Peppy's Dream Moving Adventure Blog

We left RAILSIDE RV RESORT, and Williams, with some regret, as we had a lovely time there.  We decided to go to SELIGMAN, ARIZONA, because we kept seeing that town on maps of Route 66.  Since Eric’s sister, Ellen, is married to a Seligman, we thought it would be fun to visit the town.

Route 66 runs parallel to I-40, but not all the way through, so – to be safe – we decided to take I-40 there.  Route 66 used to run from Chicago all the way through to Los Angeles, but after I-40 was built, parts of Route 66 were permanently closed.  Route 66, also called “The Mother Road” (by John Steinbeck in “The Grapes of Wrath”) and “America’s Main Street” (by an ad writer when it was first built) is now called “Historic Route 66” and, when it runs through a town, that town automatically becomes a tourist attraction.

So it was with Seligman, Arizona!  We got off the exit and drove through town.  It was small and cute with a lot of souvenir stores, just like Williams.  We saw that there was a “town square” and that there were a lot of people gathered.  Something was definitely happening in Seligman today!  We parked and got out.  Turns out it was the SELIGMAN RT. 66 CLASSIC CAR SHOW, hosted by the Seligman Chamber of Commerce.

Didn't I tell you Betty was EVERYWHERE?

There were so many great cars there: A Corvette, Camaro, Mustang, Impala, GTO, Chevelle, and many others.  Eric loves vintage cars, so he was happy to have the chance to get a good look at all these classics.  The owners were “proud papas” thrilled to have someone admire their “babies.”  Eric talked to all of them, and I took pictures.

While driving on I-40, we had seen a man on a bicycle, loaded down with backpacks and other bags.  Eric noted that it’s illegal to ride a bicycle on an interstate and he figured the guy had been on Route 66 and had to get off, just like we did, when the road ended.  Sure enough, we saw him in town later and went over to talk to him.  Turns out, he’s from Germany, started his odyssey in British Columbia and was on a ROUTE 66 ROAD TRIP, riding his bicycle straight from Chicago all the way to Los Angeles.  He was an older gentleman, and I couldn’t believe he could ride like that, day after day, in the heat of the day, camping at night in his little tent.  I told Eric, “He must have good lungs and strong legs!” 

Next, we went into the HISTORIC SELIGMAN SUNDRIES store and bought some souvenirs, and some coffee, before going around town, taking pictures of anything that had a “SELIGMAN” on it!
We were told that the best place in town to eat was the ROADKILL CAFÉ (“You Kill It, We Grill It”), so we headed over there.  Everything on the menu has names like “Splatter Platter” or “Highway Hash.”  I wish I could remember the clever names of our dishes, but they escape me.  Anyway, Eric had a Turkey BLT Club sandwich and I had crab cakes.  The service was really slow, but the food was worth waiting for!

This lovely stuffed leopard greeted you at the door!

This guy stared at me all during lunch!

Leaving Seligman, we got on Route 66 and took it all the way to Kingman where it ends and we had to get back on I-40.  We were heading to NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA, to stay in an RV camp right on the Colorado River.  (I know.  Who knew the Colorado River was also in California?).  By now, we were following the directions of our GPS system (Betty) and she told us to get off Exit 44 and get on Oatman Highway (aka Route 66).  Little did we know we could have taken I-40 all the way, but Betty sometimes chooses routes that are more scenic and this one was definitely interesting.

We ended up going about 15 miles through treacherous, dangerous, and – for me – stomach churning, nerve wracking road conditions, as we wound our way through mountains, where the car was on the outside lane and the drop was at least a thousand feet.  And I thought the Grand Canyon was scary!  This perilous drive went on for about 40 minutes, and Eric was enjoying himself, driving slowly and carefully as the sun went down in the west.  I was so nervous I was lying on the couch in the back, because I couldn’t bear to look.

When we finally got through the mountains, we were in the middle of nowhere and Betty had “frozen.”  She wouldn’t talk, she wouldn’t move.  We couldn’t get her to “calculate” the route.  I turned her on and off a couple of times.  Nothing.  So, with darkness all around us, and the desert to the right and left (and in front and behind) we drove along Historic Route 66, not knowing where we were headed, but just hoping we’d find a town or, at least, I-40.  I couldn’t believe Betty had let us down, just when we needed her most!

We finally DID find I-40 and got back on.  We crossed the border from Arizona to California.  It was kind of an important moment, because – after 9 weeks on the road -- we had finally made it to California, even though we’ll be leaving to go to Nevada.  We saw a sign for NEEDLES and exited.  You’d think our troubles were over, wouldn’t you?  But we couldn’t find the NEEDLES MARINA PARK.  I went online and they had NO directions on their website.  Eric and I each stopped and asked for directions at two different gas stations and we still couldn’t find the place! 

We ended up trying two RV parks before finally pulling into the DESERT VIEW RV RESORT.  
This place is really nice, so we’re happy to be here, but it was still a stressful experience.  It’s a good thing we had planned on eating in tonight, because by the time we got here it was almost 9:00pm!

All in all, it was a great day.  Seligman turned out to be a great surprise and we had a wonderful afternoon there.  I just hope that tomorrow, in the light of day, Needles, California is just as wonderful!

Before I close, I want to give a “shout out” to our dear friend, Artie, who is recovering from surgery.  It was great to talk to you today, Artie, and we hope you are feeling MUCH better REAL soon!