April-2022

With many countries relaxing their entry requirements, a long time desire to drive route 66 seemed totally appropriate. Both Elan and myself figured that being confined in our car for most of the trip, we’d be able to dodge any possible virus. Or at least minimize the chances. With lack of time for the complete ride from Chicago to Santa Monica, we’ve decided to cut the road trip in half. Route 33.

We board a flight to Albuquerque via Atlanta and started the road trip from New Mexico. We drove by the famous El Vado motel and walked the Old Albuquerque town square. Old vintage cars with supersized chrome wheels parked along the uneven sidewalks. A display of how time stood still from the 60’s.

Next morning, as we head to the El Rancho Hotel, we make sure to see the historic route 66 Rio Puerco Bridge. Although most of the road is not quite the original route 66, driving on the portions that were, gave us the true nostalgic feeling of that era. Arriving at the hotel, a feeling of that old country western of the late 1930’s was so evident. Heavy wood beams, dark colored railings, artifacts of the 1940’s, old cigarette dispensers, shoe shining chairs, large center atrium fireplace and contoured wall to wall pictures of celebrities that frequented El Rancho were all strategically placed. After a delicious breakfast at the hotel, we visit the Petrified Natural Forest.

As the name implies Natural Forest, we were confused of seeing only a few shrubs and were in total awe of miles of barren land with hill formations and red rock valleys. With the blue sky streaked with white clouds, every view seemed like a postcard and one couldn’t really adjust to the depth perception.

The WIGWAM motel was next and pulling into the lot clearly showed that the cars haven’t moved from the 1950’s of when the tipis were built.

Being a huge fan of The Eagles, our next stop was Winslow Arizona. Like on many traveler’s bucket list, a picture of that exact corner could not have been missed. The small souvenir shop filled with trinkets and paraphernalia were playing Eagles music to give that full experience of nostalgia. A ride down memory lane.

What’s a road trip without any exciting unexpected mishaps. On our way leaving Winslow, as both Elan and I haven’t noticed any speed pumps, we’ve come across some water gutter trench that sank the front of the vehicle in a split second forcing our heads to hit the car roof. As quickly that happened, and thinking we’ve come out of it, a second one presented itself to further enhance the thump. A few things ran through our minds after that intersection. Did we just catapult the engine straight through the car hood or did we just shatter the oil tank underneath? Yes it was rental, and yes we declined all sorts of insurance, but it was only day 2 of our 6 day road trip. As Elan waited nervously for the diagnosis, we were happy to here it was only the lower plastic engine cover that dislodged. A few screws and 15$ later, we were back on track.

We’ve come to realize that Twin Arrows, an attraction along the route, has now been demoted to Single Arrow. One would guess weather or foul play must have snapped the arrow from its upright position.

We met up with my cousin Vince in Flagstaff for supper at the Outback Steakhouse, and seeing he had all his radio talk show equipment, he ran a segment depicting two Canadians on a road trip across the United States of America. Whether we tanked his radio show ratings or increased his followers, only time will tell. Vince D’Aliesio is a prominent radio broadcaster who hosts the Varsity Sport Show every Saturday on am1060 KDUS Arizona. You can listen to his show on https://live.kdus1060.com/ .

Next day, as we had to cover Seligman, Kingman, Oatman and Barstow, we headed out very early. During our walk along the small town of Seligman, a local explained as to why it seemed completely deserted. It turns out that the Route 66 parade usually starts early May which kicks off the route 66 festivities. We take a short break for lunch at Mr.D’z Diner which again, brought us back to the 1960’s with all their old fashion decor. I thought we were on the set of Happy Days!

The drive to Oatman had challenging twists and turns and when you thought you’ve seen everything, you’re confronted face to face with donkeys.

Oatman is surely an old cowboy town with Saloons and dry earth crunching under your feet with every step you take. Nestled in a valley with surroundings mountains, we even witness a “Bank Heist” theatrical play with a few locals.

Driving to Santa Monica Pier in search of the famous Route 66 end point sign was our first order of business on our fourth day. We had to take our picture to celebrate our 900th mile drive. Malibu Pier, Point Dume and El Matador beach were visited next along the pacific coastline. One can surely imagine that money in this affluent area seems to be in abundance. Every home had their front landscape as beautiful as a top tier golf course.

After our night in San Fernando Valley, we start our trek back to Albuquerque with a stop in Las Vegas. No matter how often one visits Vegas, it is still a great playground of fun and excitement. Great food, great nightlife and great ambiance always makes Vegas a memorable stop.

After a late night and checking out of the Planet Hollywood Hotel, we drive by Hoover Damn. A marvelous construction wonder and with perfect blue skies all our pictures came out superb.

With just 2 days left before we head back to Montreal Canada, we visit the Grand Canyon. After Elan dazzles the park attendant with his sad story of his knee operation, she lets us in for free. The knee operation was 30 years ago, but Elan deliberately left that out of the conversation. The more we drove the South Rim and Mather’s Point, the more we were amazed on the vastness of this exceptional wonder of the world.

After our night stay in Flagstaff, we drive to our last attraction, the Meteor Crater. On the way, it seemed we were the only car for miles that reminded me of such movies speeding down a single road, rising dust clouds behind the wheels and hearing the dryness of the soil. Every so often we’d get a sign indicating the remaining distance to the meteor crash.

We took a tour that involved walking a certain portion of the actual meteor crash site perimeter and although at times the wind was howling, the experience was truly fascinating. Here we stood in the area that a meteor hit the surface of the earth at 26000 miles per hour 50 000 years ago. With slight elevation, Elan kept his distance behind us but made for a great shot!

The tour guide was mentioning that they also use this location for training the astronauts before their mission. They eluded to the fact that the conditions at this site emulate the same experience one is faced with on the moon.

After a 15 minute movie explaining the history of meteor crater, and a look at a fragment of such meteorite, we conclude the journey by heading back to Albuquerque.

The trip back home was quite uneventful and all flights were on time. We’ve come to realize that the little extra stopovers along the drive made the road trip all that more interesting. If one would simply stop along the route 66, seeing many parts have been modernized, the route 66 road trip experience wasn’t what we both expected. Maybe it was too early in the season, or maybe it just didn’t live up to the hype, needless to say, we may or may not complete the section from Texas to Chicago in the near future.

April 2022