Across Route 66 - Part Two

Day 2, April 19 (AZ) - With the beautiful but barren Mojave Desert as a backdrop we traveled through Topock, AZ to the old gold mining town of Oatman where wild donkeys roam the dusty streets and a few saloons and tourist shops welcome travelers. Olive Oatman’s Restaurant makes a mighty fine breakfast. The old Oatman Hotel, now mostly a gift shop, is where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon night after marrying in nearby Kingman. After several miles of treacherous-feeling Black Mountain roads with a few hairpin curves, the city of Kingman was a welcome site. Thanks to I-40 it still thrives. On through tiny desert towns like Hackberry, Truxton and Peach Springs to Seligman which offers 66 travelers several reasons to stop. One of the most interesting is lifelong resident Angel Delgadillo. At age 78 he still operates Angel’s Barber Shop which is now more of a memorabilia shop. He remembers the glory days of the road as well as the day in 1974 when the freeway opened and Seligman’s thriving commerce virtually came to a standstill. He loves to share his memories and has a lot of them. He is optimistic about the increasing interest in the old road. On through Williams and Flagstaff to Winona who’s only fame is a mention in the Bobby Troup song “Get Your Kicks On Route 66” (“…don’t for Winona”). From there I-40 has replaced 66 all the way to Winslow, also made famous in a song (“…Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona” from The Eagles’ song Take It Easy). Of course we had our picture taken standing on the corner. We soon arrived in Holbrook with plans to spend the night in the famous Wigwam Village motel. However, after viewing the teepee rooms we decided to opt for a few photos and headed on to Gallup, NM. There we stayed at the historic El Rancho Hotel which has been restored to its 1930’s glory. Great food and a good night’s sleep. - Woody Bomar