Happy autumn! And welcome to the newsletter of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. I’m Roger Naylor, Arizona author and travel writer, and it’s my privilege to pen these quarterly newsletters that we hope will inform and entertain.
95 Years Young
It’s another milestone for our favorite highway. On November 11, Route 66 celebrates its 95th anniversary. That’s downright historic and certainly one more good reason to plan a journey. While in other states the Mother Road may not be inviting in fall and winter, Arizona maintains a travel-friendly climate all year long. So don’t hesitate to take to the highway and bask in some of our endless sunshine and mild temperatures.
Hitting 95 also means that Route 66 is closing in on triple digits. In five more years, it will be a centennial celebration guaranteed to be fierce, boisterous and memorable. It’s not too early to start planning. Make sure that you’re part of these once-in-a-lifetime festivities.
London Bridge Celebrates 50 Years in the Desert
Speaking of milestones, our friends in Lake Havasu City will spend the entire month of October whooping it up in honor of their most famous piece of architecture, the London Bridge. Yes, the venerable London Bridge, the same one used by Charles Dickens, Queen Victoria, and Jack the Ripper, opened in Lake Havasu City 50 years ago on October 10, 1971.
Built in 1831, the bridge began sinking into the Thames River by the middle of the last century due to increasing traffic. Rather than demolish the historic span, it was put up for auction. Robert P. McCulloch, the founder of Lake Havasu City, posted the winning bid of $2.4 million. He thought it would attract tourists and potential buyers to his fledgling community.
London Bridge was dismantled and each of the 10,276 granite blocks were numbered and shipped to Arizona. It was reinforced and reassembled and for the past 50 years has spanned a channel of the Colorado River in Arizona. Like so many retirees, the bridge now revels in Arizona sunshine. Events are planned throughout the month of October in Lake Havasu City. For a full list of activities, visit www.londonbridge50th.com.
That’s another thing that distinguishes the Arizona portion of Route 66. In every state, you can find interesting side trips from the Mother Road but none like you can here. Let’s face it, there’s no other place where you can cruise down Route 66, make a turn, and in just a matter of minutes find yourself at Grand Canyon. Or Sedona, or Monument Valley, or London Bridge. Can you imagine a more spectacular than ours?
Go Leaf Peeping Near the Mother Road
Some of Arizona’s most brilliant fall colors can be found along the Route 66 corridor. The massive groves of aspens above Flagstaff are dazzling through the first few weeks of October. The trees are gaudy showstoppers as they slash across mountain slopes in a great golden flourish.
Take the Snowbowl Road just a few miles northwest of downtown to climb the flank of the San Francisco Peaks, Arizona’s highest mountains. The pine forests are streaked with yellows and oranges of the slender aspens. Along the drive, multiple trails branch off from the highway for those who want a closer look. Veit Springs Trail makes a short loop through luscious aspen groves. Aspen Corner offers a blend of forest and meadows. And Kachina Trail rambles through spectacular aspen groves fringed with ferns. Go on the right October day and every breeze will trigger a cascade of lemon and gold leaves, as if it were raining dollops of sunshine.
To help with the timing of your trip, be sure to check out or the Flagstaff LEAF-ometer (https://www.flagstaffarizona.org/plan-your-trip/leafometer/), designed to steer visitors to local hotspots at their peak.
Tour Riordan Mansion
While you’re in Flagstaff checking out fall colors, don’t miss the architectural drama of Riordan Mansion State Park. The log and stone mansion was the home of two brothers, Timothy and Michael Riordan, who married two sisters, Caroline and Elizabeth Metz respectively. Architect Charles Whittlesey designed nearly identical homes for each family in 1904. The result is a sprawling residence featuring 40 rooms and over 13,000 square-feet of living area. The homes were connected by a large common area known as “the cabin,” creating the structure known today as Riordan Mansion.
The open floor plan, exposed structural elements, built-in features and Gustav Stickley furniture reflected the Arts and Crafts movement. And if the Whittlesey name sounds familiar, it’s because the very next year he built El Tovar Hotel at the edge of the Grand Canyon.
The mansion was closed for several months during the pandemic but is open again on Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Guided tours lead visitors through the east wing, once occupied by Timothy and Caroline and their two daughters. Rooms are packed with original artifacts, furnishings, and personal mementos. It feels so comfortable and lived-in you expect the Riordan family to walk through the door mid-tour and politely ask what everyone is doing in their house. 409 W. Riordan Rd., 928-779-4395, www.azstateparks.com.
Spend a Spooky Night in Kingman
Get into that Halloween mood when you pay an after-hours visit into Kingman’s historic hulking beating heart. The Haunted Powerhouse is a spine-tingling evening ghost walk conducted by the Beale Street Theater. Explore the Route 66 Museum, wandering among the exhibits, and venture into unseen corners of the Powerhouse on the weekends of October 20-23 and 27-30. Expect plenty of sinister tales and ghostly legends. Snag your tickets for Haunted Powerhouse at www.bealestreettheater.com/tickets.
Business Spotlight: Hackberry General Store
This roadside shrine is filled with a raucous clutter of memorabilia, inside and out. Located about 20 miles east of Kingman there’s a ramshackle charm to Hackberry General Store that can’t be measured. In recent decades owners have included Bob Waldmire, and John and Kerry Pritchard. These days, Amy Franklin owns and cares for this beloved time capsule. It’s always wonderful when someone like Amy steps up to protect and preserve the legacy of our past.
Hackberry is the kind of place that people remember. Anyone who grew up with old mom-and-pop stores, before big box and chains and outlets, will be instantly transported. Antique gas pumps sit out front. Across the grounds a scattered array of rusted machinery and vehicles teeter between ruin and redemption. Inside, vintage signage and Route 66 artwork adorn the walls. Shelves are stacked with Route 66 merchandise. Maps, books and posters are everywhere. This is one of those must-stops for any Route 66 traveler. 11255 E. Route 66, 928-769-2605, www.hackberrygeneralstore.com.
Travel to the North Pole
Soon as we take down the Halloween decorations it’s time to start thinking about Christmas. And who knew that Santa Claus resides so close to Route 66? Find out for yourself when you hop aboard the Polar Express in Williams. For some families this is the ultimate holiday experience. And the Grand Canyon Railway has been bringing the beloved children’s book to life for years.
Beginning November 12, the Polar Express chugs out of Williams bound for the North Pole, which is surprisingly close thanks to a “magic tunnel.” Squirmy, pajama-clad kids barely have time to finish hot chocolate and cookies before they’re arriving at Santa’s doorstep where he waits with his reindeer. Mr. Kringle boards the train and passes out gifts to each child. Overnight packages are also available. 800-843-8724, www.thetrain.com.
More Route 66 Blabbing
I always love spreading the word on America’s Main Street. So keep an eye peeled for a couple of upcoming articles. To celebrate the big 95th birthday, I’ll have an article in the Arizona Republic on some of the 66 towns across the state. So many of the communities started out as railroad stops and then grew up and thrived with the coming of the Mother Road.
I’ll also have an article in the November issue of Country Magazine on Flagstaff, focusing on the two scenic roads in town, Route 66 and Highway 180, which points you toward a little hole in the ground I like to call “Grand Canyon.”
Also, whenever I have some spare time, which isn’t often, I crank out an episode of my podcast Route 66 Road Trips with Roger Naylor. In the last episode I chatted with my friend, Kathy Weir, about the legacy of Fred Harvey and the Harvey Girls along Route 66. The podcast should be available wherever you find your podcasts. I hope you’ll get a chance to tune in. Here’s the episode with Kathy Weir, called “Travels with Fred Harvey.”
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/route-66-road-trips-with-roger-naylor/id1562688002
Hope to see you soon
Well, that’s it for now. Take advantage of Arizona’s mild fall temperatures to head outdoors at every opportunity. And I want to wish everyone the happiest of holidays. May your Halloween be full of candy and old-school monster movies, your Thanksgiving shared with family and friends, and your Christmas as merry and magical as you remember from your childhood. Look for the next newsletter to arrive in your inbox in January 2022.
If you have items of interest you’d like to share in an upcoming newsletter, you can email them to me, Roger Naylor, at [email protected], or to Nikki Seegers, Director of Operations at Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona at [email protected].
Thanks for being part of the Route 66 family. Happy motoring!