The Real Road

One last picture to say goodbye to Williams...and on to Seligman...

Seligman was all we were promised... they take Route 66 seriously HERE!

Kingman was great... the museum was totally worth the admission...

the food was good too!

Out of Kingman we had this to look forward to...a hard drive up through the Black Mountains and then....the Mojave desert!

This roadrunner seemed to be just posing for us! Unfortunately, Cold Springs is closed on Wednesdays and Thursdays so we didn't get to go in.

The Black Mountains were rough... I had a hard time imagining how old 30s cars made it up these roads... After the museum i thought often about those beat up cars, ready to fall apart. All along the road there were crosses. I wonder if they were from then or earlier?

I can't imagine how the pioneers and after them the people running from the dirty 30s felt, after coming through the Black Mountains and descending to see the green around the river, to see this stretching out before them... and mountains... more mountains to cross ahead.

If you decide to drive Route 66 in California... do, but buy a book! They let you know you're on the right road very well.... but there are no signs to get you there!

All along the road under the moon were the skeletons of days gone by.... moments in time frozen. I have a hard time imaging people just packing up and leaving... I doubt that i would be able to make myself do it. walk away from a lifetime of memories...

I think i found the real road last night... the mother road.... driving along this stretch of california as the sun was going down and the moon was rising...it all felt real. Not like some stage set, but real! It was sort of spiritual in ways. It reminded me of being 10.... i think the road has been left alone, not repaved, not moved... just as it was when it closed... but later!

And at the end of the road for us... Barstow... and the same moon that's been hanging over Route 66 forever!

Standin' on the Corner...

We started the morning by driving over to the Wigwam... Brenden was excited because it looks just like the Cozy Cone from Cars!
The cars around it were fun too. The kids particularly liked this little green bug!

We headed out for Winslow, Arizona... where we just had to stand on the corner...

We didn't have time to go see the Meteor Crater but the Dome was cool...

After a little discussion we decided not to forget Winona...but skip Flagstaff and go straight to the Grand Canyon. Winona is definitely a little forgettable, but the Grand Canyon was nothing short of AWESOME!!! There really is no other word to describe it...

The watch tower was cool....Here's Brenden just hanging out.

The scenery couldn't possibly be more amazing.

We saw this little guy...

From the biggest canyon ever to tiny wildlife... it was AWESOME!!!

Then we arrived in Williams, AZ...checked into the Super 8. The kids had fun in the swimming pool before it closed.

Then we went to eat at Cruisers... downtown Williams right on Route 66! The food was great, the service was good, there was live music. What a great day... can't wait for tomorrow!

We started out the morning in Albuquerque on the search for fiber. Village Wools is a store that actually sells spinning stuff and I had to go. Unfortunately they've moved...so if you're looking for them be aware their address has changed...they have a great, new store on Anaheim Ave., NE. Lauri, Marlene and Audrey were as friendly and helpful as anyone would want. they're great...definitely visit!

Then on the way out of town we passed by this bridge...Route 66 used to run over it...it's closed now but pretty cool anyway. Then we headed out onto reservation land. The scenery was really beautiful...I wish i could show you...but we were guests in someone's home and we respected their wishes not to take pictures. (it is posted at the reservation edge that photographs and video are not allowed....so if you want to see it....come on down and see turtle rock for yourself...it's worth the drive!)

We drove through rusty red canyons all day long...here's some red walls from near the continental divide.

We stopped to pictures and mail a postcard at Continental Divide, NM....I didn't know that was an actual town.

Then we ate lunch in Gallup...The Hotel el Rancho is a wild conglomeration of architectural styles that has attracted movie stars from days gone by...from Clark Gable to John Wayne, from Jane Wyman to Ronald Reagan...they stayed here...

From Gallup we headed out through a few ghost towns and then back into reservation land where the old Route is completely gone, we crossed into Arizona. We decided that we wanted to see the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest so we took a little detour...we couldn't have drive the old road anyway, and the scenery was totally worth it.

the Painted Desert reminds me of the Badlands of South Dakota. the colors are a little different, darker and less yellow, but clearly the same elements of wind and rain at work here.


Route 66 did go right through the Painted Desert. Here we all are at the place where the old road used to run...apparently the road bed was taken up and you can't even tell there was a road there now...except for the line of short electric poles.

This little guy was hanging out with his family too....

Newspaper Rock is amazing...covered with petroglyphs.








Then on to the Petrified Forest end of the loop. This was truly amazing. We stayed until the moon rose over the hills and we wouldn't be able to see anymore before we finally headed out for Holbrook.

The Wigwam Motel had no vacancies... but it has great neon.... more pictures tomorrow of the concrete teepees!

Good Morning Albuquerque!

Santa Rosa was charming! We left Santa Rosa on the old allignment. Apparently in 1937 Route 66 moved. It went through Sante Fe pre-1937 and straight across skipping Sante Fe after 1937. We decided to take the old Route and see Sante Fe...since Stephen informed it was the capital! So we headed out...the scenery was amazing!

We took a small detour to Las Vegas, NM....(it was only 3 miles). The visitor

center used to be in caboose....This church is old and pretty amazing. it reminded me of churches in England where the cemetary is in the church yarn--oops yard!

Here we are on the road ...with a pre-1937 sign!

We discovered a fold in space and time in New Mexico. We took a momentary detour to San Jose, New Mexico and it looks like it folded into Old Mexico instead. We dropped a postcard in the mail and moved right along.... Wish I knew what this amazing half-cactus/half bush was!

We drove by--but didn't stop as this ruined Mission...it was burned down in 1680 during an Indian Revolt. It had been a center for trade prior to that.

We wandered around downtown Sante Fe...it was fun, the food at the Burrito Company was good and spicy! We saw more old churches....lots and lots of adobe....McDonald's in adobe, Border's in adobe, Thai food.... you name it Sante Fe has it in adobe.

We drove on to Albuquerque and stopped for supper--ok we ate mozzarella sticks and chili fries so we would all have room for the super deserts at 66 Diner...where the service was fab and the neon was to die for...