Route 66 Â originally ran from Chicago to Los Angeles and was a major route for those migrating west. Now though it is no longer an official highway, and consequently it is a wonderfully quiet road. We joined the road where it meets the I-40 and immediately enjoyed being away from all of the traffic barreling up and down the highway.
A large portion of the section we drove was very flat which only served to exacerbate the size of the sky and make us feel incomparably tiny. This is big sky country, a bright blue expanse stretching up and out as far as the eye can see.
Seligman has cashed in on their historic route connection and the main drag is awash with historic signs, cars and mannequins dressed up as Elivs, Marilyn Monroe and others. The street swarms with tourists, it appears all bus tours stop here for a rest before continuing on to the Canyon or Las Vegas. We arrived at around 10.30 in the morning and it was already heaving with people.
As we drove, stopping frequently to admiring our surroundings we developed a sense of awe for all those people who crossed this area on foot. The landscape is harsh, we could see huge mountains in the distance, with steep sheer slopes leading straight up to the ledge. Not to mention the huge distances these people were travelling, not knowing what they might find at the other end. It really put our sense of achievement about our hike into perspective.
Disclaimer: The first picture is Mike’s, not mine. You can see more of his pictures on his flickr page. He took lots more along here, sitting in the passenger seat has its perks.
