Route 66 Part 2, Arizona (September, 1997)


This trip isn't occurring in any particular order. So part 2 of the Route 66 trip started in Topock, Arizona and ended just outside of Ash Fork, Arizona. (Someday I'll fill in the missing link between Amboy and Topock.)

Manuel joined me again and Glenn drove the sag vehicle (my truck). We drove out to Essex on Friday evening and camped along the road for a night's sleep. Trains kept waking us up (there is a tremendous amount of traffic on that line) but we managed a reasonable amount of sleep. We drove to Needles on Saturday morning, hoping to find a restaurant. The only place that looked interesting was bypassed so we continued along to get a start before it got too hot.

Glenn dropped us off at Topock (just a few mobile homes and a pipeline across the Colorado River) and we rode to Golden Shores for breakfast. There was a little cafe where we ate breakfast, talked to the locals and got some water. It was already very hot when we left for Oatman at 10:00 a.m. I've really got to get earlier starts on these trips! We rode through low desert scrub until we hit the foothills of the Black Mountains. The heat was killer and I finally had to stop and was seriously thinking about abandoning the whole trip (20 miles into the ride) when Glenn showed up with the truck. I drank a bunch of water, changed my jersey and sat in the shade for a while. I finally started feeling better and we decided to ride to Oatman and then take a long break until the heat of the day passed. The road to Oatman was a gradual rise along the foot of the mountains. The view was wonderful and the road was very quiet. I would have really liked this part of the trip if I had felt better. It was hot and challenging - worse than I had planned. As we climbed up it got a bit cooler (or I was feeling better) and I knew we were getting closer to our destination.

We passed an interesting sight in the desert on the road to Oatman. There were a bunch of creosote bushes that had been decorated with Christmas ornaments! Not much else was around, an abandoned mine and a road junction, but there they were along the road. It provided something to think about while pedaling through the gruelling heat of the morning.

Oatman was a terrific place to kill a few hours! It was their annual "Gold Rush Days" celebration. A perfect time to stop in Oatman. There were several things going on that day, including the International Burro Biscuit Throwing Championships! The entry fee was right - it was free! So the three of us joined a handful of other tourists and threw those gold painted burro biscuits as far as we could.

We left Oatman around 3 p.m. since we had many more miles to go before we stopped for the evening. The climb out of Oatman was challenging. The road was narrow but there wasn't a lot of traffic. We passed a mine and several abandoned mines as we climbed. I had to walk a few short sections - mainly because the road was so narrow. Up and up went climbed to the summit. The view was fantastic, mountain ranges as far as you could see. Each one a slightly different shade of blue. It was BEAUTIFUL!

The descent down the mountain was a screamer! Now I know why this section of road struck terror into the hearts of motorists driving Route 66! It must have been quite a challenge to ride up, let alone down! The road curved and had some serious expansion cracks. I kept my speed down to prevent losing control. I don't think we passed any vehicles going up, so you could use most of the road if you wanted.

We were heading out onto a large alluvial plain. Off in the distance, you could see the trucks driving along Interstate 40. We ran at a slight angle to I-40 for miles. We were travelling through desert and there wasn't much around, even today. On and on through the desert towards a pass in the mountains ahead. That must be were Kingman is, in that pass. It was hot still, but I had figured out what to wear and how to keep hydrated. Life was MUCH better now.

We decided to stop outside of Kingman because we were tired and the light was fading. We found a truckstop and sent Glenn on to find a campground. I was hungry, thirsty and tired. The truckstop had reasonable food and bathrooms. It was a shock to be back in civilization after our day's ride through the desert. It seemed like days had passed since we started off that morning.

While we were eating dinner in the truck stop restaurant, we heard about the accident Princess Di had been in. She was still alive but several people had been killed. It was unreal being in "the middle of nowhere" and listening to news from Europe. I thought about when I lived in England and how the country had been so excited when she married Prince Charles. Those memories took me to another place, a long time ago. I wanted to turn off the t.v. I was on vacation and I don't like watching t.v. much at home. I didn't want to listen to depressing news that I couldn't do anything to control the outcome of.

We finished our meal and drove to the RV park where we were spending the night. (It was dark and we didn't have lights on the bicycles.) We setup camp and took showers. Around 10 p.m. Manuel came back to the camp and told us that Princess Di had died. I was stunned and spent a long time thinking how precious life is and how often we ignore what we have. I knew that being on this bicycle ride was the right thing for me to be doing at that point - I dedicated the trip to Princess Di as a celebration of life. When things got rough over the next 2 days, I just remembered that I was able to endure and enjoy the trip. It was a very sad evening for me.

The next morning we drove back to the Truck stop. We had left the bicycles there, since we had to return there anyway to start our ride. We opted for breakfast in Kingman. I liked to frequent the "Mom and Pop" cafes, not the chain restaurants. And Route 66 is really about the way America was 40 - 20 years ago. You'll find it in the local cafes and shops, not at McDonalds.

We rode along the old road into Kingman. It was a wonderful ride along an old lava flow that paralleled the river bed. A bridge off in the distance was lovely, the flowers were out and the sky was blue. I-40 was no where to be seen, which was fine with me. We entered Kingman and promptly found a small cafe, which looked like a good breakfast spot.

It's always interesting to walk into a local cafe dressed in the "form fitting" clothes that we cycle in. People are often taken-aback. They don't say much, but they certainly stare (and probably wonder!) While we were sitting there Glenn said "Look at that" and pointed to the wall on the opposite side of the cafe. There hung on the wall were several pieces of computer paper that had been taped together. They were the Super Pan from Mars Pathfinder! Cool! We were excited to see images from work in a small cafe in Arizona. Many of our friends worked on Pathfinder and I had named a couple of rocks on Mars. We got up and looked at the pictures, pointing out features we recognized (and I pointed out my two rocks - Dilbert and Dogbert.) It was such a pleasant surprise to realize that so many people found our work interesting.

After breakfast Manuel and I headed out of town into the remote sections of Route 66. Next stop, Hackberry. There were a few towns marked on the map between Kingman and Seligman. We rode up an alluvial fan, gradually climbing as we headed out of town. It was still very hot and I stopped at a housing tract to get more water. I found a building that served as the local church. Someone was inside when I peeked in and they invited me to help myself to water from the kitchen.

We continued on and soon the road turned into the wind. It wasn't too hot, and we had some cloud cover but the headwind made up for any benefit we derived from the clouds. On and on, following the train tracks - our constant companion along the way. Finally, my calculations suggested that we were close to Hacken- berry. There it was, of sorts, up ahead. Hackberry consists of an old gas station that has been turned into a museum, home, store and tourist attraction by Bob Waldmire, the owner. The place looked closed when we arrived and we had planned to make it our lunch stop as it was getting hot again. We had a drink from the truck and looked around at the outdoor garden and read the numerous pieces of paper that were tacked up on the walls. While we were getting ready to leave, Bob emerged from the building. He had a solar oven, something that I had a strong interest in a few years ago. He was baking rolls in the oven and I was looking at it seeing how it worked. It was a perfect solution for a remote desert dwelling. He invited Manuel and Glenn inside and when they had been gone for quite some time, I entered the building looking for them.

The inside was a fantastic collection of things! There were books, magazines and post cards about all aspects of Route 66. On one wall as a listing of countries that visitors had come from. It was impressive when you saw how many Europeans had stopped by. (Actually, the best website I found for Route 66 is based in Belgium!) Then there was a collection of items found along old portions of Route 66, articles about people who travel the road and a host of other things that took hours to look at. It was fascinating.

Just as we started to depart, a busload of Germans arrived. I was once again amazed at how fortunate we were to have Manuel along since he understood several languages. I had never expected to meet German tourists in the middle of this barren region of Arizona.

We rode the 5 miles into Valentine - a ghost town of sorts now. That section of road stands out in my mind as being very beautiful. A train overtook me as I was climbing a hill and I waved at the men driving it. They returned my greeting. Human contact is rare out here and everyone within sight is fair game for a wave or "hello".

From Valentine you climb up onto a plateau that gradually descends in a straight line into Truxton. We welcomed the downhill and dead straight road. We got into an aero tuck and pedaled like crazy to obtain the highest speed possible. It was a wonderful feeling, flying along the plateau without any cars in sight, screaming down into the tiny town like a missile. It was cooler up there and the day was lovely. He hit the restaurant with a thirst and hunger that needed quenching.

Unfortunately, the restaurant had suffered a break-in and somehow the power had been shorted out. No lights (that was OK, it was hot outside), no shakes, no fries (the deep fryer was out), not much of anything. We wanted water and got that and I wanted pie and coffee (my mainstay for bicycle touring). I ate my pie and then read the menu trying to decide what else to eat.

While we were pondering what else to eat, the power was restored. The owner put some money in the jukebox to make certain that all was well and the sounds of "Seminole Wind" came on. I am quite fond of the song and for the rest of the day I hummed the tune and sang the few words I could remember as I rode across northern Arizona.

We weren't certain where we were going to spend the night. I wanted to see the Grand Canyon Caverns and I knew there was a KOA in Seligman. We had come 48 miles already, which pleased me. We had another 21 miles to the Caverns and after the tour I wasn't certain how much light we would have. No worries.

Just before we started our ride, the current issue of National Geographic had come out with an article about the very stretch of Route 66 that we were riding! Only the article talked about the Route from east to west, the "proper" way to travel Route 66. We pulled the magazine out of the truck and showed the ladies at the cafe, because they had been interviewed. They hadn't seen the article yet, but they had a framed copy of the picture that was featured in the magazine. We spent a long time in the cafe talking and joking and realizing how special this moment was. I am constantly amazed at these wonderful little experiences that occur when I travel.

It was getting late so we pressed on. The road gradually climbed out of the broad valley and went through Peach Springs, a small town that I had spent some time in after a canoe trip down the Colorado River. I didn't remember anyplace to eat in Peach Springs but when we rode through there was a new cafeteria in town. I was concerned that we might get chased by dogs since I remembered seeing lots of loose dogs when I had been there before. But the dogs must have all been asleep or not interested in cyclists because we traversed town dog-free. Climbing the road out of Peach Springs you get an overview towards the Grand Canyon. It was a nice view and I stopped for a long look and to remember the fun and fear that the canoe trip through the Grand Canyon had invoked.

Then we rode through pinon pine and juniper, with sections of older portions of Route 66 winding through the hills and dodged the thunderstorms that were around us. The worst storms were following the river and off on the horizon I could see the flashes of lightening and see the dark sheets of rain pound the earth. I hope they don't come this way! I didn't have much in the way of warm clothes or ran gear. And I didn't relish the idea of riding a metal bicycle in a lightening storm. The road would periodically be wet as a storm front had passed. But somehow we lucked out - it rained in front of us, it rained behind us, it rained on all sides of us but we hardly were touched.

At last, in the fading light, I could see flagpoles ahead and knew that we were nearing the caverns. We pulled in to the parking lot in time to catch the last tour of the day and quickly decided to take one of the remaining hotel rooms. This was now our destination for the evening.

We had some time to kill before our tour started so we browsed the gift shop. I was eyeing the restaurant more than the gifts. We descended into the caverns and spent an hour seeing what little there was to see. I'm glad I went, but I wouldn't go again. I've been spoiled by other caves in other parts of the world. But you never know what you'll see until you go and the giant sloth story was certainly interesting and worthwhile.

After our tour ended we headed for the restaurant since it closed soon. I ordered too much food but ate it all anyway. While we had been down in the cavern, the storms had cleared and we were treated to a beautiful sunset - the sky blazing in reds and purples! The temperature plummeted once the sun went down. I forgot that the high desert gets cold at night! We quickly headed off to our motel room for hot showers and comfortable beds.

The next morning I wanted coffee before we set off. We decided to eat at the store rather than the restaurant to get an early start. As we were enjoying the free coffee, a man came in and was joking about how bad room service was. He commented that he had to get his own coffee, so I volunteered to carry his coffee over to his room for him. After several minutes of teasing and joking we discovered that he teaches Elderhostel classes. ____ was a Hopi and taught at Prescott College. He was an interesting person to talk with. He had been teaching Elderhostel classes for quite some time and knew a tremendous amount about the history of the region. I asked all sorts of questions about places to visit in Arizona and he showed us on a map. I think we spent over an hour talking and learning about the region. So much for our early start - but it was well worth the delay to talk to -----.

Our ride today was shorter but we also had to drive home. :( We rode the 29 miles into Seligman that morning along prairie dog towns and open fields. The prairie dogs were whistling their warning signal and we could hear them as we rode along. I wrote a note on the road for Glenn trying to point the prairie dogs out, but he was driving and missed them. One of the downfalls of driving. Manuel and I stopped several times to see things. There was a small fenced area that contained ferrets, a natural predator of the prairie dogs. They were being reintroduced to try and contain the prairie dog population. We stopped to look at some old embankments of Route 66. We stopped just to enjoy the terrific scenery. It was a perfect morning!

The road turned east and we could see Seligman in the distance, along with I-40. We rode on towards Seligman wondering what we would find there. Well, we found Juan Delgadillo, a character if there ever was one. He is the owner of the "Snow Cap", a small takeout at the east end of town. He was driving down the street in his famous eccentric wheeled car which was full of French tourists. More Europeans! We talked to them about their travels and looked at all the different money that people had given Juan over the years. What a collection, especially for such a small business.

We ate a snack and then rode the final stretch of Route 66 before we would head home. The road east of Seligman is quiet and it follows several old embankments of Route 66. Very few vehicles passed us and we could ride down the middle of the road. The countryside gradually climbed up and over a mountain, the view fantastic from the top. I knew that we were nearly done with the ride and I wanted to take my time and enjoy the solitude. But it was a long drive back to L.A., so I was torn between hurrying and wanting to go slowly. The clouds came in and threatened rain. The wind picked up some and I started to get cold. It was a nice long downhill to the junction of Route 66 and I-40. We sped down the middle of the road seeing how fast we could go. We finally saw the truck parked at the side of the road. Oh well, we might as well admit that the ride is over and head home. It's times like this that I wished I could quit my job and just keep riding. The road had been a gentle friend with its smooth paved asphalt and wide shoulders. There were remarkably few cars on the road considering it was a three day weekend. Work had been pushed into the background of my mind. I was concentrating on the weather, the terrain and on how healthy I felt. It was a much needed break from my routine.

We loaded up the bikes, changed into warmer clothes and drove into Williams to eat. We stopped at Rod's Steak House which looked promising but the service was abysmal. I'll never go back there unless I have hours to kill. Then we started the long drive back to L.A. and the next part of the Route 66 journey.

Route 66 Page
Route 66, Pasadena to Amboy, California (March, 1997)
Route 66, Bits and Pieces (September, 1998)


Last update, 10 August, 2000