Needles, CA - Flagstaff, AZ

Got off to a later start this morning.  The Black Bullitt couldn't relax last night and kept waking me up.  The car's alarm system (high tech and too sophisticated for me to understand) was going off for no apparent reason.  First time was @ 0020, again @ 0130 and once again at 0215, at which point I shut the damn thing off.  Good thing the distance I wanted to cover was only 250 miles.

Had to cross the Colorado River over to Topock on I-40, as the old Route 66 bridge is now supporting a pipeline.  Once on the Arizona side, I immediately got off the super-slab and headed north towards Oatman on the Mother Road.  Outstanding drive up to Oatman, elevation around 3,500 feet.  It was a gradual climb, so the road was curvy.  Very beautiful high desert in this area.  Oatman was somewhat of a disappointment.  It's an old gold mine town, tourism now supports a meager group of hardy individuals, who all look like they step out of the 19th century wild west and were all selling something.  The disappoint was the burros, honorable beasts-of-burden that come right up to you and beg for carrots, there weren't any!

Oatman down to Kingman was a little more demanding than coming up from Topock.  Steep declines, switchbacks, falling rocks and a very narrow two lane road made for challenging driving conditions, which of course was a delight for me.  I couldn't help thinking how much more fun it would have been on a motorcycle.

Once in Kingman, I stopped at a Route 66 Museum there, right next to the train tracks.  Train tracks are a recurring theme on Route 66, since the original alignment was set close to the railroad, which had cleared a path the a century before.  At any rate, there was this train (see the picture), had 3 engines pulling and 2 pushing about 100 flatbeds.  Each flatbed had 2 M1-A1 Abrams Main Battle Tanks on it.  They looked well used and were probably going to be reconditioned or scrapped.  I saw that same train 3 additional times, all the way to Flagstaff.  After grabbing a bite to eat at Mr. D'z, I was off towards Flagstaff.

En route to Flagstaff on the Old Road (mostly Old Road with I-40 thrown in from time to time outside of Seligman), there were several great attractions along the way.  Hackberry General Store is a must see.  They have an impressive collection of Route 66 stuff and some junk too.  The best piece in their collection is that 1960 Corvette out front.

Seligman had some outstanding icons as well and is probably one of the most written about town along the Route.  The primary reason for this is that Seligman was the Birthplace of Route 66.  So they I guess they deserve some special recognition.

The final run into Flagstaff from Seligman was an exciting drive, but not too many photo ops.  Straight roads that disappear over the horizon, open spaces, forests in the higher elevations and livestock.  A relaxing gradual climb up to 6,000 foot elevation of Flagstaff.  Sure beats the constant drone of desert and more desert.

I noticed more travelers on the Mother Road today.  Most are heading towards California, the more traditional direction.  Westbound or eastbound, we all are sharing the same experiences and getting a sense for what the Mother Road really meant to those that travelled her and those that earned a living from her.

Oh, I almost forgot to mention that once in Flagstaff, I stopped at the Ford dealership and talked with a Service Manager about the Bullitt's alarm situation.  He knew immediately what the problem was....the motion sensor(s) are too sensitive and close proximity to trains was setting it off.  (I can't understand why I didn't see that relationship.)  He had previous experience with the train problem, Flagstaff is a central hub for the railroad and there are trains coming through town every 30 minutes.  Tonight, the Black Bullitt sleeps with only her passive alarm system armed, so I should have uninterrupted REM's....