Route 66 - Oatman and the Wild Burro

Oatman, AZ is an interesting place, but today it is a tourist draw complete with fake gunfights in the street and very docile "wild" donkeys looking for a hand-out. It began as a gold mining town named Vivian because most of the residents worked for the Vivian Mining Company. A post office opened under that name in 1903, but the name was changed to Oatman in 1909 to honor a young girl, Olive Oatman, who had been rescued a few years after being taken captive by Mohave Indians in the area and sold into slavery. 

Boofle riding an Oatman "wild" burro.

Eventually, Oatman became Arizona's largest gold-producing district and for a while had over 2,000 residents. The town's business district had a theater, a lumber company, restaurants, saloons, general stores, service stations and hotels. Upon completion, the Oatman Hotel became the first adobe structure in the county. In 1938, Clark Gable and Carol Lombard got married in Kingman and spent the first night of their honeymoon in the Oatman Hotel.

The mines began to play out in the 1930's and the town began sliding to ghost-hood.  The last mine closed in 1942 and Route 66 was realigned and bypassed the town in 1952. By the mid-1950's, nearly all the stores were boarded up and abandoned. With its rustic scenery and buildings, several movies were filmed in and around Oatman in the 1950's and '60's includingHow the West Was Won and Edge of Eternity.

Go to the human write-up on our sister site - 1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 at the WigWam Motel

At the WigWam Hotel on Route 66 in Holbrook, AZ.

One of the most interesting and probably most photographed of the old Route 66 attractions is the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona. Opened in 1950 and fully renovated in 1988, it is one of only two wigwam motels still open on the Route (the other is in San Bernardino, CA).  Its slogan, "Sleep in a Wigwam"  enticed many a kid to harass mom and dad into spending the night.

The classic cars parked in front of each WigWam was a nice touch!

Check out the full human write-up on our sister site - http://www.1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Petrified Forest National Park

Entrance to the park

Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona actually consists of 2 separate areas, the Painted Desert region which contains the north entrance to the Petrified Forest National Park and the National Park itself, which lies to the south. A 28-mile park road provides overlooks and parking areas for access to trails and picnic areas. There is a very early dirt road version of Route 66 which cuts through a corner of the Painted Desert region, but you cannot drive it.

Park's Visitor Center

The story of the petrified remains of trees that are millions of years old started when logs in the area were washed into the low-lying swamp that used to cover this region. As volcanoes to the west spewed tons of ash into the area, the logs were buried in the sediment. Then, water passing over the buried logs caused the silica in the ash to dissolve into the logs which replaced the cell walls and crystallized into mineral quartz. Minerals rich in iron combined with the quartz to produce the brilliant colors we see today.

An early layout of Route 66 went through the park

A much better story though comes from the Indians. According to them, a goddess was tired and hungry as she walked through the area. She killed a rabbit and attempted to build a fire with the logs that were lying on the ground, but the logs were soaked and would not ignite. In her anger, the Goddess turned the logs to stone.

Plan to spend at least a couple of hours driving through the park, another hour or more for the visitor centers,  and then another 30 minutes or more driving west on Hwy 180 at the southern end of the park to return to I-40.

Painted Desert portion of the park

The park turned an old car grill into a wonderful piece of
functional art - a bench for taking a break!

A very old auto carcass along the old Route 66 thru the park

Just a few of the many, many petrified logs in the park

Check out the full write-up on our sister site - www.1Dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - El Rancho Hotel

In Gallup, New Mexico, the famous El Rancho Hotel, built in 1937, became a haven for legends of Hollywood such as John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Spencer Tracy, Errol Flynn, Gregory Peck, Kirk Douglas, Humphrey Bogart, Doris Day and many others. It also hosted Presidents Reagan and Eisenhower as well as numerous other high-level politicians. Still serving Route 66 travelers, there are many stories of ghosts and spirits roaming the halls. 

The famous El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico

See the complete (human) write-up on our sister site 1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Club Cafe

The Club Cafe

From its opening in 1935, the Club Cafe of Santa Rosa, New Mexico served thousands of Route 66 travelers and locals with good food and good service at good prices. Many proclaimed this place to have the best biscuits and gravy in the Southwest. Once passed by I-40 though, traffic became sparse and like so many others, the place was forced to close in 1991.

Check out the human write-up on our sister site  1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Blue Swallow Motel

At the Blue Swallow Motel!

Boofle stopped at the famous Blue Swallow Motel on Route 66 in Tucumcari, New Mexico. Serving travelers since 1941, the motel has survived to become an icon of Route 66.

The garage walls and end walls of the motel were painted with
scenes from the movie "Cars"

For the human write-up about Tucumcari and the Blue Swallow Motel, please go to our sister site 1dustytrack.blogspot.com. 

Route 66 - MidPoint Cafe

While on his Route 66 Great Road Trip Adventure, Boofle stopped at the half-way spot between Chicago and Santa Monica to grab a bite to eat at the MidPoint Cafe in Adrian, Texas.

Boofle's adopted human  & photographer.  Boofle's
human found him in a store in Paddington Station,
London, England and brought him back to America.

Go to the human write-up on our sister site - 1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Boofle Visits Cadillac Ranch

There they are, right out there in an open field.

Outside Amarillo, Texas is the world famous  Cadillac Ranch. Created in 1974 by members of an art group who called themselves The Ant Farm, Stanley Marsh 3 contracted with them to place the public art work on his property. The piece consists of what were, at the time of installation, 10 older, running used Cadillac automobiles representing a number of evolutions of the car line from 1949 to 1963. The cars are buried nose down at an angle corresponding to that of the Great Pyramid of Giza in Egypt. 

Getting closer.

You are encouraged to leave your own message. 
Bring paint!

Every now and then, the cars are painted over in a solid
color and the graffiti art begins anew!

God bless us all.

To read the human write-up, visit our sister site  1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Big Texan Steak House

The Big Texan Steak Ranch in Amarillo, Texas!

 You can't go through Amarillo, Texas without stopping to eat at the Big Texan Steak Ranch, home of the free 72-oz steak dinner – free that is if you can eat it all within 1 hour! Boofle didn't try to eat that much meat, but he did stop by to check it out.





See our sister web site www.1dustytrack.blogspot.com for the full human write-up. 

Here's the front.

You can't miss this place as you drive down
I-40/Route 66. The address is 7701 E. I-40.

That's one big steer!

The easily recognizable outline of the state
of Texas is in the front of the restaurant.

That's a big boot even in Texas!

Route 66 - Slug Bug Ranch

Slug Bug Farm

 On I-40 at exit 96 outside of Amarillo in the Texas Panhandle is a quirky version of the more well-known Cadillac Ranch. It is in it's own way an interesting roadside attraction. Five stripped down VW “Bugs” are buried nose down in the dirt next to an abandoned wooden building. There is also a 1930′s car sitting there. Personal art work is encouraged so be sure to bring a spray can of paint to leave your mark!

Hey, Boofle!

What's up?

A lot of "artists" have been hard at work here!

To see the full human write-up, go to our sister site  www.1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - The Leaning Water Tower

Traveling down Route 66 near Groom, Texas, it's hard to miss the famous leaning water tower. Originally, it was a functioning water tower, but was slated to be demolished. Ralph Britten bought it and moved it close to his truck stop as an advertising gimmick. A lot of stories have been told about the water tower. Some of the more persistent have been that a tornado almost blew it over or that a sink hole opened up under one of the legs or that a bunch of high school boys hooked up their cars one night and tried to pull it over as a prank. None of these are true. Actually, Ralph installed leaning to one side simply to attract attention to his business which was located behind the tower. Tons of concrete buried underground offsets the weight distribution to keep it steady. The tower has outlasted the truck stop which suffered a fire a few years ago and has been boarded up and vacant ever since. Every year at Christmas, the town tops the tower with a brightly lit star.

See the full write-up at our sister site www.1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - U-Drop Inn

 While on his Route 66 road trip, Boofle stopped to see the famous U-Drop Inn/Tower Conoco at the junction of Route 66 and Highway 83 in Shamrock, Texas. Opened in 1936 to meet the traveler's needs, the facility has changed hands several times. It's Art Deco design was conceived by John Nunn, an original co-owner who sketched the design in sand with a nail for the construction crew to follow. After the restaurant opened, it was described as "the swankiest of the swank eating places." Both the restaurant and the service station served customers until the mid-1990's. Today, the building has been restored and houses offices of the Chamber of Commerce. 

Try to stick around after dark so you can see the wonderful neon light up the spires of the building.

See the full write-up at our sister site www.1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Into Texas

Traveling east to west on Route 66 - coming into Texas at sunset.

In Oklahoma just a few feet from Texas

In Texas at the welcome center

Go to the human write-up on our sister site - 1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Clinton Museum

At the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma

At the entrance to the museum.

In the recreation of a Route 66 Garage

Dust Bowl era auto with water bag

The museum's 66 Cafe

Love Wagon!

Vintage Rambler station wagon

Wonderful, friendly museum staff. Thank you!

Go to the human write-up on our sister site - 1dustytrack.blogspot.com.