Happy spring! What a wonderful time to get outside, to putter in the garden, walk in the park, and ramble down the Mother Road.
Welcome to the newsletter of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona. I’m Roger Naylor, Arizona author and travel writer, and it’s my privilege to pen these quarterly newsletters that we hope will inform and entertain.
The Birthday Boy
First off, we want to send out a very special birthday wish to the one and only Angel Delgadillo. The man known as a barber, a business owner, the founder of a movement, an ambassador, a guardian angel, an international celebrity, and a friend to literally millions, begins another trip around the sun later this month. We won’t talk specific numbers but Angel must be in his 50s by now. Although when he flashes that broad smile it feels like you’re talking to a big kid. Is there a more cheerful soul on the planet? Doubtful. I always say that next to Angel, Santa Claus seems surly.
We hope Angel has a memorable birthday surrounded by loved ones. And we look forward to wishing the kid many, many more happy birthdays. Save a piece of cake for us.
Humble Bragging
Congratulations to our Mother Road neighbors, California and Missouri. The Federal Highway Administration recently announced new designations for America’s Byways collection. California Historic Route 66 from Needles to Barstow was named a National Scenic Byway and Historic Route 66 Missouri was declared an All-American Road. That’s great news! We’re always rooting for our neighbors and delighted whenever any portion of Route 66 earns additional recognition.
Of course, we’ll also take this opportunity to subtly mention that when it comes to recognitions and designations, Arizona was way out in front. Thanks to the work of the Association, we snagged the first Historic Road designation for Route 66 more than three decades ago. And that was just the beginning. In 2006, Arizona’s stretch of Mother Road was named a National Scenic Byway. And in 2009, Route 66 in Arizona secured the coveted designation as an All-American Road. That is the highest honor available, granted only to roads that have features that do not exist elsewhere, and are unique and important enough to be considered tourist destinations unto themselves.
While Arizona’s portion of 66 was the very first to snag status as a National Scenic Byway and All-American Road, we’re happy to see other states following the example we set.
Fun Run Revs Up in 2022
It was with heavy hearts that the Association voted to cancel Fun Run for 2021. The popular Mother Road event is always eagerly anticipated, especially after the stressful year we’ve all just experienced. Yet even though things are rapidly improving, there’s just too much uncertainty to hold such a complex event. The small Route 66 communities of Arizona can manage traditional vacation traffic safely. But bringing in thousands of folks to a concentrated area over a single weekend just seemed too risky at this time.
Instead, the Association is working to improve their digital experience, helping small business owners navigate these difficult times, and forging stronger bonds to keep communities connected. As stated on the Association website:
“Our mission is clear in its directive—to preserve, promote, and protect Route 66. Those words are so much more than a slogan for us—they’re a rallying call of our identity, the manifestation of our founder’s passion, and a lifelong commitment. We have great hopes for a phenomenal Fun Run in 2022 and are confident that the work we put in now will make for a fantastic comeback event next year.”
Grizzlies on the Move
Over the winter, Bearizona completed a new, albeit temporary home, for three rescued grizzly bear cubs. The orphaned cubs—Hanna, Sky, and Crockett—moved into swanky new digs in January. The 29,000-square-foot habitat called Kinder Cubs features a waterfall, stream, and a large viewable cave. This will be the shaggy siblings’ interim home until the spectacular Grizzly Encounter exhibit is completed in 2022.
Bearizona, a wildlife park with a drive-thru section and a walking area in Williams, has become one of the most popular attractions on Route 66. Accredited by the Zoological Association of America, the 160-acre facility has a sterling reputation as a wildlife sanctuary. That’s how they ended up with three rare grizzly cubs that were orphaned in Montana. More than half the animals that live at Bearizona are rescued or rehabilitated animals. It’s important work and very much appreciated. And to our new Route 66 residents, Hanna, Sky, and Crockett, we say welcome to the neighborhood. www.bearizona.com.
Art of the Road
A new collection of stunning Mother Road photographs now hangs in the Route 66 Museum housed in the Powerhouse Visitor Center in Kingman. The images are the work of Efren Lopez, an award-winning combat photojournalist. Lopez spent months traveling, discovering the sights, talking to residents, eating in local cafes, and basking in all the Mother Road has to offer. With a keen eye and deep compassion, he captures the authentic Route 66 experience. His work, a vivid celebration of life on Route 66, will be on display at the museum until February 2022.
The Route 66 Museum is a treasure trove of artifacts and exhibits focusing on the cultural significance of the Mother Road. Adding a rotating art exhibit has proven enormously popular and made the museum a must-stop destination for travelers once again.
Rediscover our state fossil
Spring is the perfect time to visit the otherworldly landscape of Petrified Forest National Park. The rolling prairie of Northern Arizona suddenly breaks apart against a cluster of fierce badlands known as the Painted Desert. Crumbling siltstone banded with seams of color shimmer and change with the light. It’s hard to imagine in this sun-kissed terrain but during the Triassic Period this was a tropical jungle patrolled by crocodile-like reptiles, giant amphibians and small dinosaurs.
Last autumn, the park announced the discovery of a new species of a 220 million-year-old burrowing reptile known as a drepanosaur. Trees that once shaded these ancient creatures have turned to stone and lie scattered amid the gnawed hills. Petrified wood is the official state fossil of Arizona.
A scenic drive slices south-to-north across the park offering several short hikes. The kid-friendly Giant Logs Trail is a 0.4-mile loop right out the back door of the Rainbow Forest Museum and swings past Old Faithful, the biggest log in the park. The Crystal Forest Trail meanders past a colorful collection of petrified wood segments, many of them sparkling with embedded crystals. And of course, there’s a lovely Route 66 memorial and ghostly alignment of the old road disappearing across the prairie. www.nps.gov/pefo.
Can’t Keep a Good Honky-Tonk Down
Just as we predicted in the last newsletter when we announced the Museum Club in Flagstaff had closed, it has quickly reopened. Just weeks after the Route 66 icon was shut down, a local company called “The Zookeepers” purchased it. The company was formed by local residents for the very purpose of buying the club known far and wide as the Zoo.
That’s very much the Route 66 story, people stepping up to save a little piece of heritage and history. The big roadhouse will stay mostly the same, although the new owners hope to expand food service and add a patio by summer. We wish them well, and are happy knowing the music is blaring and the beer is flowing once again at the Zoo. www.museumclub.net.
New Route 66 Podcast
On a personal note, I was recently asked to host a Route 66 podcast. Naturally, I couldn’t resist. While I don’t know much about podcasts, I always love blabbing about the Mother Road. I teamed up with Stand Hustad, an experienced broadcaster, and we put together a pilot episode as sort of an experiment that ran on his existing podcast. It seemed to be well received so we’ll start cranking out new episodes in the coming weeks. It will be called “Route 66 Road Trips.” We’ll cover the entire Mother Road but obviously with me at the helm, the focus will be on the Arizona portion. The podcast will be available on multiple platforms. If it proves successful, I will be tapping into our community for topics and guests. You can listen to the pilot episode here. Let me know what you think and if you’re interested in being a guest.
https://directory.libsyn.com/episode/index/show/tcentrepreneur/id/18369956
Hope to see you soon
Well, that’s it for now. Don’t waste any of these delicious spring days. Spend time outdoors, and time on Route 66 whenever you can. Look for the next newsletter to arrive in your inbox in July.
If you have items of interest you’d like to share in an upcoming newsletter, you can email them to me, Roger Naylor, at [email protected], or to Nikki Seegers, Director of Operations at Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona at [email protected].
Thanks for being part of the Route 66 family. Happy motoring!