Got Some Kicks on Route 66

My name is Mike Scheible and like you, I very much look forward to my monthly issue of Cruis’news for all the pictures of our cars, local info, whattheheckisits, swap meet ads (which I use) & stories.

I have a story about a trip from California to Michigan on Route 66.  I hope you enjoy it and if you get the chance to take this trip yourself with some friends, then this may help interest you.

In the summer of 2010 (June), my wife Nancy and I flew out to San Francisco to witness our 6’4” grandson Chuck graduate from high school, another milestone zoomed by.  Our original plan was to fly out and then right back, however, I recognized this as opportunity to drive back on Route 66.  Nancy wanted to get back to work, so I casually mentioned this idea to drive the PHC from San Francisco to LA and then Route 66 back to Chicago to a couple of friends.  To my surprise they had the time and were all for it! The idea was turning into a plan.

Nancy flew out of San Fran about 9:30am Sunday morning.   Jim Kinney and Danny Lixey landed about 1.5 hours later.  I had already been to Hertz and picked up a new Ford Edge with a vista roof.  When Jim and Danny landed we were ready to go.  We decided to make the first part of our trip crossing the Golden Gate Bridge.  The Bay and the bridge are always a fantastic sight.  Next we met my son Jerry, who also lives in San Fran, for lunch at a restaurant on the Ocean by Golden Gate Park.  Good food and great scenery.  Then it was onto the Pacific Coast Highway heading South. 

We made a quick pit stop in Carmel, hoping to see Clint Eastwood kicking some punk off his lawn, no luck.  Then back on US1.  AT this point I must say, if you ever, ever, get a chance to drive any part of the Pacific Coast Highway, do yourself a favor and do it!  This is as good as motoring scenery gets in our USA.

The first night we made it as far as Big Sur.  Big Sur is not a town.  What it is is a state park, a beautiful forest, and two small motels.  If you’re a tired traveler, you might want to stop in Monterey.  The folks in Big Sur know that it’s a 2.5-hour drive either way to the next motel.

The next day we drove through Cambria, Morro Bay, San Luis Obispo, Goudalupe, Lompoc, Santa Barbara, Ventura, Oxnard, and finally made it to the Bubba Gumps on the Santa Monica Pier for supper.  This is the West end of Route 66 and there was a road sign there to designate it.  After supper we checked out the Marina Del Ray area.  With the windows down you could smell money.  Seen a lot of coastline, small towns, surfers, ocean, mountains, sea lions, then LA, a great day!  

Monday morning we checked out the Marina Del Ray Harley Davidson shop, wosville man!  Route 66 thru LA is pretty much US10.  Instead of getting on the turnpike, we drove north to 77 and took it over to the Hollywood – Burbank area.  Beautiful drive thru several beautifully landscaped suburbs, and past UCLA’s campus, very interesting. 

After we left Burbank, he hopped on Cal5 down to Us10 and over to San Bernadino.  This is about the first semblance of the old road.  A point of interest in San Bernadino is the California Theatre where young movie star hopefuls would perform back in the 30s & 40s hoping to be discovered.  The theatre is old, but beautifully restored.  Will Rogers used to perform there regularly, it was the last place he put on a show at.  It is still used regularly. 

Going north from San Bernadino, there is a lot of the old road, so we took it up to Victorville where there is a nice Route 66 museum.  The museum has a lot of old pictures of the area back in Route 66’s heyday, and of course lots of souvenirs.  When you get north of Victorville the old route goes through little towns like Oro Grande, Helendale, Hodge, and then Barstows to Needles.  There are abandoned gas stations, restaurants, and tourist “sights” sprinkled along this stitch of the road.  This is one of the best areas of the old Route 66 to get a sense of what traveling the old road was really like.  In many places along this area, the historic Route 66 road sign is painted on the road surface.  I can’t imagine what the trip must have been like with your family in the station wagon and no air conditioning!  We decided to stay at a new motel in Needles that night, 118 degrees at 10pm with a 30mph wind blowing.  Yes folks, this is the desert.

Tuesday, the next morning, the first thing we did was fuel up in Needles and crossed over into Arizona where gas is 50 cents cheaper a gallon. California mandates the gas companies to put a “clean air” additive in there gas. (Who knew?)

Another fantastic part of the old Route is from Needles to about twenty miles east of Seligman, AZ.  The first town of Oatman is all uphill in the Black Mountains.  The road is narrow and rustic, but Oatman is worth the trip.  You’ll know you’re getting close when you start seeing mules standing in the road, in no hurry to move, and they’re quite photogenic.  They seem to know that you’ll get out and give them something to eat when you want to get thru, they will out wait you!

Once your in Oatman you will think it’s about 1880.  A little gold mine town that keeps it greatness by staying the same.  Mules roam freely all over the place; there is an old Saloon-hotel that has a ghost in it, lots of turn of the century buildings, and a couple of daily gunfights. (They seem to know what time the bank will get robbed every day!) Don’t forget to pick up a souvenir, pay attention when leaving town!

The old road from Oatman to Kingman has a sign warning you not to try it with a fifth wheel or long motorhome, believe this sign!  This is the REAL old road, very winding and narrow.  The scenery in this area is excellent for seeing a long way (rocks, mountains, and desert), however the road was built for cars that were about 10’ long and about 6’5” wide.

Kingman, Az. is a fairly modern town and host to the world’s largest swap meet, flea market, RV park (if driving into the desert and parking counts).  Hackberry, Valentine, Truxton & Peach Springs are all just speed bumps on the way to Seligman, where there also is no McDonalds.  Seligman, Az. is a must stop.  There may be no other place in America where you can get a better feel for what these small towns were like when Route 66 was still the “mother road”.  This is where Angel Delgadillo lives (in his 90s), considered to be the godfather of Route 66 because of his efforts to rejuvenate the Route, especially from Kingman to Williams.  Seligman has a barbershop, pool hall, saloon, motels, antique store, brothel (fake I think), several souvenir shops, restaurants, etc.  It is a real interesting place to visit.  It is amazing to see the busloads of tourists and groups of bikers (on rental Harleys) from other countries that are travelling the Route, stopping in Seligman.

It kind of gives you an idea of how well the mystic of the Mother Road is known around the world, and how many people from other countries will travel to America, get on a bus and try to get a glimpse of this special place – Route 66.

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