A Giant Jack Rabbit and Trees Turned To Stone

It's signs like this that make Route 66 Roadside Attractions unlike any other in America

Back on the I-40 after exploring Meteor Crater, we have a new respect for the Desert stretches of Planet Earth of Desert that we traverse on Old 66. Before we can get too deep in contemplating Prehistoric Times and huge Meteors crashing into Earth, we see exit 269, coming up, and it's time to make a quick stop at Jack Rabbit Trading Post.
We'll take another picture on the giant jackrabbit statue, check out the souvenirs inside that are very much like the souvenirs form the Mother Road's heyday, tomahawks, moccasins, collectible stones, and of course Route 66 memorabilia. It's a quick stop, but we never miss it.


Someday, we'll have a series of pictures of our family posing on the Jack Rabbit through the years.


We don't always take the detour to Petrified Forest, but if you've never been, block out some time on this leg of the journey to explore the fascinating park. Take exit #311/PETRIFIED FOREST NATIONAL PARK onto PETRIFIED FOREST RD - go 1.82.8 mi. You won't be disappointed by this world-class National Park with fascinating formations and a beautiful vista of the adjacent Painted Desert.


The joy of family vacations. All ages are awestruck by the scenic beauty and intense geologic formation of The Petrified Forest and Painted Desert

On the next leg of the journey, we'll be heading out of Arizona, onto New Mexico, the land of enchantment. Before we do that, my next post will detail some side trips that you can take from the Arizona stretch of Route 66, in case you wanted more adventure before you leave this state.

Discovering Prehistoric Sites On The Mother Road

Mistakenly, on past trips down U.S. 66, I passed Meteor Crater by, thinking it to be like a snake farm or alligator wrestling ring-type attraction. On our third family road trip on the Mother Road, I acquiesced to my wife's requests, and we pulled off the I-40 at exit 233, made a short drive over an expanse of desert, and arrived at a first-rate National Park-like, but privately operated, Visitor's Center, complete with a fascinating museum and movie theater. Especially after driving across the flat expanse of desert, the crater is awe-inspiring, which is even more incredible, considering this is a small one as craters go, although it's the best preserved in existence. If you still don't believe that it's worth a stop, consider that it seems like the kind of thing that you only want to see once, but the combination of museum, visitor's center and gift shop make's it worthy of becoming a regular stop for our family.
The other great thing about Meteor Crater is that it sets the tone for the suprisingly rich geologic history and artifacts that are found in this part of Arizona and New Mexico. In a day or so, we'll be stopping at the Dinosaur Museum in Tucumcari, NM, so a walk through the very scientific, but also very entertaining, Meteor Crater Museum, serves as an orientation to the experiences that lie just ahead as we travel east on America's Main Street.


Although it's difficult to capture the massiveness of Meteor Crater in photos, this picture shows that even a kid that goes to Disneyland half a dozen times a year finds this stop rich in wonder.


In the next installment, we'll be driving about another 30 miles or so before stopping at one of our family's favorites, Jack Rabbit Trading Post; then, on to Petrified Forest.

Day Two: 1950's, Second Stop: Prehistoric Times

As you head out on I-40, leaving Kingman far behind, be prepared for the time warp that lies ahead. When the Delgadillo brothers saw the Route 66 business in the town of Seligman literally disappear overnight, they were moved to save the town, and, inevitably all of Route 66, preserving some of the most uniquely American roadside diners and attractions still remaining. Exit Interstate 40 at the first Seligman exit following the signs to Historic Route 66, and take a ride down one of the most well-preserved and maintained stretches of the Mother Road. It's no wonder that you won't be in Seligman long before you see busloads of European and Asian tourist, with gaping mouths, in wonderment at witnessing their Route 66 dreams come to life. Have an old-fashioned malted at the Snow Cap restaurant or some savory German food at Westside Lilo's Cafe.


No trip to Seligman is complete without stopping at the Route 66 Gift Shop and saying hello to Angel Delgadillo, a major player in saving Route 66 from complete extinction.


For the next post, we'll hop back in the car to take a trip to Prehistoric Times when we get off the I-40 at Exit 233 to take a look at the amazing geologic phenomenon, Meteor Crater.