Places We Have Called Home In 2020

June 11, 2020

T minus 5

Temperature 96 Degrees

Where Shall We Go In 2021

I could not believe it.  I actually slept until 7 am this morning!  I never, ever sleep that late.  I’m always up by 6:30 am at the latest.  But not this morning.  Gee, if I can only figure out what I did different the night before I would do it ever evening.

It was another beautiful day.  Abundant sunshine, crystal clear blue sky and a moderate wind.  We’re back to high temperatures but that is nothing new for this area.  I’ve already checked and our next stop, Williams, is about ten to fifteen degrees cooler on average.

What did we do today?  Not much.  Barbara did some wash and the day’s dishes.

I played around with our proposed route for 2021 and this is what I’ve come up with so far.

When we finally leave Florida the beginning of April this is one possible route that we will take.  We will stop in Myrtle Beach to visit friends and then swing over to Asheville, NC to tour the Biltmore Estate.  We’ll make a stop in Front Royal, VA to visit our kids.  We’ll end up in Ives Run, PA for a visit with my sister and her husband.

When we leave Ives Run we’ll head toward Ohio.  We plan on joining together with my son Paul and his wife to do some traveling together.  I have a preliminary stop planned for Sauder Village, Ohio which is the largest working historical village in America.  We’ll then swing up into Michigan, go across the Upper Peninsula and finally end up in Green Valley, Wisconsin.  This is probably where we will part ways.

Our plan is to head west from Green Valley toward Yellowstone National Park.  Along the way we will stop at Wall Drug Store, Mt. Rushmore, Devils Tower and a number of other historical sites.

The final part of the summer will bring us down south through Wyoming and Utah to our winter home in Yuma, Arizona and then Congress, Arizona.  All total we’ll cover about 4,500 to 5,000 miles which is our norm each year.  Our intent at this point in time is to make Congress our permanent winter home.  Will we purchase property at this time?  Time will tell.

So what does everyone think?  Any suggestions for historical sights, roadside attractions, or anything else?  Thoughts on which roads to travel and which to avoid?  Ideas on campgrounds, state or municipal parks to call home along our route?

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Yea, I know it is really early to be thinking about 2021.  Sure, things can and will probably change by then.  This year sure proves that out.  As the saying goes, what will be, will be, the future is not mine to see.  Still I’m just one of those who likes to think ahead.

Something to think on when we get up tomorrow.

Thanks for stopping by today. We always appreciate your company and your comments.  Until tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

June 10, 2020

T minus 6

Temperature 94 Degrees

Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – This Time We Went West to Oatman

Time for another roadtrip and the last one during our time here.  We had heard a lot about the town of Oatman and in particular the road leading to it.  Was what we heard really true?  We had to find out for ourselves.  Come on, time to get on the road.

First, we had to solve a mystery of sorts.  The mystery being, Was the road to Oatman really Route 66?

The answer was yes and no.  When the road was originally laid out Route 66 did indeed go through Oatman.  However, because of the roads treacherous nature by 1953 the road was realigned to route it through Yucca, Arizona.

OK, but what’s the matter with the road?  Come on we’re about to find out.

Interesting.

The first part of the road is 20 miles of arrow straight pavement across open desert.  But, see that mountain in the distance.  Hint, Oatman is on the other side of it.

After the first 20 miles Route 66 tilts upward and begins to climb the eastern slope of the Black Mountains. But first there’s a scrap of civilization that defies the odds.

Nestled in the shadow of Thimble Butte, there is a  stone structure that sits on a hard slant of cactus slopes. Perched on the cusp of a canyon, between the desert floor and the harsh fringe of the Black Mountains,

 Cool Springs opened as a gas station in 1927 and later expanded to include tourist cabins.  Cool Springs provided a welcome harbor back in the day. This brutal terrain once boiled the radiators and broke the hearts of migrant workers making their way to the promised land of California.

 With the realignment of Route 66  in the 50’s traffic dwindled and the business closed.  Then the property burned down in 1966, leaving only two stone pillars and the foundation. And that should have been the end of it.

Then in 1990 a Chicago businessman who had a business in Kingman found himself drawn to the property.   He was able to buy Cool Springs in 2001. After a massive cleanup, he used old photos and blueprints to re-create the station in strikingly precise detail.

Today, Cool Springs operates as a gift shop, snack bar and museum.

The only one on the premise – other than the two of us – that was wearing a mask.  Though it is a bit late for her – think about it.

Hello to you too!

An RV’er, my kind of guy.

Would have loved to purchase this for our bed, but too steep a price to pay.

References to the Pixar Movie Cars is everywhere.  We would have spent more time here and perhaps purchased something but for the attitude of the current owner.  He wore no mask and informed us that was because as far as he was concerned the virus was nothing but fake news.  Needless to say, we made a quick exit from this store.

Now, for the next 10 miles the road gets very interesting. From here the road winds up the mountainside in a torturous ascent.

I found the following regarding Route 66 to Oatman:  The narrow road heads up into the Black Mountains in a series of harrowing hairpin curves

 with no guardrails or shoulders

 between you and the plunging desert terrain. It’s not hard to imagine why many of Route 66’s first roadtrippers felt the need to hire local sherpa-like drivers just to get them through to the other side. 

The top.  Though we couldn’t find it, we discovered that up here there is the old stone foundation that is the remains of a gas station and ice-cream parlor that once stood here.  Great. Now I’m craving ice cream

A wild ride but the trip is definitely worth it.  The majestic beauty of the Black Moutains is absolutely breathtaking.

 

The Blacks are a convulsed jumble of volcanic remains, spiny with cactus, yuccas and sharp-edged boulders. Many times on the road both up and down I stopped the car just to drink in the beauty of the inhospitable terrain.

Eight miles covered, two more miles to go.

Entering Oatman.

Oatman was founded in 1863 as a small mining town.  Gold was discovered in 1915 resulting in a population boom.

The town was named in honor of Olive Oatman, who was kidnapped by the Apache, sold to Mojave Indians and later after many years rescued by her brother.  However, she forever bore the indelible blue cactus tattoo on her chin that was in keeping with tribal custom. According to Mojave tradition, such marks were given only to their own people to ensure that they would have a good afterlife.

Oatman is full of wild burros —an old Spanish term which means donkeys— roaming the streets.  The wild burros are the offspring of the burros transported here in the late 1800s.  They were used by the miners to carry essential supplies, including rock and metals in those days. And now as the mining days no more exist, what has lingered here are the burros. Every morning, the burros wander in the town seeking food and greeting the tourists.  The wild burros of Oatman are maintained and protected by the United States Department of the Interior. They are extremely fond of travelers and they expect every person to feed them some food.

One, though, needs to remember that they are still wild animals and so caution should be exercised around them.

A bit of humor if you will.

The rumor is that after their wedding in Kingman, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard spend their wedding night here in an upstairs room.  Alas, like so many attractions in Oatman this too was closed while we were here.

I wonder what room they are in!

We were supposed to get our Route 66 Passport Book stamped here but it too was closed.

The General Store is were I purchased my new T-shirt.

Well, as with so many other towns on Route 66 when the mine closed and Route 66 was realigned the town went bust.  Today it hangs on as a tourist attraction on the old Route 66.  We’re glad we had the opportunity to visit it but would not go back in the future.  It is one of the few attractions we’ve visited that we would definitely say is over-rated.  In addition while we were there not one person other than the two of us were wearing a mask.  I guess a lot of people don’t know that cases of the virus are spiking again in Arizona.  Actually, unfortunately, I believe most just don’t care either about their own health or that of others.  So sad.  Yet a definite sign of what is wrong in our land today.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  Our road trips are finished as is our sightseeing.  Time now to get our things in order in anticipation of getting back on the road.  We’ve definitely found more to do in this area then we ever expected and are so glad we did.

In closing.

Thanks for your company today. We always appreciate having you with us and, likewise, we always appreciate your comments.  Until tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

June 9, 2020

T minus 7

Temperature 81 Degrees

Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – Traveling Arizona Route 66, Moving On Down the Road

I say we begin with a bit of humor today.

This is just one of many pithy Burma-Shave sayings we encountered on our journey along Route 66.

Time for our next stop on our road trip on Route 66.

Our next stop is the town of Truxton.  The town was a hub of activity until 1979 when the Interstate past it by.  Mildred and Ray Barker operated the Frontier Motel and Restaurant starting in 1957. He died in 1990 and she operated the place until 2012.

Needless to say, there are definitely vacancies today.

Truxton Cafe sits idle along Route 66 after decades of serving travelers along the Mother Road between Seligman and Kingman.

Truxton Station is the one filling station that’s still selling gas in the town.

A bit of trivia:  The town was named for Lt. Edward Fitzgerald Beale’s son Truxtun (note the spelling). Lt. Beale surveyed a wagon road from Fort Smith, Ark., to California in 1882-83. Beale found a spring at Truxtun and the Atlantic & Pacific Railroad later built a pump house and water tank to supply its trains. The A&P changed the name to Truxton.

Moving on down the road.

We come now to the town of Peach Springs.  Yes, it gets it’s name from the Springs discovered in the area.  The springs were reliable water sources that were used by Native Americans for centuries. Euro-Americans became aware of the springs during explorations in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries. Beginning in 1858, travelers along the Beale Wagon Road increasingly used Peach Springs as a rest stop and watering place.

In 1866, the U.S. government granted the Atlantic and Pacific Railroad  a right-of-way to build a transcontinental railroad, and construction through northern Arizona was completed in 1883. With its abundant water, Peach Springs became a water stop for the old steam locomotives and a major train yard for the railroad.

A lively railroad town sprouted along the tracks at Peach Springs.  A railroad spur line  to the Grand Canyon via Peach Springs led to the construction of a Harvey House restaurant and hotel for tourists. .

But then came the beginning of the end.  At the turn of the century, the  Grand Canyon Railway moved it’s southern terminus to the Grand Canyon to Williams The decline in tourist traffic was almost immediate.  Then In 1907, the railroad moved its train yard to Seligman, leaving Peach Springs as only a minor stop along the tracks.

Peach Spring is the Hualapai Nation’s Tribal capital, and is home to the majority of the Hualapai people whose ancestors can be traced in the area for more than 1,000 years. The Hualapai Tribal Nation is a federally recognized Tribe with a Reservation that encompasses one million acres of land with 108 miles of land running along the Colorado River and the Grand Canyon.

When we first entered the town we couldn’t figure out what was going on.  Every turnoff to tribal land was blocked off with concrete barriers and a police presence.  Then I did a bit of research when I returned home and I discovered that the tribal land is under a lockdown to visitors.  They are trying to prevent any new cases of the virus among their people.

The Hualapai Lodge sits right on Route 66 at the heart of Peach Springs and has the best accommodation for those wanting to experience the  the Hualapai Cultural Center which is just a few steps away.  Unfortunately, both are temporarily closed.

Time to get back in the car since we have miles to go.

When you spot this guy you know you have reached

The caverns were first discovered in 1927.  They were first called Coconino Caverns, which later changed to Dinosaur Caverns before becoming known as the the Grand Canyon Caverns.

This is the miniature golf course – unfortunately, you’ll be playing in the rough for your entire game.

Did you catch a bit of the above?

Swim in our pool?  Forgot your suit?  Go naked!

or

Purchase gift for someone you love back home.  If you loved them, why did you leave them?

 

Don’t be fooled, the tanks are empty.

The bikes are for sale.

 

So is the motorhome and most of the cars.

On the way back to the RV Park and the Caverns tour office.

 

Radar trap!  Hidden behind a large bush you don’t even see the Sheriffs car until you pass it.

This is the entrance to the largest dry cavern in America.  The cavern is 200 feet below ground and is filled with a labyrinth of limestone passageways and beautiful rock formations.

Need a room for the night?  You can either check into the Caverns Inn above ground, or for a really different experience try the underground Cave Motel Room. Imagine, if you can, spending the night in the oldest, darkest, deepest, quietest, and largest suite room in the world. Imagine, 21 stories below ground, in a cavern that took 65 million years to form, in a room that is 200 feet wide, 400 feet long with a 70 foot ceiling.

There is also the Cavern Grotto Restaurant.  To get to this restaurant, you’ll need to take an elevator. You’ll be taking it down—21 stories down—into a 345-million-year-old cave network that stretches 60 miles to the Grand Canyon.

Unfortunately, neither the cave tour or the restaurant fit into our schedule during our visit here.  Hopefully, another day.

About that RV Park?  Can you say a bunch of uneven, rutted dirt sites with water and electric.  No way would I ever want to stay there.

Really?  I guess someone has a weird sense of humor.

On the way out.

Time is a’wastin and we have miles to go.  On to our last stop.

Seligman best keeps the history and past of Route 66 alive in this area with a collection of restored buildings and its charming main street.

Outside the General Store.

 

Find it on the side of the road and they will cook it – only kidding!  But they do indeed have some unusual meals.

Low flying airplanes, indeed.

Now, time to go to the holy mecca of Route 66.  The birthplace of Historic Route 66 and the reason the road is still alive in Arizona today.

This is a must see for those who love Route 66.

There he is, well, a cardboard likeness of him.  Him being Angel Delgadillo who today is fondly referred to as The Father of the Mother Road, The Guardian Angel of Route 66 and Mayor of the Mother Road.

Born and raised in Seligman he witnessed first hand the devastating effect that Interstate 40 had on his home town; businesses closed, buildings were abandoned, and people moved away.

But rather than just sit back and watch his hometown become nothing more than a distant memory he went to work.  He rallied local residents to petition the State of Arizona to designate Route 66 as a Historic Highway.  It didn’t happen over night but finally in 1987, Seligman became known as the Birthplace of Historic Route 66 and the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona was formed, inspiring other Route 66 towns to follow the example of Seligman.  A full-throttle Route 66 revival was born.

He was once a barber and we had heard that he – at the age of 93 – usually rode his bike to the gift store at least once a day.  Sometimes, he even gave a customer a haircut.  But alas, his daughter said that because of the virus she and her sister would not allow him near the store for the foreseeable future.  Understandable, but disappointing.

This is as close as I could get to getting a haircut from Angel.

Items in his barber shop and the gift shop.

For a mere 10 cents you could have a tooth pulled!

Though the virus has slowed the flow of visitors to the shop, adoring fans from around the globe still flock to the gift shop for a brief glimpse if possible, or maybe one of the stories, from the man who inspired a community, the nation, and the world to preserve a piece of America’s motoring history.

One more stop to make.

The Snow Cap Restaurant.  .

This was built and run by Angel’s brother until his passing last year.  His children have stepped up and now run the establishment.

Oh yea, this is the bathroom.  Don’t fret, modern facilities inside.

This has to be one of the funniest food stops we’ve made in a long, long time.

Barbara asked about the size of the burgers they serve, they offered this!

I asked for a little ice with my drink!

We both asked for a straw with our drinks.  By now we should have known.

The gentleman serving us said Before you go take my card.

Ah yes, lunch was  tacos and a burger.  Not bad, but nothing to write home about.  But it filled the tummy and that was enough for both of us.

That brings to an end the first of our Route 66 road trips.  I hope you enjoyed it as much as we did.  I’m so thrilled we had a chance to drive this piece of American history and discover its history along the way.  If you’re ever in this area, let me encourage you, hop off the Interstate and put some miles in on Historic Route 66.

Before I forget.

I came home with not one, but two new T-shirts.  And a new coffee cup!

Time now to call it a day on The Road of Retirement.  It’s take me a little bit of time to put a blog like this together and the hour is now late.  So off I go to get my beauty sleep.  We’re off on another road trip tomorrow so I definitely need to get some shut eye.

Thanks for your company today. We always appreciate having you with us and, likewise, we always appreciate your comments.  Until tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Places We Have Called Home In 2020

June 8, 2020

T minus 8

Temperature 68 Degrees

Get Your Kicks On Route 66 – Traveling Arizona Route 66

When we first made the decision to move from Congress to Kingman it was really just for a change of scenery.  We had become bored sitting in one location and we were eager to get on the road again.   Thus we moved not really expecting much of anything to do in this area.  How wrong we were again!

We’ve discovered a famous bridge, museums, murals, parks  and last

but not least Historic Route 66.  If you’re looking for natural beauty, rich history, interesting people, quirky roadside attractions, unusual places to catch a bite to eat

Arizona’s stretch of Route 66 has it all.

Today we decided to drive a portion of the 250 miles of this iconic road in Arizona and discover for ourselves its ever changing wonders.  Come on, jump in and lets get this car in gear and out on the road.  Today we’re starting in Kingman and heading east toward Seligman.

This was our first stop, the Ranchero Motel that opened in 1965 with a restaurant, bar, Shell gas station and plenty of rooms for weary travelers.  The motel is closed but today there is a visitor center that includes a convenience store and gift shop.  While you are looking at the sign in the picture above note the big green sign that states that this is the home of

Giganticus Headicus or as he is affectionately called GH for short.  GH is a half-buried, 14-foot-tall pseudo-tiki sculpted of metal, wood, chicken wire, styrofoam and cement, created in 2004 by Gregg Arnold, a migrant from New Jersey.

He may be the biggest on the lot but he is not alone.  Arnold has other art projects displayed around the location.

I’m not superstitious but hey what’s the harm in ringing the bell!

OK, back in the car and off we go down the road.

This is our second stop, the Hackberry General Store – But don’t blink as you’re tearing down the highway or you’ll miss it for sure.  Unannounced by signage and isolated in the middle of desert, this hidden gem may be driven by countless times, but those who have decided to pull in know it to be a must stop for all Route 66 travelers.

Outside there is an old Model A.

Nostalgic gas pumps.  They haven’t worked in over thirty years but before the picnic tables were put in front of them we were told several times a week someone would pull up to them expecting to get gas!

Reminders that the Greyhound Bus once stopped here.

In the back is the old garage that was a part of the service station that was here before the general store.

 

With all the stickers, odd signs, milk cans and such outside it can be a bit difficult to even find the entrance door.  But there it is right under the Route 66 sign.  Come on, let’s go in because you haven’t seen anything yet.  Nicknamed the Mother Lode of Mother Road Memorabilia, the Hackberry General Store is packed wall to wall with historic signs and artifacts.  Along with a whole lot of other stuff.

The store’s unofficial greeter.  Behind and above him are patches from just about everywhere.  Some patches are brought here in person, others are mailed in and put up by the owner of the store.

Currency from around the world blankets the one wall and extends up and on to the ceiling.  Can you imagine how many before me have stuck a dollar bill or whatever to this wall?

Yup, I added mine to the collection.

 

There’s a recreation of a 1950’s diner with pictures and memorabilia of you know who almost everywhere.

Like the currency on the other wall, there are also license plates from around the USA and the world.

More of the inside.

Really, you have to put this one on your bucket list.  A visit here is like a visit to a bygone era.  This is a slice of America when America was really great.  A trip here is like looking in the rear view mirror to a past that remains frozen in time.

One more thing before we leave the store behind.  Did you Know?  This store served as the inspiration for the Radiator Springs Curio Shop in the 2006 Pixar Movie Cars.

One last stop today.

Founded in 1995 The Keepers of the Wild is a nonprofit organization that houses over 150 rescued animals, including tigers, bears, wolves, reptiles and birds.  Unfortunately, our schedule was such that we missed the daily Guided Safari Tour.  We’re hoping that some day we will be able to return for the tour.

Time to call it a night.  We’ll pick up here tomorrow when we get back in the car again and get back on Route 66.

That was our day on The Road of Retirement.  We had an absolutely fantastic day traveling together on a remarkable historic road.  Point of fact, we liked it so much we’ve decided when we leave here instead of taking the Interstate to Williams we’re going to take Route 66.  It’s just a bit longer going that way, but so what, we’re not in any hurry.  OK, time to go look for my winter PJ’s.  The forecast for tonight is for temperatures down in the 40’s!  Really?  The next day?  Right back up into the 90’s.  Weird weather to say the least.

I leave you with this, a post I discovered on a friends Facebook page.

Thanks for your company today. We always appreciate having you with us and, likewise, we always appreciate your comments.  Until tomorrow.

These are the voyages of  Elvira and it’s two intrepid travelers.  Our continuing mission: to explore as many new states as possible, to seek out new acquaintances and make new friends, to boldly go where we have never been before.

See you on down the road!