Day Twenty-two – September 30, 2018

The day is a little cloudy – something we have not seen in some time! Our complimentary breakfast is served at the Giggling Cactus so we are not sure what to expect. Okay – we have four choices and we opt for eggs, ham and hashed browned potatoes with a small orange juice – served, eaten, and on our way to pack up and head east.

Starting here in Needles we head towards Kingman, AZ.

We are out of California and into Arizona!

We find the Old Trails Bridge on the Colorado River. It’s a steel arch bridge that looks like it carries some type of pipeline.

We opt to skip the next little part of the 66 because this portion of the 66 contains “tight hairpin curves” at a 3,550-foot pass. This is the old, original road and we read that early cars had to be driven backwards through the pass because they did not have fuel pumps and the gasoline was gravity fed. This was so dangerous that many travelers hired drivers to get their vehicles through the pass. For me, skipping this part of the old road was a good choice! So, we pick up Historical Route 66 again outside of Kingman.

The Kingman Powerhouse Visitor Center used to be a power-generating system (started in 1906) that supplied power for the Hoover Dam construction. It is kind of a cool story so we are eager to see what’s inside.

This is a nice display with a lot of artifacts and a glimpse of the early 1900’s. There are a lot of visitors here from other continents – some perhaps not so respectful of museums and others who are pretty awed by the sights. There is so much here, as you can see.

We head out of town in search of all things Route 66 and are anxious to drive some of the original roadway.

We encounter some rain – something we have not see in almost three weeks!

The rail system is alive and well in the southwest – so good to see it flourish in so many places along the way. Hurricane Rosa is now a Tropical Storm still forecast to bring flooding rains to Arizona and New Mexico. Having driven in Arizona before, we know how fast the roads can flood – there are lots of drains under bridges. If you look closely you will see these drains empty right onto the highway. We keep an eye on the sky.

The mountains have been replaced by mesas. It seems incredible that they are so flat and still steep.

Still on the old road you can see some of the original roadbed there are some signs that strike us funny – really? Anything in particular?

These Burma Shave signs remind us of when we were younger and traveling with our folks to various places. They used to be everywhere – but now we just enjoy the memories and the humor.

We stop at the “Road Kill Café” in Seligman, AZ for lunch. The place is quirky but the menu even more so – Dale can’t stop taking pictures of every menu item – right after he stops laughing that is!

There is a rather extensive gift shop in the bar area so I mosey around (seems like a term to be used in the Southwest) and buy a few mementos including a used menu for Dale!

Lots of photo opportunities as we leave Seligman and pass through Ash Fork, Williams into Flagstaff and then onto Winona.

Does this cloud formation remind you of when pigs fly?

In Winslow, Arizona – we are singing the eagles Song – “Take It Easy” and wondering what we will see. Oh boy – we are not disappointed – this is so cool and so much fun.