Travelers Retrospective #4: June 27, 2013 Part 3

A lot to see in Arizona for Route 66.

We took old sections of 66 into downtown Flagstaff. We stopped at the Museum Club, another Route 66 classic. Of course we quickly found out that it was a bar and not a restaurant but the staff and customers where awesome and really nice, and took some time to talk to us. They where really cool, and also suggested a restaurant next door the Crown Railway Cafe, in the Howard Johnson. It was a great suggestion since Flagstaff was served by the Super Chief and is still served by Amtrak. My son loved it.

Flagstaff is about the size of a large Chicago suburb like Downers Grove, or Schaumburg. Meaning it does have traffic problems, especially on 66 which is a main drag in Flagstaff. We made or way out of town, but stopped off to see Grand Canyon Harley-Davidson. I'm not a motorcycle guy but they have cool Route 66 stuff, and the owner loves talking to 66 travelers. It was a nice experience. 

After that we headed into the hills by I-40, back here on red dirt roads are several old alignments of 66. I was glad I was driving a Jeep it was a bit harsh for a car. Here are sections from the 20's, 30's, and 40's, some still visible some not. It was really cool. 

Eventually we returned to I-40 and took a quick jaunt thought Williams, which had the opportunity for other adventures. After that we looked through Ash Forks, and later broke off to Saligman. We stopped in Saligman for a while and got some sodas at the the Snow Cap. The Delgadillo family still runs it and are a ball of laughs to joke with. Saligman is an iconic Route 66 town thanks to a Life Magazine photo taken of it in 1947. After Saligman is Hackberry and Peach Springs (basis of Cars Radiator Springs perhaps?), the we stopped for a bit in each town but it was getting late. 

We found our way back to I-40 bypassing Kingman, and Oatman, this time.  We got to Needles and stayed at Fenders Resort. It was a quiet little place on the Colorado River, and being tired from a long day of touring Route 66 Arizona we wished we could have stayed another day there. 

Pacific Ocean here we come!

Welcome Back Everyone!

Hello again! Before we really get into full swing on the old route I wanted to give everyone a quick true and false test on their Route 66 knowledge. So have fun, and I hope you take something away,

True or False

•If you where alive in 1984 you lived while Route 66 was still a recognized US Route?

True, Route 66 bypassed Williams, AZ in 1984. It was the final town to be bypassed by I-40.

•The interstate system completely replaced the US Route system?

False. The US Route system is alive in kicking. I'm sure wherever you live there is probably a US Route nearby. For us in the Chicago area there is US 12, 14, and 45. In Chicago US 45 has the world famous moniker "Lake Shore Drive".

•All the original sections of 66 lay intact near I-55, I-40, and I-44.

False, some sections of I-40, 44, and 55 are lie on top of old sections of 66. Some of the newer sections of 66 where divided four lane highway, as the interstate system was implemented these sections where repaved to meet interstate specifications and/or newly signed to meet interstate specifications. There are many examples of this across country there are sections through New Mexico, and Arizona where this is visible.

•The US Route system was the first system of cross country roads?

False. The US Route system was the first government funded and maintained cross country route system. It was preceded by the named system of privately built and chartered roads, the "Lincoln Highway" is the most well known of these.

•There are multiple alignments of Route 66.

True. Oklahoma, and Arizona have some of the best examples of these, but the other 6 states have other alignments as well.

•Route 66 was known as "Bloody 66" in it's heyday?

True. In it's heyday 66 had many traffic control issues, and with it a huge amount of traffic fatalities. These issues forced the government to replace the busy route with an interstate system.


I hope you learned something today. As my blog progresses I hope to cover these topics more then the little snippets. There are a lot of cool facts about 66 out there.