While our elected representatives argue over ways to resolve the financial mess they created, and to present the illusion they are earning their pay instead of finding new ways to line their pockets, we will continue to discuss Route 66 and adventures on the road less traveled in the year to come.
With that as our introduction, lets start planning an adventure. First, lets start with proper theme music to set the mood for planning road trips –
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| The historic Plaza Hotel in Las Vegas, New Mexico |
- Next, a couple of excellent guide books. If your adventure plans include Route 66 it is imperative to have a copy of the Lodging & Dining Guide and EZ 66 Guide for Travelers by Jerry McClanahan. As a bonus, if your order them through the National Historic Route 66 Association you will be supporting an excellent organization –
- If your thinking of an adventure of a different kind, my first suggestion would be to consider Arizona and New Mexico, two of my favorite states and two states that just happen to have a Route 66 association. It just so happens that there are several excellent guide books for both states available through this blog (see above): Backroads of Arizona, Route 66 Backroads, Ghost Towns of the Southwest and Route 66 Backroads –
- Aside from Kingman, I have two Arizona recommendations for anyone interested in unique destinations, historic lodging options, fascinating shops and museums, and delightful restaurants – Prescott and Bisbee –
- Prescott is an excellent Route 66 detour as it is less than fifty miles south of Ash Fork. For lodging our preference is the most delightful 1920s gem, the Hassayampa Inn –
- Bisbee, nestled in the bowl of a beautiful canyon, is an almost perfect time capsule circa 1910. It also makes for an excellent base camp to explore Tombstone, Douglas, and ghost towns such as Pearce and Dos Cabezas, and the ruins of Fort Bowie on the old Butterfield Stage road –
- For lodging there is but one option, in my humble opinion, which is the historic Copper Queen, the oldest continuously operated hotel in Arizona –
- If your a bit more adventuresome then another suggestion would be Crown King. And if you have a sturdy vehicle with a bit of ground clearance I would also suggest driving the historic Senator Highway from Prescott to Crown King –
- Now, in New Mexico my list of destinations is rather lengthy. First would be Silver City and most everything within 100 miles. Hands down, this is my favorite corner of America –
- Suggestion number two would be the pre 1937 Route 66 loop through Santa Fe to Albuquerque. I would add a slight detour, highway 104 from Tucumcari to Las Vegas, a most wonderful drive to an incredible city (think Santa Fe but without the tourists or cost) –
- Again, in my humble opinion, there is but one lodging option for Las Vegas, the historic Plaza Hotel. The saloon and the view from the front window is little changed from when Doc Holiday sent a cowboy to meet his maker here. With the exception of the expected modern amenities, the hotel itself is unchanged from when Teddy Roosevelt hosted the first reunion of the Rough Riders there –
- Do you have a favorite spot in Arizona, New Mexico, or along Route 66?
- Okay, we did not have a winner in our recent photo contest. So, in conjunction with the publisher, we are developing a contest that should be a great deal of fun for the Route 66 enthusiast as it will be one part scavenger hunt and one part trivia. The prize for the first to provide correct answers, autographed copies of Backroads of Arizona, Ghost Towns of Route 66, Ghost Towns of the Southwest, Route 66 Backroads, and The Route 66 Encyclopedia. As they say, stay tuned for exciting details!
