Skip to main content

Cross Country Roadtrip - Day 4 Part 1 - Arizona 66 - 04/20/2010

The second half of Day 4 was exploring parts of Old US 66 in Arizona.  We stopped at old 66 towns like Winslow, Holbrook, Jackrabbit, and Joseph City.

The whole photo set (88 in total) is located here on flickr.

We'll start with the Interstate 40 part of the trip.  First within Navajo County, there are still plenty of button copy guide signs.

IMG_5624

Button copy guide sign - I-40 West Exit 255

This is where we turned around - Exit 245:

IMG_5586

The mountains and Flagstaff will have to wait another trip.

IMG_5588

It's all east from here:

IMG_5589

Now for the fun..Old US 66 - First stop - Winslow:

Standin' on the Corner....

"...such a fine sight to see.  It's a girl, my lord, in a flatbed Ford..."

The town of Winslow has very much embraced its place in Americana with a park commemorating US 66 and also the song that will make forever famous, The Eagles, "Take it Easy."

IMG_5594

There's also a replica US 66 shield.  Some will like, some won't:

IMG_5597

From Winslow, it was on to Jackrabbit.  It's Route 66 lure comes from signs advertising the Jack Rabbit Trading Post.

IMG_5618

There it is...and there's not much else there, either.

IMG_5620

There is an abandoned gas station and campground at the exit.  It must have been an old Texaco Station as the old pumps read Super Chief.

IMG_5613

IMG_5616

In Jackrabbit, the Mother Road heading westward returns to gravel and dirt before dying at the Interstate.

IMG_5611

Joseph City was next.  Though there wasn't much of photographic interest there.  It is a great example of how US 66 was four lanes through even the smallest of desert towns.

Holbrook is the last old 66 Arizona town we visited.  Not only is Holbrook home to some more classic neon signs for motels, restaurants, liquor stores, among others.

IMG_5560

It is also home to the Wigwam Motel.  Which you can still stay at today!

IMG_5564

The Wigwams were built in 1950 and have been in a unique lodging experience every since!  With the exception of between 1982-1988 when it was closed.

IMG_5566

From there it was pretty much I-40 back to Albuquerque.  We saw enough of Route 66, where you want to come back revisit the places you enjoyed and see more.  I know I certainly want to go back.

So what's next...Day 5 will most likely be broken up into two sets.  White Sands National Park and photos from the drive from Albuquerque to Midland, Texas.  US 82 through Lincoln National Forest is something you will want to see!

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

What's In a Name?: When the Roads Really Do Tell a Story

  Our tagline on the Gribblenation blog is "because every road tells a story". Some roads tell different stories than others. Along our travels, we may see historic markers that tell us a little story about the roads we travel or the places we pass by. Some historic markers are more general, as to telling us who lived where or what old trail traversed between two towns. During my travels across New York State and other states or provinces, I pass by many historic markers, some with interesting or amusing references to roads. I wanted to highlight a few of the markers I've seen along my travels around the Empire State and help tell their stories. Those stories may be as specific as explaining the tales of a tree that was used to help measure a distance of eight miles from Bath to Avoca in Steuben County, as referenced on the Eight Mile Tree historical marker above. They may also help point the way along historical roads first used centuries ago, or may help tell a local l...

2018 Mojave Road Trip Part 2; The deadly desert highway (California State Route 127 and Nevada State Route 373)

After leaving Barstow via Old Highway 58 my next destination was in Death Valley.  To access Death Valley from rural San Bernardino County required a trek on north on Interstate 15 to California State Route 127 which becomes Nevada State Route 373 at the state line. Along I-15 I encountered the road sign oddity that is Zzyzx Road about eight miles south of Baker.   Zzyzx Road is a four mile road that used to go to the Zzyzx Mineral Springs and Health Spa.   The spa was founded in the 1940s and the owner made up the name "Zzyzx" to claim it was the last word in the English Language.  The spa has been shut down since the 1970s and is now part of a Desert Studies Center for California State University. The southern terminus of CA 127 in Baker is located at I-15 exit 246.  CA 127 is a 91 mile north/south highway which runs to the Nevada State Line in Inyo County.  CA 127 is called Death Valley Road from I-15 northward.  South of CA 127 ...

May 2023 Ontario Trip (Part 3 of 3)

  Over the years, I have made plenty of trips to Ontario, crisscrossing the southern, central and eastern parts of the province. Living in Upstate New York, it's pretty easy to visit our neighbor to the north, or is that our neighbor to the west? Ottawa is one of my favorite cities to visit anywhere in the world, plus I've discovered the charm of Kingston, the waterfalls of Hamilton (which is on the same Niagara Escarpment that brings us Niagara Falls), the sheer beauty of the Bruce Peninsula, and more. But I hadn't explored much of Cottage Country. So I decided to change that, and what better time to go than over Memorial Day weekend, when the daylight is long and I have an extra day to explore. On the third and final day of my trip, I started in Huntsville and made my way through Muskoka District and Haliburton County, passing by many lakes along the way. I stopped in towns such as Dorset, Haliburton and Bancroft before making a beeline down to Belleville and then over th...