Day Fifteen

Another late post due to slooooooow connection. We had to finish this morning...which just happens to be my dad's birthday. Happy Birthday, Dad!!

We left early in the morning for Route 66 on the way to the Grand Canyon. We wanted to start at the Route 66 museum in Barstow. On the way, we saw windmills and the Mojave Desert--miles of nothingness! The little town we left was one of the highest wind energy producers in the country.

The museum was neat and the man working there was full of information. The bridge on the way to it looked like it was ready to collapse, but we got a nice shot of it anyway. This very cool cactus was outside the museum and the car and motorcycle were inside.

One of many defunct houses seen along the road:

A strange place we passed, visited by all kinds.

Our first official Route 66 stop was Amboy, population 2. There's a gas station/diner called Roy's and a post office. We used both. Roy is credited with starting the 66 preservation movement. When he died, the new owner continued to keep Amboy going. He also owns the first McDonald's. As we were writing postcards, the temperature read 107 degrees; it rose to 110 shortly after we got back on the road.

Next Rt 66 stop: Oatman, where Clark Gable and Carol Lombard had their honeymoon. The trip there reminded us of our trek up the mountain to see the ghost town. It wound its way around the hills and valleys until we reached the top--a busy little tourist town where burrows roam "wild," though they're about as wild as our dog is. They follow everyone around, begging for food.

We checked out an old mine shaft...

And had lunch at the hotel where Clark and Carol stayed. The dining room and bar are plastered with dollar bills. Even though the previous owner removed all the bills collected up to that point about four years ago, they have collected approximately $75,000 on the walls and ceilings since then. Naturally, we had to add our dollar to the mix!

The trip back down was even more treacherous (though at slow speeds, it was only breathtaking)! On some tight corners, I wasn't sure two cars could pass, but we made it!

We ended our day at Seligman, AZ, clearly a hopping Rt. 66 destination with quirky shops everywhere. We set up camp quickly and hopped in the pool to cool off.