Historic Route 66 in Arizona

Route 66 was always such a mystery to me. You hear about it, but you never really know what to think. I had heard that famous song about getting "your kicks on Route 66" plenty of times, but I had no clue what that actually meant. Apparently, in its heyday, you could get some thrills and have fun while driving the Mother Road. After driving it ourselves, I can see how that might have been possible.

my route 66 patch... read more about adventure patch if you're interested

In its prime, Route 66 took people from Chicago to L.A., or Santa Monica, California. While the road covered about 2,448 miles, we only drove a tiny portion between Kingman and Seligman, Arizona. Maybe some day we'll explore more of the Mother Road. It's amazing to see these small towns that once thrived. They're practically ghost towns today. Travelers gained an interstate to save a little driving time, and entire towns lost their livelihood. It's sort of sad.

antique cars next to the Hackberry General Store

Our Route 66 drive started in Kingman, Arizona. We then drove the stretch of historic Route 66 that veers away from I-40 and takes you through Hackberry, Truxton, Peach Springs, and ending in Seligman. I kept asking my husband to stop or pull over at each small town. Give yourself some extra time to just enjoy the scenery along the way.

another shot from the Hackberry General Store

We would find beautiful old reminders of the towns that were once busy stops for travelers in the past. I loved seeing the old vintage signs from hotels or stores. It would have been fun to see them all lit up in neon welcoming weary travelers.

beautiful old sign in Truxton, Arizona

There wasn't much traffic on the stretch of Route 66 that we drove. It was a little eerie being one of few cars on the road through forgotten Arizona, but it was nice being able to take our time without tailgaters or traffic jams.

the open road

We came across a few places to stop along the way. Hackberry had a general store that was open to visitors. Truxton had a coffee stop and a beautiful old hotel sign. We unfortunately breezed through the town of Peach Springs before stopping in Seligman.

this car was in front of Seligman Sundries

Our one year old enjoyed the cars parked outside of Delgadillo's Snow Cap drive-in. We weren't hungry, so I cannot attest to the food, but we had some really great root beer floats while we were there. I highly recommend stopping! If you're pressed for time and can't drive much of Route 66, at least pop off of the interstate for a little stop in Seligman. You won't be disappointed.

visit the pranksters at Delgadillo's Snow Cap

Today it's hard to get your kicks on an interstate while you're flying through at 70mph. You tend to miss some things along the way. Many of us take part in a trip and we're so focused on the destination that we miss experiencing the journey too. I guess that's part of living in our hurry-up society today. Driving Route 66 was a great reminder to slow down and take it all in while we drove.

Have you ever driven any of Route 66?