Saturday, August 12, 2000
Our next stop on the way was in Hackberry, also on 66. Here is another famous trading post that is a tradition. It is now under new ownership since the last owner, Bob Waldemeir, went to Illinois. Bob is also famous for his line drawings that are featured on postcards and posters. Most are popular 66 spots and maps of the route in different states. He is very talented and we had the privilege of meeting him the last time we traveled the "Mother Road". We spent most of the day enjoying the scenery along old parts of Route 66. There was lots of lovely hills and balancing rocks. It is some of the most beautiful landscape around.
We made it into Needles, CA around 6:00 PT. This place, in my opinion, is about the hottest place in the U.S. We had wanted to spend the night in the Palms Motel that we had taken pictures of 4 years ago on our last Route 66 trip. When we got there, though we found no manager, and a groundskeeper informed us that they no longer take nightly visitors, only long-term renters. We were disappointed and the evening really began to look dim when we ate at McDonalds - the last desperate stop of people at the end of their rope - or at least the last place we ever want to eat. As we "enjoyed" our McSandwiches, we decided that our best course of action at this point was to head out over the Mojave Desert to Barstow. This thought did not excite me at all but knowing both other members of my family wanted that, I chose to make the best of it. We got some snacks from the local mini-mart and planned our "part-ay" on wheels. We really enjoyed the 2 1/2 hours on the road, chatting about our trip, and playing "Simpsons" games. We were laughing and eating and having a great time. This was one of my favorite parts of the trip.
We left Holbrook after taking a family picture in front of our Wigwam, a tradition of ours, and continued westward toward California. Our first stop was to one of our favorite Rt 66 attractions, The Jackrabbit trading post. Featuring a large Jackrabbit in front that Vienna loves, this is a long-time 66 feature that is well known among the Route's crew. We bought some Jackrabbit souvenirs and took some pictures with the Jackrabbit. It was at that time that I noticed a problem with my camera. I was very sad to see that I wouldn't be able to take any more pics until I had it checked out. Luckily, we had taken pretty much all the important pics we would need on the trip. We bought a cheap instamatic at the next WalMart, just in case.
The most interesting spot of the day was Oatman, AZ. About 20 miles off of I-40, this old west mining town is most famous for its wild burrows wandering the streets begging tourists for food. A Plaque in town explains that if it weren't for the burrows, the town wouldn't be there. Many people have come for the burrows and stayed to buy this or that trinket. We brought in some carrots and had fun feeding these neat animals. Some had babies with them and others were pregnant. They could be pushy, at times, too. We certainly had a good time, here.
We quickly found out in Barstow that we had made the right decision. Andy wanted to stay at the Route 66 Motel on Main Street. Earlier in the day, we stopped at the Route 66 Magazine shop and office in Williams, AZ. This magazine is a quarterly mag all about the "Mother Road" and Andy had tried to submit articles to them before with some promises of getting printed but with no luck. Andy spoke with them this day about a possible regular feature on 66 motels and we were considering what motel to submit first. It would have to be a good one with a good story and one that has not already been done to death (that eliminated the Blue Swallow and Aztec). Anyway, we had shot the Route 66 motel before, as well and the owners remembered us. They proceeded to chat with us all about the motel; it's history and how they were in the process of revitalizing Barstow with the Route 66 popularity. They had already made a small museum and are now in the process of putting up a Route 66 sign on the hill bigger than the Hollywood sign. They are helping to sponsor fund-raisers to help the local Boys and Girls clubs. It's a real success story and perfect for our first submittal. We certainly made the right choice.
