Route 66 Kingman AZ to Oatman AZ
Following our trip to the Grand Canyon whilst holidaying in Las Vegas during Christmas 2013 I found an interesting little town on the map that provided a scenic tour on the most famous road in the world to one of the more quirky little towns in Arizona, how could we pass up such an opportunity.
So as we returned from the Grand Canyon we stopped in Kingman Arizona in a pre booked Hampton Inn, we even ate supper that night in a local 'Cracker Barrel' for those unfamiliar with the cracker barrel name it is hard to describe, it's an old time country store that also has a restaurant area serving really bland and uninspiring food at uncomfortable tables crammed into weird surroundings, but occasionally it is required to set the scene for the area and the forthcoming trip.
We started out in good time after a very nice breakfast in the hotel, we were soon taking the turning that leads to the Oatman road which is a narrow 1.5 vehicle wide road, 42 miles long, that twists and turns through the desert. It was part of the original route 66 and really has that old feel as you twist along through the desert.
The roadside is yucca plants, rock gardens and distant peaks that cry out to be hiked to.
So as we returned from the Grand Canyon we stopped in Kingman Arizona in a pre booked Hampton Inn, we even ate supper that night in a local 'Cracker Barrel' for those unfamiliar with the cracker barrel name it is hard to describe, it's an old time country store that also has a restaurant area serving really bland and uninspiring food at uncomfortable tables crammed into weird surroundings, but occasionally it is required to set the scene for the area and the forthcoming trip.
We started out in good time after a very nice breakfast in the hotel, we were soon taking the turning that leads to the Oatman road which is a narrow 1.5 vehicle wide road, 42 miles long, that twists and turns through the desert. It was part of the original route 66 and really has that old feel as you twist along through the desert.
The roadside is yucca plants, rock gardens and distant peaks that cry out to be hiked to.
There are small pullouts where you can stop and look over the road, for me this is the very best of the holiday so far, I love the desert and the quirky things that it throws up. I love the history of route 66 and used to travel sections of it in Oklahoma often.
Another pullout shows the road just peeking out from behind the rocks in the left centre of the frame, it is a great drive and one I'm really enjoying as is Sarah who is on the lookout for the wild Burros/donkeys that live in the desert around here.
There are places where you might be forgiven for thinking you were on a dirt road to nowhere, but there is something wonderful about this little trip that defies description. It just feels so real after the cheap facsimiles of the Las Vegas strip.
A sprinkling of cacti appear as we near our target for the day and we catch a glimpse of two donkeys far away on the desert happily munching something though there appears to be little to eat around here.
Arriving at Oatman an old wagon marks the car parking area, there are no signs to say its a car park but it is a flat gravel piece of land and looks a bit car parkish....so we stop in that. Only after getting out of the truck and walking toward the little town do we see a shop indow with a sign saying "Car Park $2" pay inside.
After entering the store to pay I find a cool t-shirt, mug and a couple of pin badges to buy and the lady waives the car park fee as a result.
After entering the store to pay I find a cool t-shirt, mug and a couple of pin badges to buy and the lady waives the car park fee as a result.
This sign tells you all you need to know about Oatman and its burros...
The town resembles a movie set it's really just one street with ramshackle buildings either side and a mish mash of clutter strewn in all directions....it is absolutely fantastic.
As we walk along the street trying to buy a few items from each place to help keep it alive, we see a sign on a shop door "gone to shootout, back in 10 minutes.......maybe" brilliant, it made us both smile as we trod the boards along the west side of the street.
There is still a functioning hotel and bar as well as restaurants and cafes and the usual sprinkling of artists (who always end up in these places)
At the end of main street a large unmarked junction sees vehicles heading in many directions without any indication of right of way, though there are few vehicles and most are locals so I guess they know anyway.
As we turn to head back up the east side of town we find a store selling a sign I'd been seeking for years, just a tin badge shaped road marker that says Oklahoma US 66, I'd tried to find one of those whilst living in Oklahoma without success. Now wandering the deserts of Arizona I come across the very thing, $10,00 is all it costs to lay that particular demon to rest.
we did consider doing the 'old time photos' thing as the sign says but didn't fancy messing about changing, so we just used the wall mural for a shot and moved on (there is a small donation box next to it) This shot makes me smile.
Some of the stores look like they may fall down in a gust of wind but there is a real charm to this place and we would both come back here again if we were ever in the area.
We had coffee and a bite to eat at the hotel and picked up a great tip from a really nice guy we met in the art gallery about a scenic canyon with some petroglyphs which would be on our route back to Vegas, as we finally left the little town we saw some more of those burros wandering the desert....looking pretty healthy too.
We stopped to get a few shots of the burros before heading back toward Vegas and that little canyon we were told about by the guy in the art gallery .