ROAD TRIP

One of the most noticeable changes witnessed from my perch on Route 66 in recent years is that road trip season now seems to run from around New Years Day to New Years Eve. However, it is still the months of April through October when it seems the curtain that separates the past from the present really is rolled back to present the illusion that Route 66 is more bridge spanning the past and present than highway.
It is not weather that provides the first hint that road trip season is about to begin but the number of visits from my international friends as well as the number of requests for assistance or interviews. With that as my indicator it is quite apparent that road trip season has begun even though the weather this morning hits more of winter than spring.
Dale Butel, owner of an Australian company that specializes in Route 66 tours will be stopping in Kingman for a quick visit in the next day or so. Peter, a television producer from Berlin will be in Kingman in the next few weeks to discuss a documentary he will be filming this fall. Dries from Holland is finalizing plans for his groups Route 66 tour that always includes an interesting dinner in Kingman.
If you happen to be one of the uninitiated, or are just curious about why Route 66 is so popular, I can't suggest strongly enough that you take to the road this year and discover its many charms. With that said here is my quick summary of what you will need for the trip, as well as my suggestions of sites that should not be missed.
Step one would be acquisition of the EZ 66 Guide by Jerry McClanahan. There are a multitude of travel guides available but there is only one that you need and this is it.
As most folks travel Route 66 from east to west we will start with Chicago, a city that can easily be a vacation destination unto itself. To get the best out of your visit a knowledgeable tour guide is always best and in Chicago there is none better than Dave Clark.
If you are citiphobic (a feeling of claustrophobia induced by traffic congestion, crowds, and towering skyscrapers) then you will most like want to get out of Chicago as soon as possible. I fully understand but one stop is an absolute must, Lou Mitchell's, a Route 66 icon that has been serving travelers and locals alike for more than seventy years.
In either case, Dave Clark's book about Route 66 in Chicago is a good one to peruse before the trip begins. It will provide more than a few ideas for sites to see, give a bit of historical context for places passed as you motor west, and in general add depth to the experience.
Route 66 in Illinois consistently rates as one of the states most popular attractions. The road, or roads as there are several alignments of Route 66, between Chicago and the Mississippi River is an almost endless string of attractions. I strongly suggest that before beginning your odyssey along the Main Street of America in this state you first explore the Illinois Route 66 Association website and acquire their travel guide.
To say the very least, the various alignments of Route 66 in the St.  Louis area are a tangled and confusing mess but McClanahans guide will go a very long way to making sense of it. Not many think of St. Louis as a vacation destination but there are more enough sites and point of interest here to fill several vacations.
The resident expert on St. Louis, and Route 66 in that city, is Joe Sonderman. He has written extensively on that subject, as well as on Route 66 in Missouri, New Mexico and Arizona. You can order books and explore his extensive and fascinating post card collection at his website by following this link.
If you miss everything in St. Louis as you flee to less congested surroundings, at least make it a point to stop at Ted Drewes, a roadside favorite since 1929. To get the most out of your tour along Route 66 in Missouri start with that states association.
If your running on a restricted schedule there are several places that must not be missed. Rating high on the list of must see stops are Cuba, Gay Parita, and Devil's Elbow.
One of the things that will really enhance your Route 66 adventure in the Show Me State is to take advantage of one of the many vintage motels along the way, a very rare treat indeed. I have three that can be highly recommended; the Wagon Wheel Motel, the Munger Moss Motel, and the Route 66 Rail Haven.
Kansas is unique in regards to its association with Route 66. It has the shortest segment of that highway, less than twenty miles, and is the only state wholly bypassed with the creation of the interstate highway system.
In that short distance are an amazing array of attractions from the beautiful Marsh Arch Bridge to the historic communities of Baxter Springs and Galena. Again, if you are doing the Reader's Digest condensed tour of the highway be sure to at least stop and say hello to Melba at Four Women on the Route in Galena. Be prepared for a very long and very friendly visit as everyone who stops is made to feel like long lost family.
Route 66 is treasured by the folks of Oklahoma. As a result, driving Route 66 through this state allows for an almost time travel sensation.
The first stop has to be the Route 66 Association of Oklahoma website. Be sure to order their informative and detailed guide before beginning your trip.
There are a staggering array of attractions to see, experience, savor, and taste. But there are several that have to be included as "must see" stops regardless of how tight the schedule is. Topping my list is Afton Station in the near ghost town of Afton.
A wonderful example of what makes Route 66 a truly unique experience is found in Chandler, Oklahoma. The acclaimed artist and author of the EZ 66 Guide lives here. To quote from his book, "The gallery is just past the second house on the east. Get your EZ Guide autographed and the latest updates! No set hours: Call ahead or try your luck. Cell 903-467-6384, Home 405-258-0130, mcjerry66.com"
Texas rates second to Kansas for having the shortest section of Route 66. But jammed in that short distance are landmarks such as the U Drop In in Shamrock, ghost towns, the Devils Rope Museum, and a wide array of attractions.
Again, start with a visit to the state association website. My second suggestion for traveling through Texas on Route 66 is to plan your trip for the week of June 9, the scheduled kick off for the International Route 66 Festival in Amarillo. I guarantee this event will get you in the mood to explore and discover Route 66.
Tomorrow I will highlight the sites and adventures awaiting discovery on Route in Arizona, New Mexico, and California.

ROUTE 66 CHRONICLES

The search for hidden gems in my efforts to chronicle the history of Route 66 for the Route 66 encyclopedia and atlas often makes me feel as though I am a kid with a pocket full of nickles in a candy store. Of course there are also a number of days when I feel like a kid with no nickles in my pocket at a candy store.
My latest endeavors have involved sifting through decades of newspapers from communities large and small, as well as a few that no longer warrant a dot on the map. The discoveries made present the illusion that the pieces from several puzzle boxes have been mixed together but the reality is the puzzle picture is a vast tapestry.
The Amarillo Globe, Thursday, August 22, 1928, "The new Pennant Motor Oils sold by the following courteous Pierce dealers." This followed by a short list of a dozen or so but buried in this, about half way down is "Wildorado Garage, Wildorado, Texas."
Now, this gives me a bit more insight into the town of Wildorado. It also dovetails with the material Joe Sonderman provided regarding Pierce Pennant stations.
Another glimpse of the Wildorado portion of the tapestry was found in a single paragraph from the San Antonio Light, Sunday, May 21, 1933. "Burglars hauled off a one ton safe containing more than $500.00 after breaking into the State Bank (Wildorado, Texas) sometime Friday night. Most of the bank fixtures were torn down by the burglars in getting the heavy safe out the front door."
Adding to this was a headline and story found int he Syracuse Herald, Sunday, January 29, 1928."Wildorado, Texas a town plundered so many times that six shooters no longer terrorize." The article then details several years worth of robberies. What kind of place was Wildorado in the 1920s and early 1930s?
Wildorado may have been plagued with thieves before it vanished from the map but other communities along Route 66 were not immune from such activity. The Hutchinson News for Tuesday, March 13, 1923, featured a story about a Halltown, Missouri robbery on the front page. The Ada Evening News for Monday, February 8, 1960, has a nice headline about a bank robbery in Depew, Oklahoma.
Then, as well as now, it was bad news that sold papers. So, unfortunately many of my discoveries are a bit on the tragic or dark side. There is an article from the Roswell Daily Record dated July 24, 1929 that details a deadly auto accident at the bottom of La Bajada Hill. Another details a bloody weekend on Route 66 in Oklahoma with numerous accidents resulting in 13 deaths.
An interesting curiosity in the Joplin Globe from November of 1968 leaves one asking what are the odds. A car plunged into the Spring River at Riverton in the afternoon of the same day that another car left the roadway and crashed through a guard rail.
Then, as well as now, most of the stories are softened with human interest tales of miraculous survival. An articles date May 30, 1909, details the destruction of Depew, Oklahoma by a "cyclone" and the stories of survivors.
Wild weather stories are another staple of news. A 1964 newspaper from Placerville, California details the harrowing experience of a couple of residents on their vacation in the southwest when, "a desert cyclone between Hackberry and Seligman nearly forced our car and trailer from the road. Many vehicles were damaged and there was extensive damage in Kingman and Las Vegas."
If I were limited to one statement about what has been learned from this research it would be this, I will never drive Route 66 and see it the same way again. How can I now that I know about Widlorado and the Christmas parade in Shamrock, or GIs at Kingman Army Airfield teaching the local kids to roller skate, or the ...

A FRIEND TO THE VERY END

After a string of twelve hour days at the mine, I felt as worn down and muddy as my old Chevy truck looked. As midnight marked the end of my shift that week, and the start of four days off, a stop at the Triangle Tavern in Bayard seemed appropriate before driving on into Silver City where I was renting a room from my sister.
Even though the late summer evening still was warm there was something on the light breeze blowing down from the high country that hinted fall was fast approaching and that gave me a bit of a shiver as I stepped from the truck in that dark parking lot. The thought of watching the sun breaking through the morning fog to illuminate the icicles hanging from my hard hat from the deck of that dredge was not something I looked forward to even though the money was far beyond good.
I was far to tired to mediate on winter at any length and instead set my sights on a cold beer to wash the dust from my throat and the taste of diesel from my mouth, and a couple of fresh tamales to quiet the rumbling in my stomach. It was a focus on that simple goal that kept me on my feet and moving forward and it was being distracted from that goal that set me off on a fit of carnality accentuated by a few well chosen words that a fellow shouldn't use in mixed company or church.
I had walked around to the passenger side of the truck to roll up the window but as soon as the door opened, a moth eaten mutt about knocked me on my butt as he barreled past me to jump in the cab. I didn't know it at the time but that was the beginning of an amazing friendship.
My efforts to extricate the tick infested, half starved pup were rewarded by the snapping of his weathered collar and the planting of my back side in a mud puddle. The evening was rapidly headed south.
It was at about this point that the fit of carnality went into high gear. I was about half way through a string of obscenities when that poor old dog jumped from the cab and began licking my hand.
At this juncture in life I was fairly rough around the edges with a damned hard shell and as a topper, I was on the back side of a pretty bad relationship. I was also about as empty as a fellow can get and still be waking up on this side of the grass.
Well, I gave that old dog a pretty good cussing and was rewarded with a tail wagging so severe he about fell over. There was little to do but laugh and right there the decision was made that I needed a dog even though I didn't have anywhere to keep one.
I tossed his sorry butt in the cab and as we headed for Silver City, began to give thought on how to best sell my sister on the idea. At some point between the tavern and Silver, for no reason that I can figure, the pup was bestowed with the name Critter.
Well, as it turned out my sister and her husband didn't object to having the dog around provided he got cleaned up before the kids woke up. So, instead of a cold beer and tamales, I whiled away the first hours of the new day by rounding up some food and flea soap, washing a dog and picking ticks.
My guess was that the dog was about six months old and there was ample evidence to indicate those months were very hard ones. I was also fairly certain there was a bit of wolf mixed in with that white shepherd and that he was going to become a very large dog.
Well, as it turned out Critter truly had a unique and gentle personality that was ideal for kids. Even better, he and my nephew hit it off immediately.
I had always thought that people who took their dog everywhere were just a bit tiched in the head. I still do. But Critter wasn't really a dog, he was a true friend and companion in every sense of the word.
Before Critter came along I would often spend my four days off somewhere up in the Gila Wilderness or in the Black range in the shadow of Cooks Peak with some beer, books, and steaks. Now the long weekends were spent with a friend who enjoyed the walks along the headwaters of the Gila River, the adventures, that shared a beer, and that definitely loved the steaks well done or rare.
A cut back at work, and a rash of thefts from the remote job site at night, marked the beginning of a new chapter for Critter and I. On the midnight to noon shift we were down to a two man crew; six hours as an operator and six hours hauling fuel, fixing the pump packing, and moving the dredge across the tailings pond with cables and hand jacks.
I suggested, and the boss agreed, that Critter would be a good addition to the job site at night as a deterrent to the thefts. So, now that old dog and I were together twenty four/seven.
He loved the boat rides, eagerly patrolled the fuel dump, and had no problem curling up on the floor of the cabin during my shift as operator. As a cost saving measure I had purchased a camper for the truck and, as a watchman, moved to the job site using the showers at the nearby railroad siding.
With the first dusting of snow I shifted gears and the long weekends were spent in the deserts down along the Mexican border with an occasional foray into southern Arizona. It was on an excursion to the abandoned mining town of Old Hachita (as a shameless plug of self promotion you can read about the town in my book, Ghost Towns of the Southwest) that Critter came between me and a western diamondback rattlesnake.
I performed a bit of first aid and began the long drive to Lordsburg, the closest place with a vet, fearing that I was about to loose a very good friend. As it turned out Critter was as tough as a bunch of nails and after a lengthy recovery he regained the sight in his eye and with the exception of the loss of a patch of fur below the eye, was as right as rain in a few weeks.
That proved to be the first of many brushes with death for Critter. With each I was given a renewed sense of just how much that dogs friendship meant to me.
Once, we were on an excursion to the mining towns below Cooks Peak when he stepped into a trap set for coyotes or other small game. His quick reflexes resulted in the loss of a toe rather than a foot.
On another occasion near the remote border crossing of Antelope Wells in New Mexico, our campsite was raided by a couple of fellows who seemed to be on their way to a Pancho Villa look alike contest. Critter played a key role in what became a Mexican standoff that ended with a handshake rather than something a little more violent.
When the job at the mine came to an abrupt end shortly after snow began to stay on the ground for days at a time, Critter and I headed north to accept an odd ball job offer of employment from a friend working out of the old railroad town of Drake south of Ashfork in Arizona. Winter is a tough time to be living out of a camper and tent, especially in the high country of Arizona, and without Critter to hog the bed roll, I probably would have froze to death.
These were lean years and work was scarce but we kept our head above water with a dizzying array of temp jobs. Surprisingly, every one of them allowed for Critter to ride along; a few weeks of hauling pipe to Albuquerque, stringing wire for Cane Springs ranch out towards Red Lake, cutting cord wood near Seligman.
It was during these hard times I met a very special young lady, a pretty little gal who would become my wife and dearest friend. At first Critter wasn't overly happy about having a third party involved in our evenings and excursions.
But my new friend won his heart and he won hers. We married and became a family of three a couple of years later.
Critter was with us on the honeymoon to Carlsbad in New Mexico, on the excursions across the deserts of Nevada, and up the coast of California to Oregon. He was a constant companion on our weekend camping trips, and he was there with his tail wagging when we brought our son home from the hospital.
The years clipped by and then one day Critter just couldn't seem to get in the truck. He still enjoyed the rides and our walks but the spark just wasn't there.
Then came the day when we set out for an evening stroll around the block and into the canyons behind the house. At the end of the driveway he stumbled and at the end of the driveway he fell and couldn't get up.
But Critter was a friend to the very end. As I sat there on the curb with that old dog in my arms, he licked my hand and gave that winning smile that brought me back from the precipice of a very dark, very lonely place in the parking lot of the Triangle tavern so many years before.
I packed him back to the house, and with a family in tears, made him comfortable, and the next day took him to the vet. When I laid him to rest in the shadow of the Cerbat Mountains that he had loved to explore, I buried the last link to the man I once was and bid farewell to one of the best friends ever known.

BEFORE YOU GO

We live our life somewhere between that of an Amish farmer and full fledged technofile. The rotary dial wall telephone that mirrored the one on Leave It To Beaver was replaced to celebrate New Years Eve of the year 2000, a CD player replaced the cassette player that replaced the eight track tape player in about 2005, a black and white television that met our family needs until about 1990 was my wife's graduation present, and I still depended on a 6 volt electrical system and a generator in my daily transportation until somewhere around the year 2003.
So, it shouldn't come as a real surprise to learn that I still enjoy my reading material to be of paper and ink. Anything else for a bathroom reader just doesn't seem natural.
Even though the sale of magazines and books for electronic readers exceeded print editions for the first time in January of this year, I am a bit slow in embracing the new technologies. Fortunately, my publisher isn't.
As a result, Ghost Towns of the Southwest is now available for the Kindle. Yesterday, I took the plunge, or would it be more appropriate to say I tested the waters, by having the blog made available in that format. You can order the blog by following the link at the top of the page.
There is a new, fully digital on line Route 66 publication scheduled for a debut on May 1 of this year. In talking with the brainchild behind this endeavor, John Springs, I am quite convinced this will write a new chapter in the history of that legendary highway and introduce the world to the wide array of mom and pop shops along the road that make it so special.
As we are on the topic of Route 66, I would like to share some ideas about ways to enjoy the adventures only found on that highway in spite of rising gasoline prices. My suggestion is this, find a festival in your part of the country and join the fun.
For those in the western half of the United States, there is the annual Route 66 Fun Run. This three day block party on the longest remaining uninterrupted section of Route 66, more than 180 miles, celebrates Route 66 and the American love affair with the automobile in some of the most beautiful scenery to be found anywhere.
Just how big is this festival? Well, this year an Australian tour company that specializes in Route 66 adventures has included the Fun Run in their spring package.
If you happen to reside somewhere around the middle of he country it will be tough to beat the international Route 66 festival in Amarillo scheduled for a June 9th kick off. This will be big, very big.
The publisher has chosen to use this event as the stage to introduce my new book, Ghost Towns of Route 66. Michael Wallis, the celebrated author who lent his signature voice to that of the sheriff in the animated movie Cars and wrote Route 66 - The Mother Road, a cornerstone for the modern resurgent interest in that highway will also be in attendance. Other authors of note who will be there include Joe Sonderman, author of a number of Route 66 titles for Arcadia Publishing, and KathyWieser Alexander, the primary author of Greetings from Route 66.
To say this will be the years premier Route 66 event would be an understatement. If your in the neighborhood this would be one to mark on the calendar in red.
There is also a New Mexico cruise organized by the New Mexico Route 66 Association this summer, the biggie in San Bernardino in September, and several in Illinois organized by the very active Illinois Route 66 Association. So, don't let the high price of gas keep you from getting your kicks on Route 66 this year.
The next, and last, item on my list today is a bit removed from Route 66. I received this book for review from Veloce Publishing about a week ago and couldn't wait to delve into it.
With the exception of the photograph quality, most likely the result of utilizing poor quality material, I found this book most interesting. However, it is not a light read nor is it really something the average "car guy" would find of interest.
With that said, if you have a deep curiosity about obscure automotive history, or find enjoyment in expanding your thinking process through seeing the world from a different perspective, Russian Motor Vehicles is definitely a book you need to add to the library.

A WONDER TO BEHOLD

Part two - With the attack on Pearl Harbor the proposed airbase and training center at Kingman, a town with a population of less than 5,000 people, became a priority. In what must have seemed like the blink of an eye, the sleepy little desert town nestled along Route 66 and the main line of the Santa Fe Railroad found itself at the very center of a whirlwind of change and transformation.
Port Kingman, a small rural airfield initially established by Charles Lindbergh, became the temporary hub for the new base. War planes destined for foreign shores were temporarily stored here before being picked up by members of the Brazilian and Chinese air force. Cadets from Kelly Field in Texas arrived by train to begin training with new P-40 Mustangs.
Construction crews flooded Kingman and housing became an issue with every motel, apartment complex , and home with a spare room to rent, filled to capacity. Traffic jams became a new phenomena as military men, construction crews, equipment, and materials flooded into Kingman by rail for transport to the proposed site for the training center on the Neal Ranch in the Hualapai Valley east of Kingman along Route 66.
As construction continued, the Army Air Corps began utilizing the airfield at Needles to facilitate the growing needs of cadet training and Route 66, as well as the railroad, became important links between the two cities. Adding to the importance of this transportation corridor was the development of auxiliary fields at Yucca, west of Kingman, and at Site 6, now the island at Lake Havasu City.
In June of 1942, construction, under the auspices of the Los Angeles District Office of the Army Corps of Engineers, on what would become the Kingman Army Airfield commenced and by the end of July, completion of streets, sewer and water lines, and a railroad spur were well underway. On August third, construction of the runways and airstrips began.
Military police began enforcing a no camera policy at the new airfield as well as at Port Kingman, and all pilots, cadets, and construction workers were issued identification cards. The Harvey House in Kingman became the temporary headquarters for the new airfield with Lieutenant Colonel Huglin as commander.
On August 4, 1942, under General Order #59, the Army Air Force Flexible Gunnery School at Kingman received official recognition. Additionally, under order #66 issued on August 12th, the field at Yucca was to be developed as an axillary gunnery range. On the first of September construction of the base hospital commenced, and the first contingent of foreign trainees, pilots from the Canadian Air Force, arrived on the fourth.
In November, approval for construction of several axillary and emergency fields was given; Site 1 near Red Lake, a dry lake north of Kingman, Site 5, near Topock, Site 7, south of the Yucca Aerial Gunnery Range. On December 1, the headquarters was relocated from the Harvey House to the new field.
On December 9, 1942, the delayed work at Davis Dam on the Colorado River near present day Bullhead City, was given an official stop work order so all crews and equipment could be relocated to Kingman to expedite construction. On December 26, the first flexible training squadrons (1120th, 1121st, 1122nd, 1123rd) assigned to Kingman arrived.
On the 27th the Kingman Army Airfield became the first to accept an African American unit for training, the 334th Aviation Squadron. The following day all manner of training aircraft began to arrive.
On the 3rd of January, the airfield received a new assignment, the training of gun crews for the B-17 flying fortress. This would result in an addition of 300 hundred students in each class.
In mid January, 1943, the base was awarded an official mascot, Bugs Bunny. In the same month the airfield became the subject of a War Department investigation that would eventually transform the facility into one of the largest Army airfield training centers in the nation.
In late January the estimates of cost, and the engineering reports, for construction of a railroad underpass were completed. The project was not deemed a priority and as a result was placed on hold, a decision that would have devastating consequences in late 1943.
On February 12th it was announced that Port Kingman would be temporarily closed as a civilian airport and that all training would now take place at Kingman Army Airfield. Port Kingman never reopened.
To be continued -

NO JOKE

I-40 is to be routed from Kingman to Searchlight in Nevada and join I-15 near Nipton. This will bypass Yucca, Needles, and Fenner.
This is not an Aprils Fools Day joke. In the early 1960s this was the news that fueled land speculation as well as heated debate in Kingman, Needles, and the halls of Congress.
This is just one of the little gems discovered in my on going research for the Route 66 encyclopedia. Here is another.
The National Old Trails Highway was to follow the Trail to Sunset from Santa Fe in New Mexico to Yuma in Arizona. This would bypass everything from Grants and Gallup to Hesperia.
It was the efforts of civic leaders in Needles and Kingman, with assistance from the railroad that carried the day. The selling points were the increased potential for tourism awarded by having a highway that provided access to wonders such as the Grand Canyon, and the available services of the Harvey House restaurants and hotels as well as the railroad that could provide shipping for disable vehicles.
Emily Post utilized that service in 1916. Her battered vehicle gave up the ghost near Winslow necessitating the shipping of the car to Los Angeles by rail.
Another interesting twist pertains to the National Old Trails Highway, and as a result the possible future of Route 66 in New Mexico. Initially that highway crossed the river at Soccoro and then followed, roughly, what is today US 60 to Springerville in Arizona before turning north to St. Johns and then into Holbrook.
There was tremendous opposition to realignment that took the road through Grants and Gallup. But it was that brief association with the National Old Trails Highway that resulted in Springerville getting a Madonna of the Trail statue, a monument that was almost placed in Kingman.
For those who follow the blog of Laurel Kane, owner of Afton Station, I would like to remind you that it is April 1. I would also like to strongly suggest that if your motoring on Route 66 this year to the Hudson meet in Oklahoma City or the big festival in Amarillo, you make this a must see attraction.
Don't forget, this weekend we have part two of the Kingman Army Airfield story as well as the travel tips and book reviews.