Riding the Rails -- Discovering Some Kicks on Route 66

There are always side trips one can make while on vacation. One we made on the rail vacation out west was to Seligman, Ariz., on the way to Las Vegas.

The Rusty Bolt

I had never heard of Seligman. I doubt if anyone on the tour bus was aware of the strip of shops, restaurants and motels off Interstate 40 -- located on Route 66, the "Mother Road of America."

Return to the 50's gift shop

Route 66 used to be a much-traveled highway, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles. But the development of the interstate highway system took a large amount of traffic off the road. 

A Route 66 sign in gift shop

Brothers Angel and Juan Delgadillo were determined to keep their town  of nearly 500 residents alive and perhaps to thrive. Now Seligman is a step back in time, harkening back to heyday of Route 66 of the 1940s and '50s. 

Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In

Angel founded the Route 66 Association of Arizona to help other towns offset the effects of the superhighways. By the way, you can meet the 87-year-old Angel -- the "Guardian Angel of Route 66" -- at his one-chair barbershop. Juan, who owned Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, died in 2004 at age 88.

Angel & Vilma's Gift Shop

There were a lot of people visiting the various shops and restaurants during our mid-morning stop. Tour buses, recreation vehicles, and cars were parked along the road. 

Roadkill Cafe

The Roadkill Cafe -- "You kill it, we grill it" -- is a popular place. Some folks got off the bus to purchase T-shirts in the gift shop (there must be a gift shop in every business).

Roadkill Cafe T-shirt

You can't miss Seligman if you're rolling the highway because there are Route 66 signs everywhere. So if you want to step back in time, this is a side trip to make if you're on the road to Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, or even Chicago to Los Angeles. 

Until the next time...