SB Rendezvous Locator map
Day 1
Return to Jerome
Day 2
To Winslow
Day 3
No Winona
Day 4
Past Cool Springs
Day 5
Wigwam Arrival
Day 6
Tourin' with Scott
Day 7
Towin' with Bob
Day 8
Cruisin' with Helen
Day 9
Rendezvous Wrap
Day 10
Heading Home
September 19, 2005
I picked up US-60 at its west end and saw the effects of I-10 everywhere.
What I-40 did to US-66, I-10 did to US-60. A good flight to Indy then
solid heavy rain on the drive home.
September 18, 2005
The eGroup breakfast and Joshua Tree National Park with a date shake in
between. I'm starting to work my way back home.
September 17, 2005
I drove up to Victorville to check out the museum and got to see a little
of the Rim of the World Highway on the way back. Back at the Rendezvous, I
rode on the back of a golf cart as it cruised with the big boys.
September 16, 2005
The Steinbeck Awards Luncheon and the case of the missing microbus. Major
car cruising and I end the day in an award winner.
September 15, 2005
A van tour along Sixty-Six with none other than Scott Piotrowski as guide.
Many sights seen and much information given. A Rendezvous kick-off
reception ended the day.
September 14, 2005
A little backtracking to checkout Mrs. Orcutt's Driveway then back through
Barstow and the museum at Casa Del Desierto. Folks had started showing up
at the Wigwams yesterday and things were well underway when I pulled in.
September 13, 2005
An older (dead end) alignment from Kingman then down the other side of the
canyon past the new Cool (and I do mean COOL!) Springs Camp and through
Oatman. I passed someone on a bicycle working (and I do mean working) his
way up the west side of Sitgreaves Pass.
September 12, 2005
A little gravel, a little walking, plus Seligman & Hackberry. We're
having fun now!
September 11, 2005
A peek at Montezuma's Castle then on through Oak Creek Canyon to
Flagstaff. Sixty-Six east bound to La Posada in Winslow. What a place! I
got lucky and witnessed Winslow's reminder of the day at the town's
Remembrance Garden.
September 10, 2005
This outing has started with an unremarkable flight to Phoenix and a much
more remarkable drive to Jerome. A shortage of vacation time has kept
Chris in Cincinnati so I'm on my own. My normal travel style is to just
start driving each morning and hope there's a motel around when the day's
end approaches. As a result, I've missed several motels that rightfully
appear on many "must stop" lists. I'm doing this trip differently and have
almost every night's resting place planned and booked. In addition to the
Rialto Wigwams that started the planning, I'll be experiencing La Posada
in Winslow and the Brunswick in Kingman. Tonight it's the Grand, a former
hospital, in Jerome.
Prelude - centered around September 14, 2005
It seems almost by chance that I've attended the last two National Route
66 festivals in Springfield, IL, and Tulsa, OK. The 2005 festival is to
take place in San Bernardino, CA, and I just knew that was too far from
Ohio to even consider. Surely none of the last minute e-chatter that
motivated me to attend those other festivals would apply this time. In
2003, it was the opportunity to drive across the Chain of Rocks bridge
that got me rolling. In 2004, I think it was learning that Belgium
resident Swa Frantzen was attending that sort of shamed me into going. If
he could cross the Atlantic, I could cross the Mississippi. Well, it
wasn't last minute chatter that changed my mind this time. It was months
in advance chatter about a gathering at the reborn
Wigwam Village #7
in Rialto.
The only time I have been to the Rialto wigwams was in 2003 just about a month before the current owners acquired it. At that time, the motel's appearance and reputation were not the sort that made you want to include it in your vacation plans. The Patels have worked hard to change that and the wigwams are now being included in quite a few vacations. Between 1935 and 1947, seven sets of the Frank Redford designed wigwams were built. They ranged from Kentucky to California. Only three of the seven remain and I've stayed at both of the others: #6 in Holbrook, AZ, and #2 in Cave City, KY. I naturally wanted to add the third one and when it became the planned site for a pre-festival gathering of the Route 66 Yahoo group, I couldn't resist.
So I've reserved my tepee SEVEN MONTHS in advance. Other details are not so firm but the trip tentatively involves Chris & me flying to Phoenix, getting a rental car, and picking up Historic 66 in Flagstaff.
