Day 13 - Where it all began...
- Paul Mullan
- Oct 2, 2017
- 2 min read
Route 66 has been around since the late 1920s when the decision was made to connect all the state highways into the first national highway but historic Route 66 has only been around since a group of concerned citizens in a small town called Seligman, Arizona.
En route there this morning we stopped in at Ash Fork, the capital of flag stone and visited Zettlers. Ash Fork is a shadow of its former self after the town was bypassed when the interstate changed the lives of most small towns.
The local barber in Seligman didn't think that was good enough and nearly ten years after the road was bypassed in Seligman he rallied the locals into action and finally convinced the authorities to recognise Historic Route 66 and the result is what we see today. Thousands of people, young and old flocking back to the the Mother Road from all over the world.
We got to meet 90 yr old Angel today and hear his story in what was surely a highlight for everyone.
40 miles west are the Grand Canyon Caverns, a dry version of the Meramec Caverns visited more than a week ago.
In here amongst the giant Sloth and other marvels is a stash of supplies to keep 2000 Americans alive for 2 weeks should Kim Jong-Un go crazy. Not sure about the other 350 million!
You can even book a night on your own down here... if you really think sleeping in a cave is for you!
Hackberry has always been a popular stopover for travellers, especially those sneaking down for the day from Las Vegas to sample a bit of Route 66 fever.
The old gas station no longer has the famous vintage Corvette out front but there are plenty of other old relics lying around and plenty of merchandise to buy!
Several small settlements are still present on the old road including Mike's Outpost several miles from our overnight stop. It was a chance to leave our mark on the wall before moving on to Kingman.
In her day the El Trovatore motel was five star, complete with toilets in every room, a rarity for 1929 when she was built. Lovingly restored eight years ago by the current proprietor Sam and his wife, each room having a movie star theme. Nowadays the longest map of Route 66 adorns these motel walls and other murals along with bright neon lights gives this place a real feeling of old.
