It seems a bit like old times. There is a pounding of the pulse that seems to escalate by the second, a tightening of the muscles, and a rush of adrenaline that blurs the background but sharpens the focus on the weathered wood of the chute, the rigging in your hand, and the heaving, snorting, sweating beast between your legs. And then the chute opens…
I am tossing my hat in the ring this week and am signing on with a tour company to serve as a guide to Kingman and Route 66 in western Arizona on weekends and on days off. This will be in addition to my promise to serve as a guide for Route 66 Tours that is offering day trips from the historic El Trovatore Motel (928-753-6520 or http://www.eltrovatore.com.
If, per chance, this doesn’t keep me busy enough, there is the current writing project, a Route 66 Historic Atlas, and promotion of other books, developing ways to use this promotion to shine the light on the people and places along the road that make it special. Then there is the ongoing effort to lend assistance in the transformation of Kingman from a stop into a destination.
For quite some time I have noted that Kingman just may be one of the most overlooked destinations on Route 66. Now, I will have another opportunity to prove it by introducing the wonders of Monolith Gardens, historic sites such as the church where Clark Gable and Carol Lombard tied the knot in 1939, and lost segments of Route 66 and the National Old Trails Highway to enthusiasts of the double six from the four corners of the world.
At this rate I just might fulfill the childhood dream and become a writer yet. On a serious note, writing and the doors it has opened, the people met, and the places we have been, has been an unimaginable blessing.
I find it hard to imagine anything more enjoyable than sharing the history, the excitement and the adventure of Route 66 and the road less traveled,and encouraging a bit of exploration. If I were to allow myself one regret it would that I didn’t start on the quest of fulfilling a childhood dream sooner. Oh well, better late than never.
