An early view of Goldroad, Arizona
Two Weeks. Fourteen days. Three hundred thirty six hours. A mere blink of an eye in geologic times. But this is Jim Hinckley’s America where things change faster than a politicians principled stand on an issue during an election campaign.
In that brief amount of time I was scheduled to attend a book signing and the book singing was canceled due to shipping delays of books. Linked with that was the canceling of some customers book orders and making refunds.
I made a field trip to the old railroad camp of Franconia and attempted to locates some graves, lost a cap on two teeth that can’t be replaced or repaired until next week, and spent some time at the Mohave Museum of History & Arts research library. I was looking for information to to confirm dates and flesh out information for the narrated historic district walking tours being developed by Kingman Main Street.
But when it comes to research I lack razor sharp focus. And so I was soon off on an unrelated tangent with the discovery of family photo albums of trips in western Arizona circa 1922. Pictures of Goldroad, a ghost town on Route 66, and Oatman that were rich with detail proved to be quite the distraction.
I have toyed with the idea of creating a rolling Route 66 information center and Jim Hinckley’s America mobile studio for quite sometime. Well, after a great deal of deliberation I stuck a crowbar in the wallet, pried out a few hundred dollar bills, and purchased a 1951 Chevy 3800 (one ton) panel truck. It was a twofer so it was difficult to resist.
Buyers remorse is always a concern in these situations, especially when the vehicle needs work, hasn’t been on the road for a few years, and a quest for project funding will consume more time than making repairs. But that cloud of uncertainty never materialized while putting air in the ancient tires. And it never showed up on the 25 mile drive into Kingman on Route 66 at a brisk clip of 45 miles per hour.
Today I finished a feature article for Crankshaft, and created an accompanying photo file for illustrations. And I wrote a clients blog, squeezed in a two mile desert walkabout which proved interesting as my ankle injury apparently hasn’t fully healed.
The past fourteen days has included attendance of the Route 66 Association of Kingman Christmas party, a toilet repair, work to develop the Wake Up With Jim audio podcast, recording the narration for several of the walking tour points of interest and a little home repair after an intense wind storm. I also found time to sit for a couple of interviews, and complete the maps for a new book scheduled for release in June.
The Sunday morning Coffee With Jim programs took a bit more time as they were from the road. But it was a distinct honor to give Calico’s a promotional boost.
Bottom line, Jim Hinckley’s America is never boring. It is always an adventure. And even though I do a bit of grousing, I have the best job in the world. I tell people where to go in such a manner that they look forward to the trip!
