Twists, turns, dips, switchbacks and a chocolate shake.

Think of it as the longest Jersey Shore boardwalk, or Coney Island, or 2600 miles of Fisherman’s Wharf, but Rt 66 has it all…and then some!  Our first full day on the Road and while we can tell that we’ve only scratched the asphalt, there is a ton to take in.  By the way, thanks for the comments so far.  It’s great to get them and it makes us feel like you are on the trip with us!

From Needles we made our way through beautiful Arizona back country to the old mining town of Oatman which bears the moniker “The Ghost Town That Won’t Die”.  That was before it actually did, or so we’ve decided.  One thing that none of the guidebooks mention is how beautiful the land is here.  There’s lots of talk about where to find the next neon landmark but not the next awesome geological formation which defies my ability to photograph it.

We stopped at the venerable Hackberry General Store where we saw the most amazing collection of Rt66 paraphernalia one could imagine.  It’s chockablock full of old gas pumps, old cars, old pictures and old road warriors but a fun stop that we actually missed (yes, we blinked) and had to turn around for.

Kingman, Arizona feels like Rt66 ground zero as its where the man responsible for the resurrection of Arizona’s section of Rt66 is from and where everything is a “Rt 66 Landmark!”.  The pictures tell the story.

After a carhop lunch that included a truly spectacular chocolate shake from Sno Cap Drive-In we wove back on to the Interstate to head to Williams,

then took an amazing detour up to the Grand Canyon.  What a spectacular afternoon for taking a look over the south rim!

And we even had some company.

As dusk fell we made our way south to Flagstaff for the evening.  And then off for another day, we might make New Mexico…  Please forward to your friends if you think they would enjoy the trip!