For just about as long as I can remember the running joke about Kingman was that as it is on Route 66, most everyone has broke down here at least once. The older folks often quip that my adopted hometown was founded by folks who stopped to wait for the wind to quit blowing.
While there is a grain of truth to the former there is no historical validity to support the latter. In fact most of the people who call Kingman home may grumble a bit but deep down they know that there is something pretty special about this place.
This and the fact that thousands of people pass through every day on I-40 or on Amtrack,and before that passed through on Route 66, the great Santa Fe passenger trails, and the National Old Trails Highway make its relative obscurity all the more surprising. In this era of resurgent interest in iconic U.S. 66 is it possible that Kingman is the most overlooked destination on that storied highway?
On more than one occasion I have asked that question on this blog but in the past year or so there have been many opportunities to share the secret places, the special places, and the hidden wonder of Kingman and the surrounding area with friends and visitors from most every corner of the world. What a delight it is to see the wonder reflected in their eyes when I introduce them to the pine forested oasis of the Hualapai Mountains, a pristine segment of the National Old Trails Highway where Barney Oldfield bested Louis Chevrolet in the 1914 Desert Classic, or the hidden corners of Route 66.
Here is my challenge to you this year. If your motoring east or west on the old double six, add an extra day in your schedule, unleash your adventurers spirit, and discover a few of the hidden gems that make Kingman a very special place.
