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Virgies Restaurant in Gallup, New Mexico

Though I am now living in our new apartment in San Francisco, there are still a couple more photos and stories from Route 66. As I left Texas and entered New Mexico and then Arizona, I found myself wondering, “is this the desert?” All my life I pictured the desert of America to be the same as the desert of Egypt. Sand and only sand. However, I’ve since learned that the desert along Route 66 is the “high desert.” This means that in addition to having lots of dry brushes and tumbleweeds, it is also very cold! Heck, it even snowed on me in Santa Fe!

Highlights of this leg of the trip included:

In front of the Painted Landscape of the Petrified Forest National Park, Navajo, Arizona

Petrified Forest National Park, Navajo, AZ: For 28 miles, I drove through and stopped at scenic overlooks to gaze out at a changing landscape filled with some of the most stunning red rock formations I have ever seen. Part of the park is called the Painted Desert and it’s like someone carved out a chunk of the desert, created a sea of hills and mounds and spray painted the whole thing red.

Other areas of the park, however, could not be more different. One area looks like the surface of the moon with gray land, a few rocks and mounds everywhere. Yet another part is filled with the actual petrified wood, which is still there after a volcanic eruption covered the entire desert in lava thousands of years ago. Also different is Newspaper Rock, where visitors can gaze down on ancient petroglyphs carved by some of the earliest inhabitants of the land.

The Painted Desert

Finally, for Route 66 aficionados, there is an old car and original telephone poles going off into the landscape to commemorate the road’s original path right through the heart of the park. I honestly can’t count how many times I was taken aback by the beauty of the whole place. One day I hope to return and actually just wander through it instead of driving.

The Continental Divide, New Mexico: An Indian trading post has been set up on the spot where rain water either drains into the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. There is literally nothing else there, just a shop on a geographical point.

Cement wigwams for rent at the Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ: “When was the last time you slept in a wigwam,” says the sign outside this classic Route 66 motel. Literally a collection of cement wigwams, I was surprised to find that the inside was actually quite spacious and comfortable. Wigwam motels are actually located across the USA, but this particular one is historic as it was the first to be a chain. Needless to say, I can now boast that the last time I slept in a wigwam was October 26, 2009.

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Santa Fe has perhaps one of the most downtown historical districts that I have ever been in. Filled with traditional adobe buildings, classic churches and stunning Mexican-influenced architecture, I had a blast wandering around town as the sun set and shined its golden light against the yellow walls of the city. Plus, the drive there from the interstate is an hour of desert and mountains as far as the eyes can see. Truly magical.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - the oldest house in the USA

The Oldest House in the USA, Santa Fe, NM: I don’t know what I expected, but it was just a small adobe building with a teeny sign letting you know of its importance. Built in 1646, it has undergone countless restorations and renovations and was, sadly, closed for the day by the time I got there.

The Oldest Church in the USA, Santa Fe, NM: The San Miguel Mission, an old Spanish colonial mission church, was built between 1610 and 1625. Despite having been rebuilt many times, much of the original adobe walls are still intact.

Fire Rock Navajo Casino, Gallup, NM: Curious to see if my blackjack luck from St. Louis would continue, I stopped off at this Indian casino only to find that they don’t have table games on Monday or Tuesday. Does that make sense to anyone?

The Rio Puerco Bridge on Route 66 in New Mexico is one of the original bridges on the Mother Road

Rio Puerco Bridge, Laguna Pueblo, NM: An original Route 66 truss steel arch bridge, the Rio Puerco Bridge still stands alongside the interstate and is walkable for pure nostalgia purposes. Being a big fan of both nostalgia and bridges, I got a kick out of it.

Route 66 Crossroads, Albuquerque, NM: In the middle of Albuquerque’s historical downtown, amongst a mix of modern and classic buildings, lays a marker where the original Route 66 crosses paths with the realigned Route 66. Quick history, the highway opened in 1926 but was majorly changed and rerouted in 1937. And now you know.

World’s Largest Petrified Tree Rest Stop, Holbrook, AZ: This gimmicky rest stop boasts the world’s largest petrified tree, but in reality it’s broken into dozens of small pieces. So technically yes, they do have what they claim, but it’s nowhere near as impressive as one might hope.

Oatman Topock Highway, Arizona: Perhaps the most scenic stretch of Route 66 in the country, this winding road between Cool Springs and Oatman is unforgettable. The landscape seems to stretch into infinity and is filled with mountains, trees, bushes and more than 100 sharp curves. Definitely not for those who get carsick.

Me on a 10 foot tall rabbit at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, Arizona

Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, AZ: Once a popular stop for Route 66 travelers, this gas station and tourist shop is now closed. However, the 10 foot tall rabbit outside still remains, inviting people to sit on it for a quick photo opp.

Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, AZ: After lying in ruins for years, new owners have taken the shell of an old tourist stop and general store and turned it into a little piece of nostalgia. Filled with signs, outhouses, cars, gas pumps, recreated 1950s restaurants and more, the place is a great stop on the long scenic road in Arizona.

Cool Springs Service Station, Cool Springs, AZ: A Route 66 gas station for years, this gas station is most famous for having been blown up in a scene of the Jean Claude VanDamme movie, Universal Soldier. Now completely restored and under new ownership, the place is filled with souvenirs, photos, memorabilia and, of course, copies of the movie to buy.

Oatman, Arizona: One of the strangest places on Route 66, the entire city seems to be a recreation of a Wild West town. Oatman is literally in the middle of the mountains and the middle of nowhere, but dozens of buses a day come through to tour the place. Unfortunately, by the time I got there the sun was setting and the place was virtually deserted. I would 100% love to go back one day.

Abandoned barns and swimming pools in the ghost town of Two Guns, Arizona. The hobo lived in the barn on the top left

I’ve never been to a ghost town before, so imagine my glee as I pulled off the interstate and drove up to Two Guns: a town that looked as if no one had set foot in it for decades. My approach was slow and full of stops to take photos of everything. First there was the gutted old gas station, then more old houses, towers covered in graffiti art and even an original decaying Route 66 bridge. Well, after hours in the car and nary another soul in sight I figured this abandoned town was a perfect place to pee in the open.

With my business finished, I took out my camera and began to take photos of a beautifully grafittied pool sitting next to an abandoned old barn that once doubled as a tourist stop. Imagine my surprise when, after a couple of minutes of snapping away, I hear a voice saying, “Hello. How are you doing?” Well, after pretty much jumping out of my skin in shock, I took a look at my greeter: an old hobo complete with the tattered jacket, hole-filled gloves, socks coming out of the shoes and a smell to match.

Two Guns, Arizona

I kept my distance at first, but gladly donated all the change in my pocket when he asked if I could spare any money. Next, he told me that what he really needed was a ride into Flagstaff, where he had been trying to get for days. I politely informed him that I didn’t even have room for another bag in my car, let alone another person. He next asked me if I would like to know some history of the area, to which I graciously said yes.

He talked. I listened. But I still kept my distance. It was literally him, me and the wilderness. The man seemed nice enough, but who really knew. Did he have a knife or gun under that dirty trench coat? No one would hear me scream. Anyway, he continued to talk for a few minutes then invited me into the barn, which he apparently lived in, to continue with his story.

One of the original Route 66 bridges that crossed the span in Two Guns, Arizona

At this point, I felt like I had no choice but to excuse myself and say that I had to be in Los Angeles by the next day and really didn’t have time. In reality, he was probably a completely harmless and lonely old man. Lord knows he was full of information about the area and after I left him I followed his advice and checked out another section of Two Guns that I never would have found without his pointer. But when I was invited into the hobo’s house…well, that just sent my sketchy-meter over the edge and made it time to leave.

For more on Two Guns, check out Legends of America

John Delgadillo is the son of the original owner of the Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, Arizona. John now serves up a healthy supply of jokes with each order

Since 1953, a member of the Delgadillo family has been serving up fountain drinks, burgers, burritos, malts and a steady supply of comedy at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, AZ: a Route 66 classic. The fun began as soon as I got out of my car, parked in a lot filled with classic cars, billboards, gas pumps, road signs and other Route 66 paraphernalia. Walking past the outdoor seating area, I entered the long and narrow ordering area, which was wallpapered with business cards, badges and patches from former visitors.

Standing amongst a large collection of 1950s signs and trinkets, John Delgadillo greets every visitor with a smile and a joke. Upon seeing my Mets hat, John began the rapport by saying, “hi New Yorker.” When I asked, “what’s good,” he replied “nothing for you New Yorker.” He then proceeded to squirt a yellow string out of a bottle of mustard, completely fooling me for a second.

The Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, Arizona, has been serving burgers and jokes to customers since the 1950s on Route 66

While I contemplated my order, a pair of girls came into the shop and were promptly asked, “do you know what you want or do you need to look?” They said they needed to look so John handed them a candy bar called Look. Later, after placing my order for a burrito and saying yes to his offer of napkins, he produced a strung together collection of used napkins and asked me if I wanted them recycled. Yet more gags awaited me when I said yes to wanting a stray for my root beer was handed a bundled together collection of actual straw.

Finally, after getting my meal and asking John if he had a business card he said, “yes, here’s my card,” and handed me a business card with the words “My Card” on it. I know this type of humor isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely love puns and these were like bad puns with props. The final gag came when I tried to get out of the door using a handle on the right hand side, only to find it was a fake one and the door opened by the real handle on the left side. Thanks to John and his punny sense of humor, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In really was a highlight of my entire drive across Route 66.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - The Inn and Spa at Loretto

New Mexico

When I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, it actually snowed. But not like back home with big flakes. These were small round balls: almost like hail, but not hail.

On Sunday, the south is closed.

I think I’m the only person who drives through the desert and has it rain. Seriously, every time I get in my car…rain!

I saw my first New York license plate in Santa Fe…seven days into the trip.

Sometimes I have to force myself to take the interstate instead of driving Route 66 in order to make up time I have lost stopping for every sign and gas station along the way.

Tumbleweed on the road in Arizona

I actually saw a tumbleweed blow across the highway in front of me in Texas. I also saw a few more in New Mexico.

During some of my many hours alone I tried to figure out why I love the whole Route 66 experience and the signs and the whole thing so much. The best I could come up with is because of how much I loved Back to the Future as a kid. I was always fascinated by the 50s as shown in Hill Valley and I must know every word of that movie by heart.

After seeing signs that hitchhikers might be escaped convicts in multiple states, I finally saw prisoners on the side of the road. Only they weren’t hitchhiking…they were cleaning the highway.

There are random 10 mile segments of the interstate that are called Safety Corridors where you have to drive with your headlights on and speeding fines are doubled. I have no idea why.

World's Largest Petrified Tree is broken up into pieces and scatterd around a Rest Stop, Holbrook, New Mexico_

The politically correct term may be Native American, but all over the place I see signs advertising the Indian this and the Indian that. And these businesses are RUN by Indians/Native Americans…you choose which one I use here.

Sometimes there is a sign for Route 66 on the interstate but when I get off to check it out it’s literally just a few feet of original road that had some special significance. Then it’s back onto the interstate that same exit.

It’s not good for the future of my lead foot that after being legally allowed to go 75 it now feels like I’m crawling at 80.

In Western New Mexico, there is an Indian-owned handicrafts store every exit…or so it seems.

I crossed the Rio Grande.

The West movie theater in Prewitt, New Mexico

My cell phone ring is Lime in the Coconut and when the song randomly came on my iPod I had a knee-jerk reaction even before the thought that someone was calling me popped into my mind.

Signs on the side of the road talking about road work say, “project funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.” Your stimulus dollars at work.

ARIZONA

New Yorkers find each other. While at the Petrified Forest National Park I met a man from Brooklyn at the first scenic overlook. Of course, I then ran into him at every subsequent one and had to make small talk over and over again.

Arizona is the only state that does not say the state’s name on the Route 66 markers. It just says, “Historic Route 66,” as opposed to “Historic STATE Route 66.”

I got to fill up my gas tank at an old-school service station with the gas pump that counts gallons and price with rotating plastic pieces instead of on a digital screen. The lever you usually lift to start pumping was on the side and had to be rotated down over an opening to get the gas to start flowing.

On Route 66 at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, Arizona

I’ve got it easy traveling Route 66. Before the mid-90s, there were no National Historic Route 66 signs pointing the way across the country. And there was certainly no Internet to guide the way.

I drove through a dust storm. It’s like driving through very windy fog that pelts your windshield while tumbleweeds blow.

I didn’t stop because it was on the other side of the road, but I saw the World’s Largest Map of Route 66 on the other side of the road near Meteor Crater, Arizona.

My car hit a tumbleweed head on. It bounced off my windshield and flew behind me, but I wonder…could a big enough one damage the car?

I guess part of the reason that the high desert is so cold is because it has an elevation of 6,000 feet.

Is it really asking so much to have beautiful blue skies every day? I swear, it’s been 90% cloudy this whole drive.

Along a long stretch of original 66 north in Arizona, Burma Shave signs still line the road. Appearing in sets of five signs, they tell little rhymes and end with an ad for Burma Shave. One example is “It would be fun. To go by air. If we could put. These signs up there. Burma Shave.” Another is, “If daisies are. Your favorite flower. Keep pushing up. That mile per hour. Burma Shave.”

Check out the New Mexico photos on Flickr

Check out the Arizona photos on Flickr

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New Mexico

Arizona