Amazing Arizona Route 66 Side Trips

Williams, AZ
In the charming, Frontier-town buildings, you can watch a Wild West gunfight before taking an old steam train into the Grand Canyon. We've even camped in one of the Williams KOA Kamping Kabins, and relived the adventures of the day by a warm fire while the fall night fell and the temperature dipped below freezing. If you get tired of drinking your Sapphire and Tonics from cold stainless steel camping cups, I heartily recommend a drink at the Grand Canyon Lodge Lobby Bar, close to where you'll disembark the Grand Canyon Railway.

This was in 2005. My daughter was so little, and a little scared of the mock gunfight in Williams

At four, our little girl hiked 2 miles on the rim of the Grand Canyon. Here she's taking a break with her mom. Now, at 8, she can hike up the California Sierras like an adult. I guess this Grand Canyon adventure started her off on the right foot.

Flagstaff
Even less of a detour, plan your overnight stop to occur at the Hampton Inn Flagstaff, and you can see the beauty of Coconino National Forest from your room.

Kingman
If you decided to bunk in Kingman after your first day of travel, there's plenty to see as you head east on Old 66 from downtown Kingman. Follow the Mother Road across the rugged desert, 30 miles to the old-fashioned gas pumps and weather-beatensign collection at the Hackberry General Store. Continue 40 miles to the cement Dinosaur in front of Grand Canyon Caverns, a nostalgic and interesting stop on Route 66.

Hiking to one of the vortexes in Sedona

Sedona
30 miles south of Flagstaff is our family's favorite Arizona 66 side trip, Sedona. We usually stay at the Hampton Inn and then hike up to the Vortex at Red Rock (you can find out at a crystal shop, but don't pay for a map or a tour; the vortexes are easy to get to) to meditate on things that we want to happen in our lives. We've done it a couple of times and our "wishes" have all come tree. It's the kind of place that takes hold of you and transports you. It seems crazy, but take a sidetrip to Sedona, and watch your dreams come true. Even if I'm wrong, you'll still enjoy the breathtaking beauty of the red rocks.

I have a close friend that says that he pulled over at a gas station close to the parking lot that we use when we go on this hike to one of the vortexes, and he suddenly felt like he had drunk a 6-pack. When he asked the attendant what was happening, the reply was that it was the effect of the vortexes. For us, it's different. It feels "special", reverent, and commanding, just like a lot of back country spaces - Mount Whitney, Yosemite Falls, to name a few of the ones I've experienced. But, the amazing thing here is that if you meditate on manifesting something in your life, a thing, experience or achievement, it usually comes to pass within 12 months of the hike. Last time we hiked to the "spot", there was an Native American lady dressed in jeans and a t-shirt up in one of the cracks between the rocks above us chanting and singing; that enhanced the experience. The first time we went there, we asked for my wife's car, just as a test to see if anything would happen. The second time, we asked for something more serious, more important, and it came to pass in the most unusual way, but nonetheless happened within 12 months.

Vortexes are convergences of energy. They amplify thoughts and give them the strength to objectify your ideas. The operative word is amplify. Again, besides, the place is beautiful. Pardon me for not remembering the exact number, but I think there are 8 vortexes in the world and Sedona has three of them. When we go there, we just kind of run through town after staying at the Hampton Inn, and on the other side, after some winding road along the Redrock, there's a parking lot from which you can see the photo above.

I remember the first time we went there, when my 4-yr-old hiked back to the car for a half hour or so in complete silence, transformed by a meditative state, unbelievable for a child that age, but her ability to meditate was a child's casual attempt, amplified by this vortex in Sedona to the point where she was more calm and focused than most adults could be.

In the next post, we'll be leaving Arizona and headed into magical New Mexico, where there's plenty of beauty and adventure. See you there!

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.