Route 66 to Kansas and back - Part 1

"Guthrie" on Route 66 heading to Amboy, CA near the Mojave Desert.

Our Route was created using the RV Life Trip Planner.

California

I turned 66 this year and I've always wanted to travel the Mother Road, Route 66, so I figured this would be as good a year as any to do it. The wife agreed and plans were made. 
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We have friends who live in Kansas, and we didn't have a desire to travel to the more populated areas of R66, so Topeka became our point of return.

Our homebase is in California so we'd be heading east hauling our trailer, Guthrie, behind us. We knew that portions of the old highway are no longer operational and sense we're not purists, we decided to use the newer Highway 40 for much of the traveling with stop offs at prime locations along the older route.

Having been to southern California many times battling the traffic that goes with it was out for us, so we began our journey in Barstow, the home of one of the few remaining Harvey Houses, built by Fred Harvey next to the Atchesin, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. Much of the old highway was built near the railway. Originally known as the Casa del Desierto, the station and hotel replaced an earlier one built in 1885 that burned in 1908. Like many of Fred Harvey's hotels, it was designed by architect Mary Colter in a synthesis of Spanish Renaissance and Classical Revival architectural style. Colter went on to design and complete 21 landmark hotels, lodges and public spaces for the Fred Harvey Company, including the La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona.

The Harvey Girls were a signature component of Harvey’s success and one of his most enduring legacies. He hired women between the ages of 18 and 30 to travel west and work as waitresses in his restaurants. Other qualifications included being unmarried and “of good character.” These young women lived next to or in the Harvey Houses, under the close supervision of a Harvey Girl with the longest tenure.

The Barstow/Calico KOA Holiday was a short drive from Barstow where we stayed the night before heading through the Mohave Desert the next day. It had the pull-through sites and full-hook ups that we desired for this trip. Though it was just off of Highway 15, we had a restful night. (You can read all of our reviews of the places we stayed by clicking on the RV Life Campgrounds link on the upper right corner of this page.)

As we continued across the Mojave Desert, we diverted off of Highway 40 onto Route 66, we passed the Amboy Crater before reaching what's left of the town of Amboy in the Mojave Desert. During its hayday in the 1930s and 40s, Amboy had a population of 200 people. There were 13 businesses, three service stations, two cafes three motor courts, four garages, a post office, a church and a school.

The best preserved grounds are at Roy's Motel & Cafe, which first opened as a gas and service station in 1938, on Route 66. It is one of the few buildings that are still operating since it opened. Roy and his wife Velma operated Roy’s until they retired in 1959, passing it on to his daughter Betty and her husband, Buster. They both ran the business until 1978. After a few other ownerships, Roy’s Motel & Cafe was sold to philanthropist Albert Okura. The Okura family's plans are to renovate the Roy's Motel & Cafe to its former glory of the 1950s and 60's. For more information, go to visitamboy.com.

Arizona

Our next stop on the route was in the little ghost town of Oatman, Az. The easiest route to the town is from the western entrance where it's a straight shot from Mohave Valley. Oatman is known for its local burros roaming the streets. It's landmark is the Oatman Hotel Restaurant and Saloon. Built in 1902 as the Durlin Hotel, the building is said to be the place where Clark Gable and Carol Lombard honeymooned.

Going east on Route 66 to Seligman is very windy, so if you have a larger RV it isn't recommended. We chose to go N on Az 95 and then over to 68 to Kingman and then the more direct route on I-40. Due to time constraints, we skipped visiting Kingman. We had a nice lunch at the Roadkill Cafe located on the north side of the old highway next to the Historic Route 66 Motel. The cafe has a unique menu selection, but don't let the names of the items scare you.

Further down the highway, in Williams, AZ, you'll find Cruisers Cafe 66 Bar & Grill. Housed in a renovated 1940's Gulf Station and the adjacent 1910 Telegraph  building, Cruisers Cafe is a great place for a meal and live music.

As we continued our journey, we bypassed Route 66 in Flagstaff as we had visited here before.

A few miles east of Winslow, Arizona and about six mile south of the old highway is the site of the Barringer Meteor Crater. Created around 50,000 years ago by an iron-nickel meteorite that was about 150 feet across and weighing several hundred thousand tons, it struck the earth at about 26,000 miles per hour with the explosive force of a 20 megaton bomb.

There are two sites worth seeing in Winslow, AZ. The Standin' on the Corner Park that honors the famous Eagles song and La Posada Hotel. Be sure to visit the Soda Shop across the street from the park and The art museum on the second floor of the hotel.

Arizona is well known for its many great state parks. Just two miles outside of Winslow is the Homolovi Ruins State Park with water and electric hook-ups at each campsite. Because the park is far from the highway it's very quiet at night, though you may hear the wild burros in the park. Be sure to visit the ancient ruins while you're there.

Before crossing into New Mexico, we visited one of the few remaining Wigwam Motels open to the public - though, I believe we missed a nicer one in San Bernardino, California. 

New Mexico

Our first destination in New Mexico was in Gallup. (Fun fact: Gallup is statistically the most violent city in the US.) It is known for its Native American Art and Jewelry. Our campsite was at The USA RV Park. It has a great store filled with all your RVing needs, snacks, art and clothing. They also serve a good BBQ Dinner near their woodwork display honoring those who serve(d) in the military.

Albuquerque is famous for its annual Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. Unfortunately, we were there the week before the event, but there was still a lot to see and do. Our homebase was at the Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post, which is a historic Route 66 site. The park has a display of old cars with travel trailers from the 1940s and 50s. It was also conveniently located next to the only Camping World in New Mexico, as well as a variety of other RV Dealers and a Loves was just over the highway.

The few days we were there we had to acclimate to its altitude of 5,000 feet. We visited the Petroglyph National Monument, The ABQ Biopark, and the Albuquerque Museum, as well as a variety of restaurants.

Petroglyph National Monument

This was just one site of several, but it was a steep climb for us 65+ year olds.

Below: A view showing how close Albuquerque was encroaching upon the petroglyphs before the national monument was put in place.

BioPark

Museum

After adjusting to the altitude, we climbed another 2,000 feet to visit Santa Fe, New Mexico's capitol city. Santa Fe has the third most art galleries in the country, after New York and Los Angeles. We opted for a bicycle tour of the old downtown area and then spent the rest of the afternoon eating and visiting galleries.

As we continued on our way to Kansas, we did a quick stop in Tucumcari and got a quick tour of the Blue Swallow Motel, which has served travelers since 1939. Each room has its own garage for guests to park their cars in. We were fortunate to meet the new owners who have kept the motel with its "good old days" feel.

Please visit us again soon as we share the rest of our time on Route 66!