While it was nice to look at, day eight is still a driving day. 259 miles from the Grand Canyon to Needles, CA with a stark contrast in landscape from cool pine forest and rock to hot desert sand and sage.

A Slow Descent

It’s very difficult to leave the Grand Canyon. Everyone wants to stay and enjoy the quiet morning and gorgeous views.

It’s a good time to talk about my least favorite part of this whole journey. Being the time keeper. I have to keep everyone on schedule. While I padded extra time to stay and savor the stops, there still remains a finite deadline. Get back in the car or risk being incredibly off schedule and maybe missing out on a hugely fun activity.

I feel bad each time I must end the fun. And making everyone leave the Grand Canyon hurts. So we decided to hit a scenic viewing spot on the way out for one last perspective. Always worthwhile.

Signs, Signs, Everywhere Signs

One really neat little gem of Route 66 is seeing and reading the old Burma Shave signs. There were quite a few in the Illinois stretch and then again as we headed west in Arizona.

A sign every few feet or so with a silly phrase and ending with the Burma Shave sign.

“The one who drives when he’s been drinking depends on you to do his thinking — Burma Shave.”

They really break up a long stretch and are really fun to read. Illinois and Arizona have done a great job restoring these signs.

Brunch in Seligman?

We opted to wait on eating breakfast and it wasn’t quite lunch time when we arrived in Seligman so we’ll call it brunch despite eating burgers and shakes.

The quintessential place to stop is Angel’s snow-cap drive in.

The food is nostalgic diner fare served with a side order of humor. They offer cheeseburgers with cheese, hamburgers without ham and watch out for that mustard. Ben almost wore a chocolate milkshake after a joke went awry and hit the floor. It was marvelous.

Souvenirs in Seligman?

There are a couple of great looking shops in Seligman. The unfortunate part for us was two large tour buses full of people on a day trip from Las Vegas. All I can say is that it was very crowded. We browsed but my heart wasn’t really in it. I was ready to move on.

Happy in Hackberry

After leaving Seligman we happened upon our next stop in Arizona. The Hackberry General Store. This stop did not disappoint. It felt completely authentic Route 66. Complete with a hot desert breeze blowing a rusty Route 66 sign gently back and forth. The resulting sound of that sign creaking back and forth made me want to stay and rock in my seat all day long.

There was much to enjoy of the Route 66 memorabilia around the grounds. Including old cars, classic gas pumps and a sign letting you know the next 100 miles were going to be hot, dry and desolate.

There were also souvenirs to purchase and postcards to add my collection.

Two thumbs up for the Hackberry General Store.

Dizzy Drive

We were on our way to Oatman and planned our route via Sitgreaves Pass. An extreme road filled with switchbacks and surprisingly lacking in guardrails.

I had the false hope that the westbound direction would put us on the inside lane. Boy was I wrong. It seemed we were dangling on the outside edge the entire time.

Would I do it again? Not sure. Should everyone traveling Route 66 do it at least once? Absolutely!

Watch Your Step in Oatman

As we began our descent from Sitgreaves Pass we came into the town of Oatman. An old mining town whose residents still include the wild descendants of the burros that carried precious loads out of the mines. They still come into town daily and provide much entertainment to tourists in hopes of a small treat.

Ben and his cousin Ava took to panning for precious gems during the visit.

You couldn’t even find refuge from the Burros inside the shops.

It was quite a show. Just watch your step walking around town. And remember that burros can and do bite!

A truly unique experience in the town can be found in the Oatman Hotel. Said to be the hotel where Clark Gable spent his honeymoon with Carole Lombard.

The place is also almost completely decorated in dollar bills. The unofficial tally is more than $200,000 in one dollar bills, according to the bartender.

It started with the miners using it as a placeholder for their open bar tabs and continued as a tradition for visitors that followed. This includes dollar bills from a famous actor or two who filmed movies nearby – and one of whom went on to some bigger endeavors.

The Hottest Place

Our final stop for the evening was Needles California. We opted to stay in a classic Route 66 motel Fenders Resort.

There were mixed reviews on the motel and we can probably understand why. It served its purpose for rest and we enjoyed a decent dinner at the Wagon Wheel restaurant.

A full day packed with adventure and surprises. Can’t wait to see what else is in store.

Carving routes