August 24th, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues! Day 28 Route 66 Caravan - Kingman, AZ

Charlie & I, along with Erick & Linda took an early morning Drive to Oatman. 

Our Wagonmaster asked “What is the attraction in Oatman?” Donkies? Burros? 

Yes, that is one reason I want to go there! Plus, on the ride up, I found a burro crossing sign! Another one to add to my collection!

We found these guys on the road to Oatman, they have a long ways to go to make it into town!

The road to Oatman from Kingman is very narrow with several sharp hairpin curves. That was one of the reasons we wanted to travel there from Kingman. It’s about 30 miles closer from Needles, the road from there is not nearly as steep or sharp! We saw many signs for “No vehicles over forty feet in length are allowed on this road”.

 

The road is treacherous and there are not many modern rest stops. So, drive carefully and take advantage of the facilities when you find them!

Oatman, Arizona is a historic ghost town, where old buildings still stand and wild burros roam the streets. No, seriously, watch out for them - they aren't afraid of people, or cars. This once booming little town is nestled in the Black Mountains of Mohave County. The town got its start as a mining camp after prospectors struck gold in the area in the early 1900s. Later, it became part of Route 66.

Often described as a ghost town, it doesn’t quite fit the category, but, close enough, considering that it once boasted over 10,000 people and now supports just a little over 100 people year-round. Though Oatman is only a shadow of its former self, it is well worth a visit to this lively “ghost town” that provides, not only a number of historic buildings and photograph opportunities and the sights of burros walking the streets. We got there way too early! Not many shops open, no burros, but most of the locals were friendly and helpful!

In its heyday, from the early 1900s to the 1940s, Oatman and the nearby town of Gold Road were the largest producers of gold in Arizona. Prospector Johnny Moss first mined the area for Gold in the 1860s, staking claims to two mines, one named Moss, the other Oatman, after Olive Oatman who was kidnapped by Apache warriors, sold to Mojave Indians, and released after five years near the current town site in 1855. Gold mining would have its ups and downs in the Black Mountains until the early 1900s.

An official town began to form around 1904, complete with a Post Office when the Vi-vian Mining Company began operations. The tent city called Vivian quickly grew as miners flocked to the area. Between 1904 and 1907 the mine yielded over $3,000,000 and a large gold find at the Tom Reed Mine in 1908 brought in $13,000,000. In 1909 the town changed its name in honor of Olive Oatman.

The Drulin Hotel, which was built in 1902, did a brisk business to the area miners. This old hotel renamed the Oatman Hotel in the 1960s, is the only historic two-story adobe building in Mohave County. Though guests no longer stay the night here, there is a museum on the top floor and a bar and restaurant on the bottom floor. Too bad, it was not open for us to tour while we were there.

 

When Route 66 was first built in the 1920s, several supporters worked to have the road parallel the railroad through Yucca, where its supporters lived. However, Oatman was at its peak as a mining community and had more clout. So, even though it made the drive more difficult on those old Model-T’s, the road took the hazardous journey up Sitgreaves Pass and bypassed Yucca.

In 1921, a fire burned much of Oatman, but the town was rebuilt. Just three years later the main mining company, United Eastern Mines, shut down operations for good. But with the birth of Route 66 and other smaller mining operations, Oatman hanged on, catering to the many travelers along the new highway. By 1930, the town boasted two banks, seven hotels, 20 saloons, and 10 stores. There was over 10,000 people living in Oatman “area”. 

During the Second World War, the government needed other metal types for the war effort, so the miners were taken to other areas and the Oatman mines were closed, leaving the gold to wait for better times.

Route 66 was changed to make an easier route south of the mountain passes in 1953. By this time, Oatman no longer held the clout that it had earlier when the Mother Road was first implemented. It didn’t take long for Oatman to be reduced practically to a ghost town. 

In the late 1980s, Route 66 again became a popular destination for tourists from all over the world.  Oatman started becoming very lively again. Then, in 1995 the Gold Road mine was reopened, taking out 40,000 ounces of gold annually. In 1998, the mine closed again because of low gold prices. It then provided gold mine tours for several years; however more recently, with the current price of gold, the tours have ceased as the mine has reopened once again.

Oatman is full of murals, just like every other town. But, there is little information on them. Most of them are caricatures of the town!

On our way back down from Oatman, we inspected the gate to nowhere. Yes, it is a unique alley way in the rock, which looks like it leads to nowhere! Someone, did take the time to tag the metal gate.

Speaking of going nowhere, we stopped at the rock staircase we saw on the way up the mountain. Yes, these steps lead to a few walking trails, but it is more fun to say they go nowhere … because a true rock climber, will not use the stairs!

  

We had hoped to eat in Oatman, but that did not happen, so we headed back into Kingman and we had a meal at Mr D’z Diner on Route 66. The exterior is a vibrant teal and pink! It was once a small cafe and gas station in the 1950/60's. This Route 66 diner is an old fashioned diner, serving traditional diner fare, and is best known for its homemade root beer! It was delicious! The diner is loaded with Route 66 memorabilia and has served notable celebrities such as Oprah Winfrey, and Angus T. Jones from Two and a Half Man. We enjoyed the atmosphere almost as much as we did the food! The fact that it is on Route 66, makes this diner one to remember.

After we finished lunch, we toured around Kingman for a bit. The only town for miles in any direction since its founding as a railroad center in 1882, Kingman has always depended on passing travelers for its livelihood. Long a main stopping place on Route 66, and still providing the only all-night services on US-93 between Las Vegas and Phoenix, and along I-40 between Flagstaff and Needles, the town remains more a way station than a destination. The stretch of Route 66 through Kingman has been renamed in memory of favorite son Andy Devine, who was born in Flagstaff in 1905 but grew up here, where his parents ran the Beale Hotel. One of the best-known character actors of Hollywood’s classic era, the raspy-voiced Devine usually played a devoted sidekick. His most famous role was as the wagon driver in the classic 1939 John Ford western Stagecoach.

Around Route 66 in Kingman are the most interesting murals. Some are Route 66 centric and others are more geared toward the business or the town.

I hope you are not getting tired of murals, because I think that there is many more to come!

August 23rd, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues! Day 27 Route 66 Caravan - Kingman, AZ

Today we caravanned from Grand Canyon Railway RV Resort in Williams to a Harvest Host, Stetson Winery, in Kingman. Today we drove mostly on Route 66. From I-40 exit 139, just west of Ash Fork, a nice section of the old Route 66 two-lane runs along the railroad tracks just north of, and parallel to, I-40 all the way to the sleepy little town of Seligman. One of best places to stop and get a feel for the spirit of old Route 66. Seligman is a perfect place to take a break after following the interstate hordes. The town retains a lot of its historic character—old sidewalk awnings and even a few hitching rails—and offers lots of reasons to stop. Coming into Seligman on this stretch of Route 66, you’ll be greeted by The Rusty Bolt, a fantastic junk shop and oddball emporium that’s impossible to miss along the north side of the old highway.

A pilgrimage point for old-roads fans for decades, Angel Delgadillo’s barber shop now hosts the Route 66 Gift Shop and Museum. Angel’s brother, Juan Delgadillo, created and ran the wacky Snow Cap a half-block to the east, where the sign says “Sorry, We’re Open,” and the menu advertises “Hamburgers without Ham.” Behind the restaurant, in snow, rain, or shine, sits a roofless old Chevy decorated with fake flowers and an artificial Christmas tree. Juan’s family carries on the Snow Cap traditions. The burgers, fries, and milk shakes are worth driving miles for. Another good place to eat is the kitschy Roadkill Café near the OK Saloon and Rusty Bolt junk shop and the cold beer typically downed by cowboys and truckers across the road at the Black Cat Bar.

The longest and probably the most reminiscent stretch of old Route 66 runs between Seligman and Kingman through the high-desert Hualapai Indian Reservation, along the Santa Fe Railroad tracks through all-but-abandoned towns bypassed by the “modern” interstate world. Save the stretch between here and Needles for daytime, as it’s one of the most memorable of the Mother Road’s whole cross-country haul.

 

Though most people of today’s generation have never even heard of Burma-Shave, ask anyone who lived from the 1920s to the early 1960s, and you will mostly likely bring up a few memories and tales from that vintage era. Burma-Shave was a brand of brushless shaving cream that was sold from 1925 to 1966.  The company was notable for its innovative advertising campaign. To market Burma-Shave, Allan Odell devised the concept of sequential signboards to sell the product. Allan Odell recalled one time when he noticed signs saying Gas, Oil, Restrooms, and finally a sign pointing to a roadside gas station. The signs compelled people to read each one in the series and would hold the driver’s attention much longer than a conventional billboard.  Though Allan’s father, Clinton, wasn’t crazy about the idea he eventually gave Allan $200 to give it a try.

In the fall of 1925, the first sets of Burma-Shave signs were erected on two highways leading out of Minneapolis. Sales rose dramatically in the area, and the signs soon appeared nationwide.  The next year, Allan and his brother Leonard set up more signs, spreading across Minnesota and into Wisconsin, spending $25,000 that year on signs. Orders poured in, and sales for the year hit $68,000. Burma-Shave sign series appeared from 1925 to 1963 in all of the lower 48 states except for New Mexico, Arizona, Massachusetts, and Nevada. Four or five consecutive billboards would line highways, so they could be read sequentially by motorists driving by. So, it’s funny that we see the Burma Shave signs in Arizona today!

Coming into Peach Springs, we went down an incline and I captured a perfect shot of the caravanner in front of us.

We passed through Peach Springs. It’s this town that inspired the town of Radiator Springs in the Pixar Film “Cars”. We did not see anything related to the Cars movie there. In fact, aside from the Grand Canyon Caverns, we did not see much of anything else.

The town of Truxton had 3 gas stations, too bad only one of them looked like you may be able to get gas! Good thing, we filled up in Williams! Like the rest of the town the Truxton Station dates to the early 1950's. Over the years it has been a Whiting Brothers Station, an Enco station and in 1983 it was a Mobil station. In 1983 the large garage building had not yet been added and the canopy still had the traditional red and yellow stripes banding it.

I saw what I thought was an old school house and had to learn more. The Schoolhouse at Truxton Canyon Training School, was a boarding school constructed to assimilate Hualapai Indians.  Local road and railroad arteries affected planners’ decisions about where to put the facility. When workers completed the building in 1903, it was along the transcontinental Atlantic and Pacific Railroad and the Beale Wagon Road, which later became Route 66. Between 1870 and 1930, education was central to United States Indian policy.  This policy required mandatory attendance at boarding schools that removed children from their families and communities. Truxton was an industrial training institution.  Students spent some time each day in academic classes.  During the remaining hours, boys practiced a trade while girls learned domestic skills. Forced to work hard and separated from their families, many students found life at Truxton Canyon traumatic. Diseases such as measles, influenza, and tuberculosis were common.  For nearly three decades, the school continued to grow enrolling about 200 students throughout most of the 1920s and 1930s.  By then, not only Hualapai, but also Apache, Havasupai, Hopi, Pima, Tohono O'odham (Papago), Navajo, and Yavapai children attended.  In 1937, shortly after a Hualapai day school opened in Peach Springs, the Truxton School closed. Surrounded by an agricultural landscape, a dozen or so buildings once stood on the school grounds, but only the two-story brick schoolhouse remains now. The schoolhouse reflects a Colonial Revival style often favored by early 20th-century middle-class homeowners and progressive education reformers. Today, opinions vary among the Hualapai regarding preservation of the property.  For many, it evokes memories of a time of forced assimilation. For others, the property is a tangible reminder of a history that, however painful to remember, should not be forgotten.  The schoolhouse was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2003.  The Hualapai Indian Nation owns the building and is currently seeking funds for its rehabilitation and reuse.

And in Hackberry you can visit the Hackberry General Store. The Hackberry General Store is a favored stop among travelers of Old 66. There was a service station in Hackberry in 1930, owned by Robert E. Brown. The 1937 mentions it in the directory of campgrounds and trailer parks: "HACKBERRY— U. S. 66 NORTHSIDE GARAGE & CAMP - On U. S. 66. 28 mi. e. Kingman." The Store opened in 1934 on the new alignment of Route 66 that was built on the north side of the railroad and bypassed the small town. It had a Conoco gasoline station and remained in operation until the Interstate bypassed this section of Route 66 in 1978. That year it closed. Bob Waldmire acquired it, and re-opened it in 1992 as a souvenir shop and information center. He sold it in 1998 to John and Kerry Pritchard. The Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire, who traveled the road in his orange 1972 Volkswagen Microbus. We learned about him in Pontiac IL.  Bob was the unofficial inspiration of Fillmore in the Disney/Pixar movie Cars.

Antares Point is along the longest continuous curve on a US Hwy 66, approximately 2 miles and offers fantastic views into the Arizona desert.  The location, formerly Kozy Corner Trail Park (“Cozy Cone” ring a bell, Sally?) features "Giganticus Headicus."  Just when you think all possible manner of kitsch along Route 66 has long since been built, you find that someone like 36 year old artist Greg Arnold has constructed a totally new oddity along the venerable old route. A 14' high giant green head now peers at passing motorists from beside of what once was the cafe at the Ranchero Motel.  Although its appearance suggests otherwise, some supernatural force has not plucked one of the Moai heads carved out of stone from the Easter Islands and deposited it at the Antares curve.  Greg fashioned the giant head from wood and stucco.  As an offering to the tourist god, he included a bench for the weary traveler who can make his offering of change to the nearby vending machine.

We arrived at our Harvest Host location for our home for the next two nights, Stetson Winery. We have stayed at many Harvest Host locations before, but for some … dry camping will be a new and different experience! The Winery is nestled in a beautiful, high-desert valley and surrounded by the Peacock, Long and Music Mountain ranges. We had full run of the place, we could stretch our legs out on their veranda and watch beautiful hues of fuchsia, salmon, violet, gold and copper light up the sky as the evening sun sets over the mountains and you sip your glass of wine.

We settled in and drove into Kingman for our guided tour of the Powerhouse Museum, aka the Arizona Route 66 Museum. 

The museum shows the progress made in travel. Settlers who migrated west over the first wagon roads and the dust bowl refugees who dealt with despair and hardship while traveling down the Mother Road are featured throughout the museum. Bright murals, pictures, and life-size dioramas feature each of the groups.

Even the building has historical relevance to the highway, as it is situated within a historical building that once lit the way for Route 66 travelers. Built in two phases, the building came to be in 1907 and 1991 and was operated by the Desert Power & Light Company. It gave power to the early sections of Kingman along with the early mines around the middle of 1909. Restored 60 years later, the building was transformed into a visitor center in 1997 and remains open today.

We enjoyed a catered BBQ Dinner at the Stetson Winery and a perfect sunset!

August 22nd, 2021 … Summer of Fun continues! Day 26 Route 66 Caravan – Williams, AZ

Before we boarded the train, we enjoyed a Wild West shoot out at the Grand Canyon Railway “town”. I believe that everyone has a twin and I think I found Nancy Paladino’s friend’s twin in Williams AZ … her guy, just needs to grow his beard a bit longer!

Today we took the historic train from Williams into Grand Canyon National Park without having to worry about navigating our rigs or cars through the busy Grand Canyon roadways! We had the whole rail car to ourselves and Willard & Eileen took full advantage of it and danced to the music of Kenny!

I must have missed something in geography, because we passed the North Pole on our way to the Grand Canyon! Every winter the Grand Canyon Railway’s Polar Express comes to life on a journey from the nighttime wilderness of Williams, Arizona, to the enchanted beauty of “the North Pole”—where Santa Claus and his reindeer are waiting.

There is a couple that built their home, just outside of the National Park. They have lived her for more than 35 years and are in the yard to wave, every time the train goes by!

         

We arrived at the Grand Canyon Train Depot and debarked the rail car and made our way toward the canyon. Charlie & I have been here before, but every time you come you see something different and the light effects the look of the Canyon.

One of the wonders of the natural world, the Grand Canyon of the Colorado River—277 miles long, more than a mile deep, and anywhere from 5 to 18 miles across—defies description.

Our staff from the Route 66 caravan gathered for a photo opportunity, on the South Rim. It is here that I learned a friend, for more than 20 years, is afraid of heights! And he is a tall guy!

The most amazing thing about the Grand Canyon, apart from its sheer size and incredible variety of shapes and colors, is how different it looks when viewed from different places. The great majority of the five million people who visit the Grand Canyon each year arrive at the South Rim and gaze down into the Grand Canyon from Mather Point, where the entrance road hits the edge of the gorge.

Around the Grand Canyon Village, we saw a bird flying and Marilyn and I tried to follow it. It perched several times and I was finally able to capture a picture of it. Our bird watching friends, tell us it’s a Western Scrub Jay.

The Hopi House (1905) is a large, multi-story building of stone masonry, shaped and built like a Hopi pueblo. When Mary Colter was commissioned in 1904 by the Fred Harvey Company to design an “Indian Arts Building” as the hospitality giant liked to call their souvenir shops, the talented and stubborn architect was eager to accept the challenge. She was one of just a few women in a male-dominated field, and “lady-like” wasn’t in her vocabulary. Neither were the words “traditional European influences.” Colter’s vision extended well beyond that. Inspired by the natural beauty of the Grand Canyon, she wanted to design something that appeared native, natural and timeless. Hopi House, modeled after the 1,000 year-old pueblo dwellings of the Hopi village in Old Oraibi, was a radically new experience for tourists.

To get a real feel for the Grand Canyon, you have to get out of the car, get beyond the often overcrowded viewpoints that line the South Rim, and take a walk down into the depths of the canyon itself. The most popular and best-maintained path, the Bright Angel Trail, descends from the west end of Grand Canyon Village, following a route blazed by prospectors in the 1890s. Someday, when I come to the Grand Canyon, I am going to do a portion of that walk!

 

As we boarded the train to head back to Williams, we were all tired and full. Some had meals, but most of us just had hand dipped ice cream! On our way home, we had more music and we were robbed! Yes, robbed, by the Grand Canyon gang. It was two and a half men that robbed us. The Sheriff came after them, but I doubt he was able to catch them … he was kind of a bumbling idiot Sheriff!

When we got back, the train robbers had left us enough money to afford dinner! So, we headed to Pizza Factory for dinner. For over 30 years, this Pizza Factory has stayed true to its roots. They are hardworking owners and staff, offering family-friendly dining, and a high-quality products. They strive to make everyone feel as if this is their hometown pizzeria. I think their hand-tossed pizzas are really good. We got Charlie a Meat Lovers Pizza and I had a piece with my tossed salad.

We cruised on 66 for a while and enjoyed the sights of Williams, until we see it again!