The image that you see above
is a photo of a piece of the old Rt. 66 pavement
given to me by that wonderful man
at the "Old 66 Visitor's Center"
in the Hackberry, AZ area a few years ago.
Route 66
Song by Bobby Troupe
If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best
Get your kicks on Route 66.
It winds from Chicago to L.A.
More than 2,000 miles all the way
Get your kicks on Route 66.
You go through St. Louie, Joplin, Missouri
And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty.
You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico
Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino.
Won't you get hip to this timely tip
When you make that California trip
Get your kicks on Route 66.
There are thousands of things to do on
The Mother Road
There are thousands of things to see on
The Mother Road
You can meet lots of great people on
The Mother Road
If you were to be able
to travel the entire length of it-
you would have driven for 2,448 miles.
Everyone has their own impressions of the sights, the people,
the small towns and everything you'll experience on such a trip.
We have not traveled the entire length of it-
only parts of it at different times through the years.
Now sit back, relax and enjoy my pictures!
"The Old 66 Visitor Center"
near Hackberry in Arizona.
is the first place we're going to visit.
If you're in the area make sure you stop in and look around.
Sign the guestbook and look at all those that came before you.
The visitors log has signatures and notes from just about every country.
Make sure you admire all the old artifacts from the old Rt. 66.
The man who makes his home there has led an interesting life.
He was born in Illinois and wound up "way out west".
The picture on the left is of the
"Old 66 Meditation Garden".
The picture on the right is of the wall by the rest rooms.
There are a lot of advertisements for a place called "Cozy Dog".
I'm sorry I did not check out where that was. It was a hot day and I was tired.
If someone knows where it's at- please let me know.
The other signs show where the light switch is,
warn you not to disturb the tarantulas and last but not least
there is a sign with the "Restroom Flushing Rules".
While you're visiting make sure you purchase some souvenirs-
the Route 66 Cookbook perhaps! That's what we bought.
I received a piece of the old Rt. 66 as a keepsake.
I have that in a place of honor now.
It's a fun place to visit.
We met a lot of german people there who were touring America
and were enjoying cruising on Rt. 66.
It's just as popular over there as it is here!
Our next stop will be
Williams, AZ
We had dinner at Rod's Steakhouse which is located right on Rt. 66
The picture on the left is the side of the restaurant
on the right is a view of Route 66 as seen from in front of the building.
Williams is often referred to as "The Gateway to the Grand Canyon".
It has a rich history. There are many fine places for lodging and dining.
But as with everything in the Grand Canyon area
MAKE RESERVATIONS IN PLENTY OF TIME!
There are many fine stores
but the display in front of this store lured us inside.
There were carvings of just about anything.
I really, really wanted one, but then sanity prevailed
and Don bought an old railroad spike.
That carving would have been perfect for our family room.
The last two pictures are of my husband with two buddies he met in Williams.
(Don't they make a handsome trio?)
and of Don relaxing in the spa after that hard day of shopping.
Next I'll show you something in Elk City, Oklahoma!
I think we'll stop at the
Route 66 Museum
How do you like this
Cushman Eagle?
Who had Kiddie cars either for yourself or your kids?
Sure brings back Memories!
People visiting the Southwest in the 40's or 50's
Probably brought home pictures like this.
Does anyone out there know this guy?
This is the Saloon by the entrance to the museum.
There is much, much more to see at the museum-
several buildings in fact.
They are adding on all the time.
Please visit them and check it out yourself!
You'll have a great time.
"The Hog Trough"
On our last trip out West we found a new favorite place to eat.
It's in Elk City, OK
1101 Main Street
Tue- Sat 11- 8
They have the best smoked brisket
Their newest creation-
Smoked Hamburgers!
The portions are rancher sized
and their desserts are homemade!
Make sure you stop in!
The parking lot is always full
but there's lots of room inside.
The next place I'll show you
is back in Arizona-
it's an old mining town in the mountains.
Oatman, AZ
The road to Oatman, heading west,
takes you through some of the most beautiful, rugged western terrain.
The road winds back and forth- up the mountain- down the other side.
Occasionally you'll see a building- most of the time it is deserted.
In Oatman you'll see many, many burros.
They live in the mountains above the town.
In the morning they all wander down from their sleeping places
and greet everyone who visits the town.
They are all offspring of the miner's burros.
When mining stopped, and the miners left, their burros stayed behind.
Over time they have developed into quite a herd.
Oatman was named in honor of Olive Oatman.
When she was a young girl she was taken by the Mojave Indians.
She was rescued near where the town stands now.
Oatman had it's start as a mining tent camp and quickly became
a flourishing gold-mining center. Two miners struck a $10 million gold find in 1915,
and within a year, the town's population grew to more than 3,500.
In 1921, a fire burned down many of the smaller shacks in town,
and three years later, the main mining company, United Eastern Mines,
shut down operations for good. Oatman survived by catering to travelers
on old U.S. Route 66. But in the 1960s, when the route became
what is now Interstate 40, Oatman almost died because the visitors
were now few and far between.
Did you know that Clark Gable and Carol Lombarde honeymooned
at the Oatman Hotel in 1939? Gable enjoy the solitude of the desert
so much that he returned many times. On those return trips
he could also be seen playing poker with the miners.
The Oatman Hotel has been in business since 1902.
It was used as the location for several movies.
Oatman is a small town.
Both sides of the main road are lined with shops.
A lot of what is available is made by the shopkeepers themselves
or purchased from the craftsperson who made it.
All in all Oatman is a neat town to visit.
The people are friendly,
the burros even friendlier
and the scenery on the trip
going in or out of the town
is beautiful.
Maybe I'll see you there someday!
The End
I hope all of you had a great time-
I did!
I know there is much more to Route 66
enough to write several books-
and fill many many WebPages
and I will have more later.
My husband Don and I
hope to meet some of you on
The Mother Road someday.
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