ROUTE 66 in ARIZONA
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| Before you continue, you must bear witness to my touristy shot of a
Petrified Rock. (An aside: the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest,
although among the prettiest sights along Route 66, are weak cousins of
any of Utah's National Parks. Visit them if you can.) (50k) |
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| East of Flagstaff. Unfortunately, most of 66 in eastern Arizona
is obliterated or exists merely as an Interstate frontage road. Winslow
and Holbrook are notable exceptions. (Another aside: The mile-wide meteor
crater [you've seen the pictures] between Winslow and Winona is privately
owned. Your entrance fee lines the owner's pocket, not a park fund.) (45k) |
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| Near Williams, west of Flagstaff. In 1984, Williams became the
last town bypassed by the Interstate. US 66 lost its official designation
the following year. Nearby Bellemont has the highest elevation of any
town on 66, approximately 7,100 feet above sea level. (53k) |
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| The Sno Cap in Seligman. Seligman is the first town on a 110
mile stretch of 66 that deviates significantly from the Interstate. When
US 66 was decommissioned, the state rechristened it as State Highway 66.
(47k) |
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| The Route 66 museum in Hackberry. The proprietor at the time
(1996) was Robert Waldmire, an artist who produces astonishingly detailed
maps and postcards of the Route 66 states and the history of the highway.
He spoke to me for nearly three hours gave me more artwork for free than
I paid for. An unbelievably nice person; he remains the highlight of my
66 travels. (56k) |
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| Unfortunately, Waldmire no longer lives here. I remember him saying
he wanted to move to southeastern Arizona, and apparently he did. In 1999,
the owner of Teepee Curios in Tucumcari (NM) told me Waldmire sold the
property and that the new owners weren't nearly as friendly. I haven't
visited Hackberry since '96, so I couldn't say. (56k) |
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| Waldmire's museum is quite the bird sanctuary. (55k) |
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| North of Kingman. Sunset in the Black Mountains. This isn't computer-adjusted;
the sky became a harsh gold color as the sun descended. (48k) |
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| West of Kingman. The beginning of my favorite section of 66 from
Kingman to Topock. It winds through the Black Mountains and offers cliffhanging
hairpin turns with no guardrails. (53k) |
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| East of Oatman. Watch for burros. Although I never saw one in
the wild, many tame burros walk the streets of Oatman. Vendors sell burro
food to tourists. Coincidentally, you must watch your step while walking
in Oatman. (56k) |
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| East of Oatman. The road is no trouble for today's cars, but
as late as the 1940s, many were underpowered and unable to traverse this
section of the highway. According to A Guidebook to Highway 66
(1946), drivers could hire a tow truck to haul their car across the steepest
grades for $3.50. (58k) |
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| East of Oatman. (54k) |
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| Gold Hill Summit. The highest elevation between Kingman and Topock.
(45k) |
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| South of Oatman. Some of the local flora. (83k) |
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| Between Oatman and Topock. I spotted this tortoise perched atop
the highway stripe. Tortoises make remarkably good photographic subjects,
as they tend not to fly away like birds. I deposited him off the side
of the road in the direction he was moving. And yes, I was laying down
in the middle of the road while taking this picture. (47k) |
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