Barstow to Williams

That old Nat King Cole song begins to wander through my mind as we set out for Williams, Arizona, on the famous Route 66.

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway, that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66.

Route 66 has kind of disappeared under I-40, but in some places you can still find it, meandering along as Cole describes in his song:

And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty, you'll see...
Amarillo...
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona,
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino.

We indeed we passed through most of those places!  We would get off on the old road and gaze at abandoned gas stations, and dodge the potholes, while traffic zoomed by on I-40.  In one place east of Barstow we got onto a section that was absolutely the worst stretch of bad road I have ever driven, so bad that we had to drive on the gravel shoulder.  I read on-line that this was the result of seasonal flooding a year or two ago.

Other sections are in good repair, especially near Hackberry, Peach Springs, and Seligman.  Merchants here have capitalized on the road's reputation, and there are plenty of unusual statues and old gas stations to enjoy.  True Americana in all its cheesy glory!

We even saw a series of iconic "Burma Shave" signs at one point along this Mother Road:

THIRTY DAYS

HATH SEPTEMBER

APRIL, JUNE

AND THE SPEED OFFENDER

Storms are gathering on the horizon as we enter Williams, a pretty little city and the gateway to the Grand Canyon.  We have been looking forward to our next day for a long time!  Martha has arranged for us to stay at the Grand Canyon Railway Hotel tonight, and then take the Grand Canyon Railway the next day; we will stay at the Maswik Lodge close to the South Rim as part of this package deal.

The storms never materialize, and we walk around Williams in the dark, listening to live music at an outdoor cafe.  This is a bustling little city, and filled (once again) with many people from other countries, especially Germans, it seems.  But the Railway and its spacious hotel are at the center of all the activity, even this bottle of wine at the Grand Depot Cafe.