What better way is there to start a day than with an Arizona sunrise? Answer, a cruise along old alignments of Route 66 as an Arizona sunrise unfolds.
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| This is a segment of the earliest alignment of Route 66 west of Kingman, Arizona. |
I love the early morning hours, especially during the months of summer in the desert southwest. There is a peace, a quiet that stirs the soul and that inspires meditation as well as reflection.
There is a sense of renewal, of cleansing that is truly addictive. Even cold winter mornings can’t dampen my enthusiasm for this special time of day.
My eyes popped open at 4:30 this morning and I instantly felt an urgency to savor the morning, and to watch the sun chase shadows from the crags and crevices in the canyons west of Kingman along the earliest alignment of Route 66. Long ago I learned that early morning impulses such as this must be given free reign or the anticipation of the day to come will be dulled.
By 5:00 the camera gear and water was in the Jeep, and I was on the road. My destination was the earliest alignment of Route 66 west of Kingman that was also the course of the National Old Trails Highway.
It was a most delightful drive and a glorious morning. As the solitude of the desert embraced me, I felt an overwhelming awe for the creation that unfolded with every turn, and a sense of timelessness that can only be found with a drive along Route 66.
I followed the old road to its end at an abandoned motor park and patiently waited for the silence to erase the rumble of trains in the canyon. Then at an even slower pace I turned to the east and drove into the bright morning light.
Even though the sun had crested the distant ridge line, and the heat was fast replacing the cool morning air, I couldn’t resist cruising the quiet streets to see the ancient monuments to an earlier time bathed in the light of a new day. What an incredible way to begin a day!
