THE GREAT ROUTE 66 ADENTURE - WITH DETOURS

I made it! I survived another week and am ready to complicate my life in new and exciting ways.
First on the list is refresh the blog with new photos, new posts, and new material. This includes the addition of tabs at the top of the page for the companion website, Route 66 Info Center, and a schedule where I can keep folks posted about upcoming book signings and interviews.

Next is sifting through correspondence received pertaining to requests for information on ghost towns of Route 66. This will be followed by new requests for material in the hope of getting a firm date for the establishment of San Juan, determining what remained of Cotton Hill in Illinois when Route 66 was designated a U.S. Highway, and more information about the Tonopah & Tidewater Railroad and its terminus in Ludlow.

As is always the case in these projects one of the challenges is to accept the fact that there will always be unanswered questions. Case in point, the road discovered near Goldroad. When was it bypassed? Somewhere between 1913 and 1917 just does not fulfill my inquisitive nature.
Then there is work on the book itself. Priority one will be coordinating the photographs on hand with chapter designations. Next will be writing the histories of Oatman, Truxton, and Hackberry.

The Hackberry General Store is now an icon of Route 66, the result of its association with Bob Waldmire and the hard of the work of the Pritchard's to transform it into a time capsule. The town, however, has largely been forgotten.
Granted there is little left with the exception of a beautiful cemetery, a couple tumble down houses, a small post office, the old school, the railroad water tanks, and an old boarding house. Still, the history of this town predates Route 66 by more than fifty years and even has ties to the Garces expeditions of 1776.
As it is raining there is little hope of being distracted by the urge to take a nice long with my dearest friend. So, I should be able to complete these goals by Saturday evening.
For Sunday and Monday, as I usually do, the schedule calls for squeezing fifty hours of work into forty eight hours. So, if I do not sleep or take bathroom breaks most everythig will be completed.
We have church related activities and another chapter of The Indepent Thinker to write for Cars & Parts magazine, truck repair and travel arrangements, a half dozen ghost town snippets for True West magazine and the scheduling of interviews as well as drive by signings. If I somehow get bored there is always work to revitalize the Route 66 Association of Kingman, replace the ceiling fan, finish the living room moulding, hang some shelves, and, perhaps, a bar-b-que if I get the grill clean and ready to use.

GHOST TOWNS, LOST HIGHWAYS, AND THE GRAND ADVENTURE WE CALL LIFE

What do these two books have in common? Give up? Both have a Jim Hinckley by line even though The Big Book of Car Culture was a joint effort with gifted photographer and writer Jon Robinson.

There the similarities end. One book marks the beginning of an educational curve and the latter,  Ghost Towns of the Southwest, represents a forthcoming test to see what has been learned in the past five years as a starving artist on Route 66. 

The Big Book of Car Culture, should have been a roaring success. It received rave reviews from a wide array of critics, was well designed, was colorful, and was awarded the bronze medal at the International Automotive Media Awards.

The content had broad appeal as a result of subject matter that ran the gamut from the evolution of crash test dummies to Route 66, from the Model T Ford to the Ford Mustang, from the history of the hearse to the history of the parking meter.

In spite of all this, sales proved to be rather medicore. What went wrong besides the fact that after more than a decade of exchanging writing for money we failed to understand the nature or challenges involved with the success of a book?

The first lesson learned was that for a publisher to stay afloat they needed a steady stream of new material to meet the challenges of the competition. This means that like a truck load of onions the book will only be fresh for a short period of time.

The next lesson learned was that a publisher has very limited resources for the promotion of a book. The author must pick up the slack and be creative as well as agressive.

After months of looking in the mail box everyday for the royalty check that would enable me to quit the day job reality came to roost. Then I came up with a briliant idea - do my homework.

I can be a slow learner. Apparently this was not a lesson I learned in high school. As evidenced by past projects where the directions were read only after the bicycle was complete but the handle bars were on the bottom charging into things was more my speed.

So, I began to ask questions, read books, and study those who actually found a way to get the combination right and profit, though in a meager fashion, from the written word. The first application of what had been learned came with the next book, Backroads of Arizona.

As the inital advance covered expenses and and provided a return of several cents per hour for my labor any promotion I did had to be on a very tight shoestring. First, I combined our weekend excursions with calls to book stores and an offer to stop by to sign books.

These were not formal signings but most stores were eager to have books signed by the author to display at the front counter. With enough notice even stores that did not have the books ordered them. I had discovered one of the secrets to seperate my books from the herd.

On occasion I would have a formal sit down signing. These seldom result in sales of more than a dozen books but the insight gained by talking to the customers was priceless.

A sense of humor, or at least insanity, should be mandatory for anyone who dares attempt writing for steady income. I quickly learned that the internet was one of the best tools available for mass international marketing without a great deal of expenditure.

So, I took time from writing to learn how to create a blog. You are reading the result. Then I had to learn how to market the blog to market the writing and myself. Then I learned that to market the blog to market the books I needed a website and Route 66 Info Center is the result. Now, how do I market the website?

I was now like the prospector of old wandering with his burro forever in search of the big strike, lured on by the faintest trace of color in sands and rock ledges. The feedback and the sales numbers all indicated I was on the right track. But how far was it to the finish line?

The next endeavor, Route 66 Backroads, opened new doors and provided a wide array of new opportunities for learning. Even more importantly, I was learning to relax and enjoy the ride.

You might say I was relearning the lessons learned long ago on Route 66 and the back roads of America. Never forget that more often than not the journey is better than the destination.

This takes us to the latest endeavor, Ghost Towns of the Southwest, and the project under construction, Ghost Towns of Route 66. Contacts made and lessons learned on the previous book projects are already coming into play even though the new book is not due for release until the first of March.

On the 22nd of this month I will again sit with Tonya and Lew on the set of AM Arizona in Prescott to discuss the book as well ghost towns in general. The day before this I will spend a portion of the afternoon signing books at the Barnes & Noble in Prescott after stopping at the Barnes & Noble in Flagstaff and a museum gift shop in Jerome to sign books.

The hope is that the book will be well recieved, that it will be enjoyed, and that it will inspire those who hunger to write as well as those who love the lure of adventure. Of course there is also the hope this endeavor will be a financially profitable one in the long run.

Meanwhile this will provide another excuse to leave the old cats in the care of my son, for my dearest friend and I to have a weekend adventure that includes a stay at the delightful historic Hassayamapa Inn, and, if time allows, to see if we can find a new way home on some old back road. From that perspective it is already a profitable venture.

How ever the chips fall, my adventures in ghost towns, such as Cerbat seen as the faintest of traces from a hill above in this photo by Kerrick James, or on an empty old highway like Route 66 west of Truxton, Arizona, have taught me two very important lessons.

Life is short, so enjoy it while you can but never loose sight of the fact that none of us are promised another day and we should always be prepared to stand before our maker. The goal should be in leaving this a better place than it was when we got here instead of striving to be remembered.

The second lesson is in regards to humility. Never take yourself to seriously. Most of the folks who lived, died, prospered, and went bust in towns like Cerbat are now forgotten. The most succesful are now little more than historical footnotes and in another couple of decades most of these will have vanished as completely as the old town itself.

IN THE BLINK OF AN EYE

It never ceases to amaze me just how fast things change. In the blink of eye the well laid plans of mice and men become little more than a fart in the wind, pardon my French.
In late August, 2009, a year of planning for a trip east on Route 66 that included research and photography for Ghost Towns of the Southwest, book signings, speaking at a couple of high schools and meeting folks that I have come to know through internet correspondence, such as Laurel Kane at Afton Station, was mere weeks away from becoming a reality. Then a key employee informed me that they were leaving the company in early October which resulted in a mad rush to reschedule appointments and hotels from late October to mid September.
The week before we were to leave this employee simply failed to come to work. I was at home working on the Dodge, aka Barney the Wonder truck, that Monday when notification was received that there were people waiting at the office but no one had opened that morning.
In an instant, a mere blink of the eye, a year of planning evaporated like snow in Amboy on a July afternoon. Cancellations, apologies, and deposits were dealt with.
This also endangered my participation as a speaker, with a book signing to follow, at the Adventure in Travel Expo in Chicago scheduled for January. That worry was resolved in late October with notification that due to the current economic conditions the expo was being postponed until late March.
Great! Even though this was not my ideal choice for travel, I now had the opportunity to coordinate the expo with the trip on Route 66 originally planned for September rather than fly as first planned.
As of yesterday morning everything was meshing quite well. The push was on to finish the rough draft for Ghost Towns of Route 66 and that only left lodging as an issue.
In the blink of an eye ... I received notification late yesterday afternoon that the expo was again being restructured and that only a portion of expenses would be paid for my participation. So, plans for March were scrapped.
Rolling with the punches is an important part of life. Even more important is developing the talent for seeing blessings in all circumstances.
Now, I have more time for Ghost Towns of Route 66. Now, I have more time to really plan a vacation that is not as structured as a railroad time table.
So, here is what we  have now. I have requested the last week in May off. I have a rough outline for the trip that includes driving east to at least Joplin and returning through Silver City, New Mexico, and Bisbee.
So, lets try this again. Is there anything I may do with my books, blog, or website on this trip to assist in the promotion of your shop, store, cafe, museum, or gift shop? I am not really a celebrity but would press releases about my visit to your business help?
A rough idea I have is this. If you carry books I have written please let me know and I will post links to your site and/or address on the blog (http://www.route66chronicles.blogspot.com/) and the website, (http://www.route66infocenter.com/). If you would like to have signed copies to sell please let me know and we can work out details for me to stop by.
If you have any other ideas or suggestions please let me know. In the mean time, stay tuned for details and keep smiling. It could be worse, you could be trapped in a Twilight Zone type experience of eternal trip planning.

LUDLOW AND UPDATES FROM A STARVING ARTIST ON ROUTE 66

There were several trips west during the eary 1960s so I know we rolled through Ludlow. As a kid I paid little attention to anything with the exception of the stops and in recent years we do what most folks do and drive past Ludlow.
On our trip this past Sunday we sought remnants from the time when Ludlow was a junction where the Tonapah & Tidewater Railroad connected with the main Santa Fe line and the streets teemed with motorist traveling the national Old Trails Highway.
There really isn't much left. This is really a ghost town with only the faintest pulse made manifest in a gas station/store, cafe, and motel.

About the only tangible link to those glory days are the ruins of the 1908 Murphy Brothers Ludlow Mercantile several blocks south of the coffee shop on the corner of Main Street. The imposing concrete structure stood intact but empty until a recent earthquake toppled most of the building.
This is your Route 66 trivia note for the day.

The shell of a house across Route 66 from the ruins of the Ludlow Cafe and one behind the cafe hint of origins predating the replcement of the National Old Trails Highway with with signed as U.S. 66. There are also broken sidewalks that line Main Street, another indication that at some point in time this was a real town, a community with a future.
Remnants from the glory days of Route 66 are vanishing almost as quickly. The Ludlow cafe is now a fire gutted shell. The station next door is intact but the firebug that struck the cafe seems to have also targeted a couple of smaller buildings behind the cafe and next to the station.

The Ludlow Garage is no more. The sturdy concrete block walls adorned with a listing of services no longer offered stand in mute testimony of better times.
In an unrelated note several weeks ago I promised photos of remnants from the National Old Trails Highway and the first incarnation of Route 66 in Kingman. Until about ten years ago city maps still listed this dirt track between Route 66 and the railroad tracks as the National Old Trails Highway.
As a reference point this would be directly in front of Napap Auto Parts and direcetly west of the Penske Truck Leasing Office at the end of the Martin Swanty Chrysler complex.

I have no clue as to origins of this building or what purpose it served. I have been told it was a service station that became the offices for a wrecking yard when Route 66 was moved to its present location.

There are indications that the structure was there as early as 1930. As to this being the site of wrecking yard there is a very strong possibility since the surrounding field is littered with various automotive tid bits - large spark plugs, retainers for the old style clincher rims, bolts, dome light switches, etc. On a recent stroll through the field I found a very nice horn button for a 1940 Chevy after a heavy rain.
Now, updates on the starving aritist and his ongoing efforts to avoid becoming a greeter at Walmart during his senior years.
The first official signing for Ghost Towns of the Southwest is scheduled for Saturday afternoon, April 17, at Hastings Books & Music in Kingman, Arizona.
As we speak, plans are being finalized for a signing in Lake Havasu City, at Barnes & Noble in Flagstaff and Prescott, at the Adventure in Travel Expo in Chicago. Interviews are also being scheduled for Good Morning Arizona.
If I can pull off the Adventure in Travel Expo it willbe a whirlwind adventure - nine days to Chicago and home again. So, time will be limited.
Still, if you carry books I have writen it would be apleasure to stop by and sign them. If you do not carry the books and do not want to place a large order with the publisher I should be able to deliver small orders as we roll through. Just drop a note and I will keep you updated on the schedule, and as we draw closer, the planned route.

LOST HIGHWAYS OF THE CALIFORNIA DESERT

We survived another whirlwind adventure, something the Hinckley clan seems rather adept at. One day, 440 miles including more than one hundred miles of Route 66, 20.5 gallons of gas, one picnic lunch, several bottles of water, a couple of sodas, two cups of coffee, sixty five photos, three states, one sit down dinner, lots of new discoveries to share in future posts, stunning desert landscapes, and temperatures hovering around 65, and a memorable adventure with my dearest friend. Does it get any better than this?

It was sort of a wild hair that prompted the whole endeavor even though we have been planning a trip for several weeks as part of the research for the current project, Ghost Towns of Route 66. Still, there was nothing in stone.
I suppose an argument could be made that these outbursts of escapism are in part due to the fact that for the first dozen years of our marriage they weren't really feasible as I worked six days per week and for a few years after that finances were a limiting factor.

On Sunday morning at around 6:00 we decided to throw caution and responsibility to the wind and head west. As a trip such as this is filled with nearly unlimited possibility for adventure we loaded the Jeep accordingly - extra jack, tools, duct tape, ice chest, metal detectors, camera and tripod, extra water, shovel, maps (including Jerry McClanahans Route 66 EZ Guide), several oranges, crackers, and the sense of humor that is needed if one is to really enjoy adventures on the open road.

We rolled west on U.S. 93 over Coyote Pass and into the Sacramento Valley, continued through Golden Valley on state highway 68, crossed into Nevada at Laughlin on state highway 163, followed U.S. 95 south into California, and then again turned west on old U.S. 66 toward Goffs.

Goffs has to rate at the top of any list of must see Route 66 attractions. No hype, no neon, just honest history in a clean and scenic setting.
The school now turned museum and the surrounding grounds that are a delightful blending of botanical garden and treasure filled time capsule of souvenirs from more than 150 years of life in the Mojave Desert capture the very essence of Route 66. Here time drifts by without notice and relaxation seeps into your soul.
I was so inspired by our visit I started a new section for the website, Route 66 Info center, to chronicle the ghost towns of Route 66 beginning with Goffs.

As often happens with that endeavor it doesn't go quite as planned with the first attempt. So, pardon the overlap at the bottom and rest assured that will be fixed before Tuesday afternoon. I will also be adding new towns as time allows and here on the blog I will post more information about Goffs.

The trivia note of the day pertains to Goffs. The school here was built in 1914 and was unique in the area for the expense incurred in its construction as well as its mission style.

We spent quite a bit of time taking in the wonderful exhibits at Goffs before deciding to continue our westward trek on Route 66. The old roadside oasis at Cadiz Summit continues its evolution towards becoming an historic landfill where graffiti artists hone thier skills.

Essex was largely unchanged from the last time I rolled through several years ago with a friend that was moving from Apple Valley to Nebraska. Chambless showed signs of activity in the missing roof that looked as though it was being replaced rather than collapsing. Amboy also showed promise as the station/store was open and the cabins looked freshly painted.

The road from Amboy to Ludlow has some very large chuck holes that on occasion made me think that, perhaps, following the railroad right of way might be better for the Jeeps suspension. Without some serious work soon, some portions of old 66 on this stretch will soon be tough to use in a regular passenger car.

The only surprise in Ludlow was the Ludlow Cafe had burned since my last visit. The cafe having a "B" rating posted in the window wasn't a surprise at all but as we were only there for coffee it was of no concern.

Next to Goffs, my wife suggesting we take a side trip on the way home - Amboy, Twenty Nine Palms, Parker, Lake Havasu City - was the biggest surprise of the day. After all, by this point in time it was close to 3:00.

So, we retraced our steps to Amboy and turned south across Bristol Dry Lake toward the Sheep Hole Mountains. In Twenty Nine Palms we refueled the Jeep and fortified ourselves for the next leg with a simple dinner at Denny's.

By the time we made it to the landfill that marks the site of Rice the sun had set behind the mountains and twilight was fast turning to darkness. That ensured we would have excuses for a few stops on the way home to savor a starlit desert sky and a glowing moon rising from behind the Hualapai Mountains.

And so ended a delightful day of adventure on Route 66 and the lost highways of the California desert. Now planning for the next endeavor begins - scaling the heights of the Amboy Crater before the scorching months of summer.