here’s what I’ve been checking out…
OLD-SCHOOL BOOKS —
- EZ66 Guide for Travelers, by Jerry McClanahan, noted Route 66 author, artist, and historian — If you can buy only one guide to Route 66, this is the one. Recently updated (3rd edition, 2013), it meticulously documents Route 66, step by step. If you’re traveling West to East, you have to get used to reading from the bottom of the page up, but it’s worth the effort. http://mcjerry66.com/
- Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide (16th edition, 2013) — Also published by the National Historic Route 66 Federation, this is a great companion book to McClanahan’s guide. Both volumes are spiral bound and small enough to keep on the center console in the car while you’re cruising. Buy on Amazon
- Route 66 Sightings, by Jerry McClanahan (are you starting to see a trend here?), Jim Ross, and Shellee Graham. This coffee-table photography is gorgeous and captivating. These 3 friends have been traveling the Mother Road for decades, and they have amazing shots of Route 66 stuff that often no longer exists. Each shot is documented with a bit of history and a great personal story. I bought my edition from the gift shop at the Wigwam Motel (http://wigwammotel.com), but the best resource is the Ghost Town Press site: http://www.66maps.com/home.html .
- Roadside America, by photographer John Margolies — A gorgeous coffee-table book from Taschen, one of my favorite publishers. But I buy all of their books on Amazon — cheaper, and if you have Amazon Prime, free 2-day shipping. And everyone should have Amazon Prime — $79/year for Amazon Prime Video + free 2-day shipping on most items. Buy on Amazon
- Off the Beaten Path: A Travel Guide to More Than 1,000 Scenic and Interesting Places Still Uncrowded and Inviting — A Reader’s Digest Publication (yes, they’re still publishing stuff!). The book is almost as long as the title. Buy on Amazon
- The Most Scenic Drives in America — Another Readers Digest Publication. Great maps, info, photos. Buy on Amazon
- National Geographic Guide to Scenic Highways and Byways, 4th Edition: The 300 Best Drives in the U.S. Buy on Amazon
- On the Road: America’s Legendary Highways, by Andrew Montgomery — Great photos, organized by scenic drives across the U.S. Buy on Amazon
- Legendary Route 66: A Journey Through Time Along America’s Mother Road, by Michael Karl Witzel & Gyvel Young-Witzel — I bought my copy from Angel Delgadillo, the modern Route 66 gladiator who led the resurrection of Route 66, at his gift shop in Seligman, AZ. If you ever get a chance, visit the shop! Buy on Amazon
- National Geographic Guide to State Parks of the United States, 4th Edition — Buy on Amazon
- National Geographic Guide to National Parks of the United States, 7th Edition — Buy on Amazon
- Traveling with Your Pet: The AAA Pet Book, 14th Edition — Buy on Amazon
- BEST FREE BOOKS — State Travel Guides and maps from your local AAA office are free if you have a AAA membership. And you should never go on a roadtrip without a AAA card!
APPS (iPhone) —
Free apps, paid apps, crappy apps…I love apps! Here’s a few good ones —
- Road Trip 66 (Propaganda3) — This is the best app I’ve found that is specific to Route 66. It’s an interactive map of the route with nearly all Route 66 attractions noted. You can flag places that you want to see, to narrow down the field. There’s varying amounts of info available on each place, often including phone numbers and websites (for hotels and restaurants). It integrates with Google Maps, but not as well as I’d like — you have to leave the app to go to the Google Maps app, but it’s really a minor inconvenience. Most of the data seems up-to-date, although we found a few signs that are now missing on a recent day trip. But you can notify the app makers of changes, so hopefully that will help keep it up-to-date.
- TripAdvisor — The best all-round travel app around.
- Hipmunk — “We compare all the top travel sites so you don’t have to.” Great place to search for hotels. Generally returns results for the hotel chains, vs. the mom-and-pops.
- Google Maps — Of course. And the iPhone Maps (in spite of all the problems) has great turn-by-turn directions.
- Hotel Tonight — Last-minute deals.
- Roadtrippers — This one is fun. It combines travel reviews with Google Maps. There are some quirks, and I wish there was calendar integration, but it’s fun and useful.
WEBSITES —
OK, why re-invent the wheel? Jerry McClanahan has already gathered a huge list of Route 66 resources — http://mcjerry66.com/links.php
I’ll share more resources as I use them along the route — have to go pack now!!!
“Sleep in a Teepee”
The famous Wigwam Motel on Route 66 in Rialto, California, which asks the universal question, “Have you slept in a teepee lately?”
It’s exactly what I’m hoping to do when I take off for my West to East Route 66 pilgrimage next week! Join the Journey by following me here — I’ll post daily photos and all the adventures Colby the Wonder Dog and I run into in my Lil Red Prius.
Rialto, California, http://wigwammotel.com/
Each of the Wigwam Motels (only 2 of the original 7 remain) is independently owned, and this one in Rialto is immaculately maintained and pristine. The grounds are beautiful, with some interesting historic displays — signs, old cars. The teepees are necessarily small, but surprisingly not claustrophobic. Anyway, you’ll want to throw open your door and join the community of other teepee travellers for the evening. When we were visiting, it was almost sunset when we arrived and there were kids on skateboards out in the parking lot and running around the grounds, just like a cul-de-sac! The small motel lobby/gift shop has fun Route 66 memorabilia and books for sale. It was completely charming.
No Vacancy…
I’m getting ready to head out on a major Route 66 trip in a couple of weeks, from Santa Monica to Missouri (at least…maybe further). Have been going through all my California Route 66 pix. This is the old Henning Motel next to the Bagdad Cafe (the one from the movie) in Newberry Springs — the middle of the Mojave Desert. Long ago deserted.
obsessive hobbyist 