The Great American Road Trip III; Day 12

Creative Sign in Seligman, Arizona (click to enlarge)

Today was one of those wonderful days for photographers like me who enjoy photographing Americana, old cars, old signs, old buildings and the like.  It was probably the most photo rich day of the trip so far.  I was smiling all day!

We left our tiny house very early and drove to Williams for a really good breakfast.  We dined at the Pine Country Restaurant in downtown Williams located between the east and west Route 66 streets.  They are designated one way in their downtown.  Too much food.  Excellent food.  Good service with all smiles.  Go there if you are in Williams.

Heading west we wanted to get to Seligman, Arizona before the Route 66 busloads of tourists arrived.  We did.  Thankfully.  Angel Delgadillo of Seligman is the man given the most credit for bringing Route 66 back to life and to popular culture.  He is now 96 years old, still has his barber shop but is retired.  I photographed him in his shop nine years ago when I last visited.  I spoke with his son-in-law this morning and he told me Angel gets out and rides his bicycle every day and, in fact, had been to the shop earlier.  I'm sorry I missed him.  Angel Delgadillo IS Route 66 in human form.

I also walked down the street to the Snow Cap Café and ice cream shop, which Angel's brother started in 1926.  Angel's nephew John now runs it and we had a nice conversation.  He is a trickster and a very funny guy.  Highly recommended.  Oh!  The chocolate milkshake was terrific!

I spent about an hour or more just wandering Seligman, taking in the ambiance and making images of the various sights.  I really enjoyed my time there.

From there we drove west to Hackberry, Arizona and stopped at the Hackberry General Store.  You must stop here.  Again, I spent over an hour photographing old cars, trucks, signs, Americana and the like.  I even found an old original Burma Shave sign.  If you don't know what that is, check the internet.  It was a very American roadside idea almost a century ago.

An old Ford truck in a garage in Hackberry, Arizona (click to enlarge)

Hackberry, Arizona. (click to enlarge)

Heading west we drove to Kingman, then onto the Cool Springs Service Station where we spent another hour.  I had made a photo of the previous owner of the service station nine years ago and I told him I would send him one.  He said no one ever sends one and he didn't expect I would either.  Well, I printed an 8"X10" photo and sent it to him.  I wanted to remind him of the encounter but, unfortunately, he sold the station and passed away about five years ago.  That saddened me.

From Cool Springs it was over the mountain on a very narrow, almost no guard rail, switchback heavy road several milse to Oatman, the small town where burros roam the streets freely, beg for food and are the center of attention.  A very interesting little place.  You won't forget the road if you travel over it.  Scary!

Finally, a rather long, boring drive to Barstow, California where we planned to spend the night.  We planned our trip to get into Los Angeles on a Saturday and leave on a Sunday to avoid the infamous traffic.  I think it may be the worst in the country.

All in all it was a really, really good day for photography.  The Nikon Z7 II and the 24-200mm f/4-6.3 lens worked flawlessly.  A joy to use.

Tomorrow we reach the end of Route 66 when we arrive at the Santa Monica Pier and the Pacific Ocean.  Already I'm feeling a bit down that this portion of our journey is over.  It has been so much fun, very interesting and photographically rich!

Join me over at my website, https://www.dennismook.com.  

Thanks for looking. Enjoy!  

Dennis A. Mook  

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