Eastern Europe Trip

As mentioned yesterday, today is a different sort of day… Since we left Vegas, seemingly ages ago, we’ve been out in the National Parks – Zion, Bryce, Mesa Verde, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon – and we’re, quite frankly, ready for a change. Not that we’re bored with the outdoors – quite the opposite, we love being outdoors – but we really do want to do something a little different.

When we planned this trip, Tracy found a “petrified forest” nearby that looked interesting (and no, it’s not full of scared trees, but more of that tomorrow!). Then I noticed it was near Holbrook, which is on Route 66. And that was it. We had a new thing to do – cruise Route 66 in our Mustang!






So we packed up and said farewell to the Red Feather lodge and drove the 50 or so miles to the Interstate before heading in the opposite direction to where we were staying, in order to visit the town of Seligman. This little town is a famous stop on Route 66, and home to one of the Mother Road’s most famous characters – Angel Delgadillo (see here). And what a great little place it is, too! First, we drove through town before stopping at the garage next door to the “Roadkill Café” and outside some old saloon buildings, including an old jailhouse which seemed to suit Tracy quite well…






From the saloon, we moved into the centre of town (about 100 yards!) and then went wandering round the 3 or 4 old cafés and shops selling Route 66 memorabilia. Round the back of one we found old cars that looked decidedly like the cartoon ones in the Disney movie “Cars” (more of this later).














After a coffee in one of the shops we sought out and found Angel’s place, and what a treasure-trove it was. It was full of old photos, signs, books, even his original barber’s chair and shaving gear! There was also a picture on the wall of Buzz Lightyear and Woody, signed by 2 of the execs at Pixar, makers of “Cars” with the dedication “To Angel, thanks for keeping Route 66 alive!” (or similar, I forgot to write it down!). Here’s a pic of Tracy looking through one of Angel’s many photo albums…






Finally, before we left Seligman we took the opportunity for a few more souvenier photos – as it’s such a bizarre place, part ghost-town, part themepark…


















From Seligman we returned on Route 66 to the Interstate, with the roof down, naturally, and “Mustang Sally” blaring out on the radio…

After a short trip on the Interstate, we pulled into Williams, another town with a remaining section of the “Historic Route 66” intact, complete with a few old-fashioned cafes. Our tour book included some advice on where to go for a more “authentic” experience (although to be honest, Williams doesn’t have the authentic feel of Seligman, which has definitely seen better days). And so we cruised up and down until we found our target – Twister’s Soda Fountain – and boy, what a find! This was exactly what Tracy and I were looking for…






Here we ordered a burger and it was, without a shadow of doubt, the best burger I’ve ever had, home-made ones included…. Must be the atmosphere, I guess!

From Williams we rejoined the Interstate for a while before stopping again in Winslow, Arizona. Now, if you’ve not already started singing “Standin’ on a corner, in Winslow, Arizona…” this is probably going to be lost on you. So here’s what you need to do. Go and dig out your old Eagles LPs (or CD, if you’ve you’ve upgraded). Seek out the track “Take it Easy” and play it. Second verse… got it? Cool. Let’s carry on…






Having posed for the traditional photograph (we had to queue to use the lamp-post!), we bought a couple of tee-shirts and jumped back in the Mustang for another open-topped rendition of a Route 66 song – this time “Take It Easy” naturally!

From Williams we headed on to our overnight stop… now this was something I’d been really looking forward to. Remember the movie “Cars”? The cartoon film about a racing car that gets lost in small-town America, on a road by-passed by the Interstate and in sad decline? How he discovered what was once a vibrant community that provided welcome succour to travellers before they lost interest in travelling and became obsessed by getting to their destination? Remember the motel run by the “female” lead? Well, it’s based on a real motel on Route 66, here in Holbrook. Which in turn was based on an earlier design and copied (this was actually the 6th version, there were eventually 7 in total, although now only 3 remain). The WIGWAM MOTEL!!






And it certainly lived up to expectations, from the friendly (and very funny) old lady that checked us in, to the old cars parked up (and rusting) outside the wigwams. I was like a little kid, excited at sleeping in a wigwam (even if it’s not made of canvass and surrounded by wailing Indians fighting with cowboys). Inside (and I know you’re dying to see this!) was a large bed with a small toilet/shower room behind a portioned wall at the back, but the ceiling didn’t go all the way to the top of the point, much to Tracy’s disappointment…






The one thing that we did find disappointing about the Wigwam Motel, though was nothing to do with the accommodation. Whilst we were there we saw a coach turn up and disgorge its contents of tourists who spent a good 10 minutes taking photos before getting back on their coach and heading off again. They were followed by a few cars and a good number of bikes, all doing the same thing. Yes, it’s a great photo opportunity, but none of these people, who clearly recognise the value of this unique place, contributed anything to stop its demise. And it is starting to get run down. So if you’re in the area and want to take some pictures, do yourself and the Wigwam Motel a favour. Book a room (it was remarkably cheap). Or buy a tee-shirt. Or donate something to the upkeep of this historic place, before it’s too late…

Lecture over…

That evening we went just down the road for dinner, and had some excellent Mexican food in a fast-food joint. As we were settling, the owner got out a small selection of photos from when another film that had been made here (sorry, I’ve forgotten the name of it!) and talked proudly about how she’d survived the demise of Route 66 and was still “thriving” (a relative term, there were only 4 tables with people while we were there). And then it was time for a night-time photo of the wigwams before turning in for a good night’s sleep…






In the morning, we had to get moving in order to see the Petrified Forest (scared trees, remember?) but first, time for a couple more photos of this fantastic place…