Main Street with burros:
Oatman, Arizona |
Memorial Day 2004 was
an excuse to see how my motorcycle
performs on the highway. Starting point for my Route 66 journey
was the rustic town of Oatman, Arizona. Started as a mining town,
it was originally named Vivian after a nearby mine. Olive Oatman
had been taken captive by Indians near Gila Bend, Arizona, in 1851.
She was rescued in 1856 near Vivian. The town was eventually renamed
after her son John. Today, the town draws tourists like flies to
a pie! The buildings are mostly original, and the town has a "shacky"
look. But it's rich in charm, burros, and tourists on the trail
of Route 66. Bikers love it, possibly because of the twisty road
over Sitgreaves Pass used to get there. There's no shortage of RVs
either, although the streets are narrow and hard for larger vehicles
to negotiate. I drank a cold Sprite and rode off into the valley
below.
Hackberry General
Store |
After a short stop in Laughlin, Nevada, where
I won 8 casino dollars and looked with lust at the cold, blue waters
of the Colorado, I headed back to Kingman and Route 66. I followed
the old highway - with ruins of roadhouses, cafes and gas stations,
a turn-of-the-century school house at Hackberry, then Truxton, Peach
Springs, Seligman and Ash Fork - these names are an echo from countless
Santa Fe railroad conductors whose trains still roar down the tracks
along the highway. Steam gave way to diesel, but the countryside
hasn't changed - open range, multi-colored mountains, blue Arizona
skies. There aren't many people there and traffic is light. The
roadway is excellent. I saw cattle! Bliss.
I stopped in Peach Springs for a permit to drive
across the Hualapai Reservation to Diamond Creek and the Colorado
River. I learned that motorcycles aren't allowed on that road. They
said the road is rough and not suitable for motorcycles, but I know
folks who drove a Ford Escort all the way to the river. But there
was no point in arguing, and I went on to Seligman.
Seligman's famous Sno-Cap Drive-In |
Seligman glories in its Route 66 heritage. I
had ice cream at the Sno-Cap Drive-In and tried to locate the Texaco
gasoline station that "starred" in a black & white
Life Magazine photograph taken on a summer day in the '50s by Andreas
Feininger. I had no luck, but I'll get a copy of that photo and
try again. Folks are friendly in Seligman, and Route 66 souvenir
items abound. If you need a Route 66 coffee mug, this is the place
to get it.
My day ended in Williams, Arizona. "Heritage
Days" was wrapping up, with street "gunfights," horse-drawn
carriages, and a carnival. I ate at Rod's Steakhouse, still family-run
in an old west cattleman's setting. The food and service were excellent,
and I watched the steam train from the Grand Canyon roll back into
town with a load of tired tourists before sacking out.
Bob Schaller |
Next day, I rode home by way of Oak Creek Canyon,
Sedona, and Interstate 17. Total mileage was about 700 (round trip
from Phoenix). How did the motorcycle perform? I ride a screaming
yellow streak -- it weighs a few less than 500 pounds. It's great
on curvy mountain roads. You can ride it all day at 70 mph+, and
it's smooth as velvet. But there is a reason riders buy big, heavy
touring motorcycles for road trips - a lightweight motorcycle, even
if smooth and powerful, will beat you to death on a road trip! I'd
like to say it was worth it to be in the wind and seeing the countryside,
but I may not walk for two weeks. As the memory of the pain subsides,
I'm sure I'll remember only the joys of a ride on old Route 66!
Bob
Schaller
June 13, 2004
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