October 1-2, 2023: Get Your Kicks on Route 66

DID YOU KNOW? Route 66, also known as the Mother Road, crosses eight states and

three time zones. It traverses 2400 miles across two – thirds of the United States. It begins on

the shores of Lake Michigan and ends on the shores of the Pacific Ocean, near Los Angeles.

Commissioned on November 11, 1926, only 800 miles were originally paved, but the remaining distance was finally paved in 1937. The Federal Interstate Act of 1956 was the beginning of the end for this iconic road, and Route 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985.

When taking a trip down the historic Route 66, there are a number of intriguing stops

that can be made. Many places are sites that used to be common happening-locals while the

highway was still in use. They are in various stages of repair or disrepair, but still open to the

public.

Our first stop along Route 66 was Kingman, AZ, the heart of the longest continuous

stretch of Route 66. This place is home to the Route 66 visitor center and museum (which has

an iconic photo opportunity beneath a Route 66 sign), Locomotive Park (featuring Santa Fe

Locomotive #3758, a passenger train that traveled over 2.5 million miles in the course of 20

years), Mr. D’s Route 66 Diner, the Little Red Schoolhouse (an 1896 Victorian style building now used as the City Court) and more.

Our next stop was Antares Point, formerly Kozy Corner Trail park, (if that sounds

somewhat familiar, Sally’s Cozy Cone Motel in the classic Cars movie was based off this

location) and home to Giganticus Headicus, a 14-foot tall head made of metal, wood, chicken-wire, Styrofoam and cement. While he’s normally a bright green color, he apparently has been known to change colors. Most notably, Giganticus Headicus spends the month of October raising cancer awareness through a lovely pink hue. This stop also featured some vintage gas-pumps and a large number of old vehicles, including one representing the Cars character, Sheriff.

Next up was Hackberry General store, a historic Route 66 service station and garage

now turned gift/souvenir shop. Bob Waldimire, the original owner of the shop, always drove

Route 66 in a Volkswagen Microbus, and was the inspiration for the Cars character Fillmore.

The inside of this fascinating places is coated in business cards, patches, and dollar bills left by passing tourists, while the ceiling features license plates from around the world.

Our next stop was actually unplanned and in the middle of nowhere in particular after

being hit by some sort of vulture who waited until the last minute to abandon his meal in the

middle of the road and ended up flying right into our RV side-mirror. He survived, despite

hitting the mirror arm hard enough to slam it shut (which takes a LOT of force) but left a lovely

mess of bird goop and roadkill lunch on our mirror.

After cleaning the mirror, we continued on to our next stop which, humorously enough, was Roadkill Café in Seligman, Arizona. Their slogan is “You kill it, we grill it,” and their mascot is a vulture. The restaurant features dishes such as Funky Skunk, The Bird that Smacked the Curb, The Chicken that Almost Crossed the Road, and Mystery Meat. Of course, this restaurant doesn’t actually grill roadkill, but their name/slogan definitely captures the attention of those who pass by.

Our last (and favorite) stop on Route 66 was Delgadillo’s Snowcap Drive-In, a historic

eatery founded by Juan Delgadillo…whose humor is infused in every element of the place. A

few meal choices include “Cheeseburger with Cheese” and “Dead Chicken.” Dummy doorknobs and incorrect push/pull signs cause visitors to have to work to get inside. Hand-painted signs tell drivers they are parking at their own risk, and a “Sorry, we’re open” sign hangs in the window. Employees, almost all of whom are descendants of Juan, banter with customers…offering ‘gently-used’ napkins in an attempt to recycle, and handing over a bundle of straw (the plant) when asked for a drinking straw. A sign alerts customers that “prices might change depending on the attitude of the customer,” and the employee might just offer your change to the next person in line. The walls are covered in business cards, patches and dollar bills…so we left one of our own :) Out back of the building are outhouses featuring signs like “Not responsible for accidents,” “Danger, deep water” and “Thou shalt not park here.” One outhouse featured a ‘redneck’ doorbell (a mouse trap) with the sign “press button and someone will hear you.” Toilets line the brick wall along the outskirts of the yard, vintage cars with eyes watch you, and the lower half of a scarecrow sticks out of a dog house with a sign to ‘watch your step.’ (Interesting side note to this establishment: Juan Delgadillo’s brother actually met with John Lasseter, the filmmaker behind Cars, and told him how traffic through town disappeared on the day that Interstate 40 opened…leading to the theme about Radiator Springs’ similar issue with the movie. Both Juan and his brother are listed in the credits for Cars.)

All in all, traveling Route 66 was a neat experience and we took tons of pictures…so I put them in a video accompanied by a fitting classic song included in the Cars soundtrack…Life Is a Highway. Because of the large amount of time it takes to create these videos, I’m trying to minimize how often I make them, but this time I couldn’t resist :)

Until next time, God bless!