We had about 45 mins in Oatman, making friends with the burros that roam both the road and the wooden boardwalks, stopping just short of entering the shops! Then it was the bit I had been waiting for. The tight twisty road over the mountain. In 2010, this stretch of R66 was one of the highlights for me. I loaded up the Go-pro and set off! After negotiating the burros in the high street I wound the RK up and started attacking the bends. Suddenly there was a big mining truck in my way. Luckily he held me up for just one corner before I blasted past. I passed a couple of the group over the mountain and arrived at our next stop, the old filling station, the other side of the mountain. I mustn't have been trying this time round, as I didn't manage to ground the footboards. The road is in poor condition and at one point I thought I might have a puncture, the soft tar crack filler having such an effect on the tyres.
After a refreshment stop at the filling station, where Cheryl somehow managed to get the proprietor to let her operate his till and for him to show her his weapon (3 actually), we set off towards Kingman and the next stop that would be the Hackberry Stores. This is the place, for those that know it, that has the 1957 Red Corvette by the old petrol pumps. A lovely vehicle. More refreshments taken, our next destination was Seligman and Lilo's Cafe. This would be our lunch stop, a late one at that.
The temperature was still very warm, easily in the nineties but our destination, at the Grand Canyon is outside of the desert region, so will be more reasonable.....high eighties!
We arrived at Seligman, fuelled up and went into Lilo's. Lumber Mill take note. Same number of people eating, served in about a sixth of the time. I had a chorizo and egg burrito, with hash browns and a chilli salsa. Very nice.
Forgot to mention, today is Geoff's birthday, so Dean presented him with a R66 plaque, which we all signed, and Lilo gave him a huge chunk of carrot cake. Dean had bought some small cupcakes for the rest of us and of course we all sang Happy Birthday.
From Seligman we hit the Interstate (I40) to make our way up to Williams. Williams is the terminus for the Grand Canyon Railway and as a town, was also the last town to be bypassed by I40. There was another shortish stop here for people to get their last R66 souvenirs. For me, it was the last chance to get a pair of R66 braces, that a certain Irish Wild Hog had requested I try and get for him. I'd spent all day asking at the various places we stopped but to no avail. Williams was no different, so Patrick, you'll have to order the bloody things online from ebay!
It's about a 60 mile run from Williams to the Grand Canyon and our beds for the night. Dean had asked if people wanted to watch the sun set over the Canyon. All except I, were game, so it was a bit of dash to get to the hotel and then into the National park in time. I chilled in my room, they saw their sunset, so everyone was happy.
Just deciding whether to go down and/or out for a beer or two.
We have a late start tomorrow, as some people are doing the helicopter flight, I'm not sure who though. When we do set off, we are heading for Monument Valley.
Lastly, I've had a request from a Mr Ahern, from Portlaoise in Ireland, asking if I can let you folks know the daily mileages. I'm not actually keeping track but the tour guide figures, so far are;
LA - Palm Springs - 190 miles
Palm Springs - Laughlin - 280 miles
Laughlin - Grand Canyon - 250 miles.
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| Who's that knocking on the door? |
The temperature was still very warm, easily in the nineties but our destination, at the Grand Canyon is outside of the desert region, so will be more reasonable.....high eighties!
We arrived at Seligman, fuelled up and went into Lilo's. Lumber Mill take note. Same number of people eating, served in about a sixth of the time. I had a chorizo and egg burrito, with hash browns and a chilli salsa. Very nice.
Forgot to mention, today is Geoff's birthday, so Dean presented him with a R66 plaque, which we all signed, and Lilo gave him a huge chunk of carrot cake. Dean had bought some small cupcakes for the rest of us and of course we all sang Happy Birthday.
From Seligman we hit the Interstate (I40) to make our way up to Williams. Williams is the terminus for the Grand Canyon Railway and as a town, was also the last town to be bypassed by I40. There was another shortish stop here for people to get their last R66 souvenirs. For me, it was the last chance to get a pair of R66 braces, that a certain Irish Wild Hog had requested I try and get for him. I'd spent all day asking at the various places we stopped but to no avail. Williams was no different, so Patrick, you'll have to order the bloody things online from ebay!
It's about a 60 mile run from Williams to the Grand Canyon and our beds for the night. Dean had asked if people wanted to watch the sun set over the Canyon. All except I, were game, so it was a bit of dash to get to the hotel and then into the National park in time. I chilled in my room, they saw their sunset, so everyone was happy.
Just deciding whether to go down and/or out for a beer or two.
We have a late start tomorrow, as some people are doing the helicopter flight, I'm not sure who though. When we do set off, we are heading for Monument Valley.
Lastly, I've had a request from a Mr Ahern, from Portlaoise in Ireland, asking if I can let you folks know the daily mileages. I'm not actually keeping track but the tour guide figures, so far are;
LA - Palm Springs - 190 miles
Palm Springs - Laughlin - 280 miles
Laughlin - Grand Canyon - 250 miles.
A long day Woody. It must have been cool doing R66 in reverse. Maybe it is an age thing, you not scraping the floor boards on those bends. Cool Springs, Hackberry, Seligman, and the Grand Canyon, one of the highlights for me, of the R66 trip with you guys. Give my best to Dudley. No worries about the braces. Cheers.
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