The End of Route 66 - Santa Monica

Boofle at the beach by the Santa Monica Pier.

Like all good things, Route 66 has come to an end for Boofle and the little girl who loves him. After starting in Chicago, the end is the Santa Monica Pier & beach park. At age 13, Boofle's owner can now say something a lot of people would like to say, but relatively few actually can - she has traveled Route 66 from beginning to end!

Santa Monica Beach

Boofle's owner wading into the Pacific Ocean
marking the end of the trip.

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

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 - 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 - 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.

Route 66 - Lucille's

In 1941, Lucille Hamons and her husband Carl purchased a gas station that had been built in 1929. Located along a rural stretch of Route 66 just outside Hydro, Oklahoma, Lucille kept the station in business for 59 years, through the boom days of Route 66 and the slow times after Interstate-40 bypassed it. It closed in 2000 upon Lucille's passing. Today, the site remains an icon of Route 66 with visitors from around the world stopping to take pictures.

Lucille's, a famous icon of Route 66.

Boofle was here!

Welcome to Lucille's

Old gas pump used by motorists back "in the day."

Lucille's is located on Route 66. Through this
area, it has been named "Will Rogers Highway"
 in honor of Oklahoma's favorite son.

You can read a full write-up about Lucille's on our sister site - www.1dustytrack.blogspot.com.

Route 66 - Round Barn

Checking out the famous "Round Barn" on Route 66 in Arcadia, Oklahoma.

It's big, it's round, and it's red!

Full of antiques, Route 66 memorabilia and other collectibles, this was
a fun stop!

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