Arizona – Route 66 – Their RV Travels

“Well if you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, it’s the highway that’s best
Get your kicks on Route 66“

“The Mother Road” aka Historic Route 66, was our path through Arizona. Over the Arizona Alps and beyond Show Lo (a town that was won in a poker game with the lowest card winner-take-all), we caught up with this iconic American highway at the entrance of the Petrified Forest National Park. Past diners, motor hotels, tourist attractions, national and state parks, ancient ruins, novelty souvenir shops, gas stations, and famous corners, we followed the scenic way to the Nevada state line.

Arizona Alps

At 8,050 feet, the town of Alpine sits atop the White Mountains surrounded by Ponderosa pines. Elk roam the hillsides where hikers and off road vehicles share a network of trails. The cooler temperatures here make the Alps a popular place to escape the scorching summer heat. The pine scented air and sparkling lakes were in stark contrast to the desert environments we had been visiting.

Near the edge of town, we stopped at a food truck for fish and chips. We were served by the nicest couple who cheerfully chatted and joked while preparing our take-away orders.

Show Lo

The town of Show Lo was the next stop on our northwesterly direction to Route 66. Located in the White Mountains at an elevation of 6,345 feet, it was an outdoorsman’s paradise! A premier spot for elk hunting, the area also had abundant opportunities for fishing, camping, hiking, and skiing. Trails for ATVs, dirt bikes, and mountain biking wound through the pine forested hills for hundreds of miles.

Show Lo also had a lingering feeling of the old west. Legends of Buffalo Bill, Kit Carson, and a card game where the deuce of clubs won the deed to the largest ranch in town persisted and were aided by sculptures sprinkled throughout the sidewalks and parks. The main road through town is named Deuce of Clubs, on which we passed restaurants, saloons, resorts, golf courses, and shopping strips named for the famous deperadoes and drifters who made their mark in the mountain territory.

The people of Show Lo and the RV Park in which we were staying were exceptionally friendly and took time to talk and share information with us. We enjoyed an excellent Mexican dinner on the recommendation of one of our neighbors where an old (ancient) Mexican woman prepared handmade tortillas served hot and fresh and delicious to our table. Just going back to El Charro restaurant for those tortillas has put Show Lo high on our list of places to revisit.

Petrified Forest National Park

Petrified Forest is the only national park that preserves a section of Route 66 within its boundaries. Vintage posters from the 1930’s and 40’s advertised the grandeur of the park to encourage motorists to take the trip of their dreams. A small memorial to the road is located in the park. Only the telephone poles remain to mark the “Mother Road.”

Even though petrified wood is found in every state and other countries as well, the greatest concentration in the world is found in this area. Millions of years old, petrified wood is mostly composed of quartz with other minerals such as iron, copper, manganese, and carbon causing the variety of colors. Some of the trees may have been close to 200 ft tall at the time they began the petrified process. To see the fractured trees scattered down the canyons and perched on the ridges to the horizon connected the present to the prehistoric.

The Petrified Forest Visitor Center Museum contains several displays and exhibits about the formation of petrified wood and the ancient tropical environment. Behind the center is a series of trails leading among a portion of the nearby specimens. Throughout the park, more trails lead to unique areas and formations.

Besides being against Park policy to take any fossil, rock, or piece of petrified wood, it seems to be just plain bad luck to do so:

Letter hanging in park museum and car with a partial log of petrified wood in the back.

Painted Desert Wilderness

Petrified Forest lies within the Painted Desert. The ancient Triassic river system deposited layers of sediments to compose the Painted Desert’s mesas and formations which range in color from cool blues to warm reds. The Painted Desert continues to yield fossil skeletons of dinosaurs and plants of the Late Triassic Period. The park roads lead through the landforms for an up close look at the colorful bands and provide overlooks for the sweeping majesty of the wilderness.

Meteor Crater

Another popular attraction along Route 66 is Meteor Crater. The massive bowl shaped crater is over 550 feet deep and almost a mile in diameter and is one of the best preserved meteorite impact sites in the world.

The exceptionally designed Visitor Center details how the crater was formed when an iron-nickel meteorite approximately 150 feet wide and weighing over 300,000 tons screamed through earth’s atmosphere at over 26,000 miles per hour and slammed into the Arizona desert about 50,000 years ago. A wide range of topics pertaining to this natural phenomenon comprise the Museum’s interactive exhibits and multi media presentations as well as observation decks and crater rim trail. As an active research site, Apollo astronauts received training here prior to their moon missions to collect lunar samples.

Winslow, Arizona

In true Route 66 quirkiness, Winslow has commemorated THE corner where statues, murals, gift shops and restaurants all invite the visitor to stand and “Take It Easy”! With a huge Route 66 emblem painted in the middle of the intersection, a flatbed ford parked on the street, packs of Harleys roaring past, and the Eagles’ music playing from the corner shop filled with the band’s memorabilia, the song literally lives here. The food at the Flatbed Ford Cafe was good, too!

Williams, AZ

Many towns that were by-passed by the interstates replacing Route 66 have begun to see a resurgence of tourists seeking to visit the iconic diners, motels and novelty stores on the original “Mother Road.” Williams is one of these cities which has managed to preserve and restore many of the businesses that were popularized in songs, television shows, and printed materials. It is also the gateway to the Grand Canyon National Park and the boarding station for the railroad that carries passengers to The Village in the heart of the Park. It was a very busy place with a nostalgic feeling of tourist destinations of years gone by with a huge variety of attractions for visitors of all ages.

Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument and Grand Canyon National Park

From Williams, we backtracked a bit to Flagstaff to enter Grand Canyon National Park at the East Gate. On the way, we stopped at Sunset Crater Volcano National Monument. This park had been closed since April due to a huge wildfire which burned over 60% of the area. Although most of the trails were still being repaired, the main road was open and we were able to visit the lava flow area and crater overlooks. The whole area was serene and peaceful with very few visitors.

Approaching the Grand Canyon from the east allowed us to see where the Little Colorado River joins the mighty Colorado River. We could see among the grasslands, the small and modest river canyons carved by the Little Colorado on its way into the main attraction.

Quite simply, the immense size and complexity of the Grand Canyon is as spectacular as all the films, photos, stories and poetry portray. As we traveled along the rim, we would stop and sit at the edge of the canyon, mesmerized by the view. There is a feeling of depth and bigness that is not captured in photos. That was what was so amazing. The crowds increased as we traveled west and by the time we arrived at The Village, it was jammed with people and vehicles and even an elk! Planning well in advance is a must when visiting this area.

Kingman, AZ

Our last stop on Route 66 was Kingman. We arrived here after by-passing the I-40 and following a section of the original two lane road from outside of Williams. Advertised as Arizona’s heart of historic Route 66, there was a definite retro vibe in this city in the Mohave desert.

CAMPGROUND REVIEW: Williams/Grand Canyon KOA

We stayed at the Williams/Circle Pines KOA for three days in a pull-thru water+electric site. Sites are gravel, level, and close together but plenty of room for slides. Most have trees or shrubs between. Picnic table and fire ring are at each site and we had good T-Mobile reception and WiFi. Located about an hour from the Grand Canyon, and easy access from I-40 at the Williams exit, this campground was a vacation destination itself. The property had a go-kart track and indoor swimming pool with two hot tubs in addition to a large playground, mini golf, horseshoes, and hiking trails. In addition to RV sites, the KOA had cabins and unique covered wagon and “Tipi” sites to rent. Hayrides and train rides were available several times each day as well. Showers, bathrooms and laundry facilities were clean and in good working order. There is a restaurant with outdoor picnic table seating which serves breakfast, snacks and dinner. The general store/gift shop is stocked with basic foods and beverages, camping items, and some parts for RVs. We found the office and campground staff to be friendly and efficient.