Day trip on the western half or Route 66 in Arizona…

 Arizona, Daily  No Responses »
Sep 032012
 


Friday – Juliana and I were able to ‘sneak away’ a little early and hit some of the places on the western half or Route 66 in Arizona…








Seligman Sundries – Seligman AZ

Frank and I have ‘known’ each other via Eamil and FB, but I thought it was time I stopped in and said ‘hi’ and checked the place out. I was surprised by the size of it, I was also glad how freindly Frank & Lynne were. We got to talking about a whole bunch o’ stuff happening in the world today with an English couple driving the route as well as other ‘side trips’ along the way. About 45 minutes later – we were well on our way of being ‘late’ to our destination… I will keep Frank in my Rolodex as he is a man who is in the know – and we both found out we live in Scottsdale together (he and Lynne live down here in the winter)…

Click HERE for their website.



Frontier Motel & Restaurant – Truxton AZ

This was the reason for heading north. I wanted to get out here while it was still daylight nad take a look at the sign. You know, you never realize how big it is unless you are standing right in front of it. I will be honest – from earlier posts and pictures I have read/seen, I thought the sign was in better condition and needed a ‘touch up’. This would not be the case. I took a few pics and then was proceeded by being mauled by a big black dog (no, he just jumped on me). I followed him back into the office where I met Merline – Mildred’s daughter. I introduced myself and we started talking a bit. She mentioned she was working on getting the restaurant back up and running and it would take some time as her mother just passed. I asked her about the sign and asked if the neon worked – and she told me ‘I don’t know – the people who ran the restaurant were the last ones to light it.’ Then she mentioned the switch was in the restaurant – but we never made it that far. I gave her my card, she gave me hers and we departed from each other. The place needs work – a lot of it! It is a shame because it is really a stop most folks would probably like to stop, eat, and stay…..



Cruiser’s Cafe – Williams AZ

I made it a point to finally eat here. I wanted to see first hand what they did with the existing building. We decided to sit outside as there was a gent playing his guitar and keeping the crown entertained. One thing we did not expect was it was getting cool outside and we were not prepared for it (we are from Phoenix you know – where it was still 102 degrees out and in Williams, it was a balmy 75…) I had the pulled pork sandwich (messy but good) and she had the buffalo wings. After listening to the guy play and sing we decided to pay our bill and head down the road…

Click HERE for their website.

We ended up about a block or two down to stop and watch a ‘gun fight’ Williams has every night. It was fun to watch the tourist gather and appreciate all Williams has to offer…



Red Garter Inn – Williams AZ

We decided to stop in the Red Garter Inn as well seeing we keep going by it – and never stopped in. Juliana had a ‘sweet tooth’ going and they (ironically) sold chocolate chip cookies. So, while we waited on the cookie – we started looking around and then started talking to the girl behind the counter. She took about 25 minutes showing us around, showing us different pictures with the stories behind them and then she started talking about the (4) different rooms for rent and the stories behind them. They run for either $135 or $165 for a night – breakfast included with the price.

Click HERE for their website.




Pete’s Route 66 Gas Station Museum – Williams AZ

We then walked over to Pete’s Route 66 Gas Station Museum. I also wanted to finally check this place out because I heard so much about it. Little did I know – we would be there for over an hour! I met Neill (‘Pete’) and his buddy ‘Larry the Train Guy’ and we talked about everything Route 66. We found out we both knew many of the same folks and had a lot of the same stories. Neill talked about the gas station, buying it, restoring it, the visitors, the stories, and anything else that came up. Juliana spent most of her time talking to Larry – who we found out was one of the engineers on the Grand Canyon Railway, and Neill’s wife Ester came out and showed Juliana her flower bed.


We had to start heading out as it was getting late and we still had a 2 1/2 hour drive back to Scottsdale.

The whole purpose of this trip was to go and survey the Frontier Motel sign to see if it could possibly be my next project. BUT, it seems there are too many factors involved right now. The ‘new’ owner did not seem too excited about the idea (yes, I get the fact her mother died a month earlier…) the location is a little out of the way and the closest town(s) are Kingman and Seligman, and unlike the 66 Motel sign, I had everything I needed within 10 minutes from the sign. So it might have to wait a bit until I know what is happening with the motel and when I get a few more projects out of the way… Which there are two or three more I am looking at!!

Westside Lilo’s diner on Route 66 a labor a love

 Arizona, Daily  No Responses »
Aug 202012
 




The one thing about Seligman: it truly is a half day trip (at the least) to fully enjoy all which Seligman has to offer for Route 66 travelers.

SELIGMAN — The aromas of baking bread and sweet pies meander through the diner.

Through a wall of windows, diners can watch tourists gawk and gaze at the sights along the Mother Road, Route 66. Conversations by locals are of the weather and daily life. Conversations by tourists, often in languages other than English, speak to a mysterious excitement, the subject an enigma.

The matriarch of Route 66 Westside Lilo’s comes out of the kitchen. Lilo (pronounced Lee-Lo) Russell grabs a cup of coffee and takes a seat. She has been baking.

“It’s in my blood,” she says of her decision to be a diner owner.

Welcome to a day in her life.

MARRIED A SOLDIER

Her grandmother in Germany was a chef, and Russell came to Seligman for a visit in 1962 with her new husband Patrick. The had married in 1961 while Patrick was stationed in Germany during a hitch with the U.S. Army.

“We came by for me to meet (Patrick’s parents) and got stuck here,” she said, laughing.

That was 50 years ago. When the diner went up for sale 17 years ago, she bought it.

“And I’ve been in business ever since,” she says.

In the beginning of the business, she was focused on making it work and spent long days at the diner. She would come in at 5 a.m.

“But I’m too old for that, so I do all the things in the back of the house,” she says, adding that her daughter Brenda is the one who comes in at 5 a.m.

Now, she comes in early, bakes the pies, the cakes (especially the carrott cake) and the dinner rolls. She also works on the daily specials — particularly the German dishes like goulash, sauerbraten and schnitzel. She’s usually done by 3 or 4 p.m.

“If I’m lucky,” she says.

She adds that she enjoys the customers the most — not just the regulars, who keep the business going during the colder months, but the visitors who come for Route 66. Compliments about her food keep her going.

“That’s really what it’s all about,” Russell says. “Bottom line.”

FINDING GOOD STAFF KEY

In the winter months, 80 percent of her customers are locals. In the summer, the same percentage are tourists. The biggest challenge to keep a diner in a small town going is finding good staff and keeping the place warm and friendly for customers to feel comfortable.

Photos of her parents adorn a wall in the diner, and she admits that she still misses Germany. She says she tries to go back once a year.

Besides, Seligman and the restaurant are host to a German Fest in June, and she’s already making preparations for the 2013 festival.

Would she have done anything differently?

“I wouldn’t,” she says, definitively. She has a beautiful home, three children, seven grandchildren and even a great-grandchild. She volunteers for nonprofit health services and has a fulfilling life in the little town that refuses to die.

Will she stay?

“Oh, yeah,” she says, smiling. “After 50 years? I wouldn’t even consider moving. I enjoy going away, but I always want to come back. My life is here, really.”

If she would have been asked that question in 1964, the answer might have been different.

“But not now,” she says.

At 71, she’s not going to retire anytime soon.

“The best thing for me would be to keel over back there,” she says, pointing to the kitchen.

For more information about the restaurant, visit www.westsidelilos.com

LARRY HENDRICKS – azdailysun.com

History, written in Route 66 neon signs

 Arizona  No Responses »
Aug 172012
 


Illuminated, colorful signs for iconic businesses tell Route 66 story best

Editor’s note: Explore Arizona contributor Roger Naylor and photographer Larry Lindahl traveled the length of Historic Route 66 in Arizona to document it in their 2012 book, “Arizona Kicks on Route 66.” In seeking to excerpt the book, we might have settled on the small-town history, the people or the kitschy-cool vibe. But the bright neon photos leaped off the pages. Here’s an armchair tour.

One of my favorite parts of writing “Arizona Kicks on Route 66” was discovering the kaleidoscope blaze of neon that still slices through small-town twilight. From Holbrook to Kingman, from Winslow to Williams, neon-sign language is the lingo of Route 66.

Route 66 neon signs

Neon shimmers and glimmers, it reinvents the dusk and changes the direction of color. Neon is the nightlight of angels and drunkards. Keep your starry, starry skies; give me one twinkling with rainbow hues. If I ever enter politics, the first law I’ll champion will be a tax break for every business that erects a neon sign.

Neon — both old and new — is still in evidence along Arizona’s portion of Route 66. That wavy ribbon of two-lane pavement carves out the journey of a lifetime. Grand adventures mingled with intimate moments unfold, while conjuring images of simpler times. In places where diners are still run by sassy waitresses who call everybody “Hon,” and motel rooms are shaped like tepees, neon signs paint the night softly.

Here are photographer Larry Lindahl’s images of Route 66 neon.

Dairy Queen

This dollop of vintage neon blends in perfectly in Holbrook, where the skyline includes cafes, a historic courthouse, hulking dinosaurs guarding rock shops and motel rooms shaped like wigwams. Not to mention the only Route 66 movie theater left in Arizona. Now, who wants ice cream?

Joe and Aggie’s Café

Sitting at the booth under the “Open” sign at Joe and Aggie’s on a summer evening, it’s easy to lose track of the decades. Folks stroll past on the sidewalk, cars glide through downtown Holbrook, and it’s all bathed in a neon glow. You’re just a snap-brim fedora and a few swooping Chevy fins from 1957.

Museum Club

If the term roadhouse didn’t exist, it would be coined for the Museum Club, a Flagstaff icon. The giant log cabin once housed a taxidermist, then a museum, before becoming a legendary music venue. It’s said to be haunted by the former owners, both of whom died in the club.

Galaxy Diner

Photos and memorabilia line the walls of the Galaxy Diner in Flagstaff. The aroma of chopped-steak burgers wafts through the joint, and banana splits are piled high. Every weekend brings live bands, swing-dancing lessons and car-club meetings.

Western Hills Motel

Neon and Route 66 will be forever linked. Garish, gaudy signs like this beauty in Flagstaff cut through the cacophony of roadside advertising to snag passing motorists. The motel may be a little down at the heels, but is still in operation.

Sierra Vista Motel

The Sierra Vista is a remnant of another era. A cluster of hotels and boarding houses once huddled along a pre-1935 alignment of Route 66 just south of downtown Flagstaff. Now, businesses such as Mother Road Brewing Co. and Pizzicletta restaurant are springing up along this stretch.

Cruiser’s Route 66 Cafe

Cruiser’s Cafe is the unofficial patio of Route 66, right on the Mother Road in downtown Williams. Ribs are almost always sizzling on the grill, and a guy with a guitar plays the soundtrack of a rambling youth. Traffic flows past, and it’s hard to resist ordering one more beer under those circumstances.

Rod’s Steak House

If you build it, they will come. If you build it and put a neon cow on the roof, they’ll stop for a meal. That bovine beacon has been luring hungry travelers to Rod’s Steak House in Williams since 1946.

Snow Cap

The Snow Cap in Seligman is beloved for its tasty grub and the wacky gags of the late Juan Delgadillo. Juan’s legacy lives on as his kids continue delivering his zingers along with juicy burgers. A visit to the Snow Cap is a reminder that life is delicious and should never be taken too seriously.

Supai Motel

Classic neon signs define the Seligman skyline, like the one at the Supai Motel. Pull into town at dusk with those lights beckoning and the seductive promise of New Color TVs, and it’s almost impossible not to stop for the night.

Historic Route 66 Motel

Route 66 pilgrims from all over the world visit Seligman because this is where the preservation movement began. They explore the small town with wide-eyed wonder during the day, then settle in at the Historic Route 66 Motel for the night.

Hill Top Motel

The sign lets you know you’re in for a classic Route 66 experience. The Hill Top in Kingman is an excellent example of the midcentury motor courts that are synonymous with the Mother Road. Enjoy a restful night on a high perch, away from the rumble of trains.

Route 66 facts

Arizona contains the longest unbroken stretch of Route 66 still in existence, 158 miles from west of Ash Fork to the California state line.

Arizona is the birthplace of Historic Route 66. Through the work of a handful of Seligman residents, Arizona became the first state to dedicate a stretch of U.S. 66 as Historic Route 66, thus beginning the preservation efforts that soon encompassed the entire road.

The only national park that Route 66 passes through is Petrified Forest National Park.

In 2009, Historic Route 66 in Arizona was designated an All-American Road under the Federal Highways National Scenic Byways Program. Only 31 roads in the nation have that distinction, and it is the only portion of Route 66 to hold it.

Details: www.arizonakicks66.com, Facebook.com/Route66Arizona, @Rt66Arizona on Twitter.

by Roger Naylor -  The Republic

 

Miles of Meals along Historic Route 66

 Daily  No Responses »
Feb 262011
 



Are you hungry for savory burgers seared on the grill, or freshly-scrambled eggs slathered in sweet tangy ketchup? The roadside diners of Historic Route 66 are just the place to satisfy your cravings.

If you are in the Land of Lincoln, come to the city where this byway begins its iconic westward trek — Chicago! Located right at the eastern start of the byway, Lou Mitchell’s Diner is an 85-year-old veteran of the highway .Their generous breakfast is surely a Chicago staple. Or drive the byway southwest past Bloomington, Illinois and try the Palm’s Grill Cafe in Atlanta, Illinois. You can’t miss the giant “Hot Dog Man” across the street. Originally opened in 1934, this café still bears a neon sign that diners once flipped on to signal approaching Greyhound buses that prospective passengers were eating inside. Before you leave, take a minute to imagine a Greyhound bus screeching to a stop, ready to take you on a journey across the country on one of our nation’s oldest highways.

Heading through northeastern Oklahoma? Stop at Waylan’s Ku-Ku Burger, a local favorite in the town of Miami. The last remaining restaurant from an old Midwestern fast-food chain, Ku-Ku Burger is familiar to Route 66 enthusiasts for its hand-made burgers and its giant yellow fiberglass cuckoo bird, a Route 66 landmark. Soak up the ‘60s vibe and don’t forget to snap a picture of one of America’s oldest novelty restaurants.

Stop in New Mexico for a taste of Mexico at Joseph’s Bar and Grill, a Route 66 veteran that has been serving homemade Mexican food for over 50 years. Originally founded as La Fiesta by Jose Campos in 1956, the restaurant is now run by his son, and keeps locals and travelers alike coming back for the locally grown chiles, delicious enchiladas, and Southwestern atmosphere. This family-owned restaurant is a great place to spice up your Historic Route 66 tour. Joseph’s Bar and Grill is located at 1775 Historic Route 66 in Santa Rosa, New Mexico.

In Arizona, start off with a hot plate of Splatter Platter or Swirl of Squirrel at the Route 66 Roadkill Café, located in the town of Seligman, Arizona. Known for their burgers and their whimsical slogan (“You kill it and we grill it”), this fun-filled and family-friendly restaurant will keep you laughing. (Just to be clear, they don’t actually serve roadkill. Or squirrel.) After you eat, keep your eye on the ball with a game of pool before heading out for further adventures on the All-American Road segment of Historic Route 66.

2010 Route 66 Cost-Share Grants Announced

 Daily, Help Route 66  No Responses »
Jan 172011
 

FROM A PLAN to relight a towering theater sign and restore a nearby rare neon and opal design in Highland Park, California, to a project to repair and upgrade an iconic motel in Cuba, Missouri, the National Park Service, Route 66
Corridor Preservation Program announces its 2010 annual cost-share grant awards. As in previous years, the number of cost-share grant requests exceeded available funding. The five new projects receiving grants are described in brief below. A full description of current and previous awards is available at www.cr.nps.gov/rt66.

The Historic Seligman Sundries, Seligman, Arizona
A cost-share grant will help pay for a new asphalt shingle roof, replicating how the building appeared during its Route 66 heyday.

Relighting the Historic Signs of Figueroa Street, Highland Park, California
This project will relight the Highland Theatre sign and restore to operating condition the former Manning’s Coffee Store sign down the street.

Munger Moss Motel, Lebanon, Missouri
A cost-share grant will assist the restoration of the Munger Moss’s landmark neon sign and a smaller “office” sign.

Wagon Wheel Motel, Cuba, Missouri
This project will purchase a HVAC system, install new storm windows, and repair rotted eaves and porch members.

Bristow Firestone Station, Bristow, Oklahoma
A cost-share grant will assist the full restoration and renovation of a former Firestone filling station for new use as a body
repair shop.

FOLLOWING THE SUCCESS of the first 50, the National Park Service’s Heritage Education Service added 50 more properties to the Discover Our Shared Heritage Travel Itinerary for Route 66. The new entries include Meramec River Bridge, Red Cedar Inn, Palms Grill Café, Old Trails Bridge and others. The itinerary was produced by the NPS in partnership with the American Express and World Monuments Fund Sustainable Tourism Initiative and the National Conference of State Historic Preservation Officers. Take your trip down Route 66 here: http://www.nps.gov/history/nr/travel/route66/.

Aztec Motel and Gift Shop – Seligman, AZ

 Arizona, Daily  No Responses »
Dec 272010
 

Seeing I was by myself for Christmas this year (insert violins here!) I decided to get off the couch and hit the road on the 25th and 26th of Dec.
I drove to Needles CA and headed east! (wrong way!).

I made it to Seligman AZ about 6pm and decided to stop (I try not to drive Route 66 at night because I actually might miss something in the dark!!). I pulled up to the Aztec Motel and rang the doorbell. A charming lady named Marie answered the door and I asked if there were any rooms available (I knew there were!) and she said ‘yes’. Now – I had to be a smart guy and ask if they had Wi-Fi! She said ‘no – sorry’ with a look of heart-break in her eyes! I asked if there were any other hotels/motels in town that did. She pointed and said ‘maybe so and so does’. Then to add insult to injury, I asked if there was a place to eat. She said ‘It’s Christmas honey – everything is closed’.

So, here I was, without Wi-Fi and food an she chimes in ‘but I can make you a turkey sandwich…’
DEAL!! She sealed the deal and next thing you know – I am giving her my card to reserve a room.

The rooms at the newly renovated Aztec Motel were nice. I had no complains at all! The bed was comfortable and the bedspread reminded me of what my grandmother would have gave me to sleep with – so it made it just that much better!
She knocked on my door and had a tray filled with toasted turkey sanwiches, potato chips, a cookie, and some chocolate. I was in heaven! (She also told me not to mention that she made me a sandwich because EVERYONE will want her to make them a sandwich!! So ignore what you just read!).

The bathrooms were clean and each room has its own satellite receiver. It was quiet and I slept well!

Outside on the walls were several murals that were nicely done!
Around the outer area there were tables and chairs and I can imagine all the travelers sitting outside in the summertime conversing about where they have been, what they have seen, and where they are going to.

So next time you are in Seligman, stop in and say ‘hi’ to Marie, stay if you can ($45 was a deal in my opinion) or buy a little Route 66 gift from the gift store.

Aztec Motel & Gift Shop
Dwight & Marie Forquer (Owners)
312 E. Historical Route 66
Seligman, AZ 86337
928.422.3055

Side note – Marie said she is getting up there in age and her husband has cancer, so he stays home most days while she runs the shop. SO – she said she would be willing to SELL the motel. Her asking price is $225,000. For more information – give her a call!