It is a beautiful sunny day and we are off on a scouting trip to take Route 66 to Flagstaff. It is usually too cold at this time of the year because Flagstaff at 6,906 ft. Laughlin is at 500 ft. so up we go.
Doesn’t show Route 66 but you get the gist of it.
Eric has his jacket on and we have a small bag packed as we plan to overnight in Flagstaff. It is to be 96F here today and 80F in Flagstaff.
Heading out of the park along Casino Drive.
On the road between Laughlin and Kingman, Arizona.
Coming through Union Pass.
Coming through Kingman on Andy Devine Drive.
The big steam locomotive.
Mr.D’s.
Old dudes in Kingman….no helmets etc….us all geared up.
East of Kingman and the big, open bald prairie.
Round water worn rocks. Beautiful.
http://www.legendsofamerica.com/picturepages/66az-ashforkvalentine-12.html Valentine Indian School in Valentine Arizona. Elevation 3798 ft.
Rim rock.
We are now seeing Juniper bushes as we rise in elevation.
One of the very few houses along the way. No one seems to live out here….would you?
Coming into Peach Springs in the Hualapai Reservation. Elevation 4797 ft.
Downtown Peach Springs.
The Ostermann Station in Peach Springs, Arizona has been placed on the National Register of Historic Places
Posted on April 13, 2012 by quintascott
Osterman’s Shell Station, 1932
Peach Springs
Oscar Ostermann's Gas Station in Peach Springs
The Hualapai Indians nominated the Peach Springs Shell Station for the National Register of Historic Places and were accepted in 2009. Recently, it was placed on the register. The Hualapai Indian tribe owns the station these days and plans to restore it and start pumping gas again. They received a great from the National Park Service to do so. However, Oscar Ostermann built the gas station in 1932, not his brother John in 1927. At the same time Oscar built the new gas station, he built the Peach Springs Auto Court next door.
Beatrice Boyd, whose husband, Frank, worked for Oscar and who purchased the Peach Springs Auto Court from Oscar in 1938, told me the story:
From Along Route 66:
“Swedish sailor John Osterman wanted to captain his own ship. In 1914 he set sail around the world, as was required by the Swedish Merchant Marine, but on a German ship. His ship was interned at Santa Rosalia, Mexico on the Baja Peninsula at the beginning of World War I. He jumped ship, ferried across the Gulf of California, made his way to Nogales, crossed the border into Arizona, and followed the railroad north to Phoenix where he went to work in a dairy. He hated the work. When the dairy shipped its cows, and John north, to summer pastures near Flagstaff, he took off and hopped a train to San Francisco with the intention of going back to sea. The railroad cops threw him off at Peach Springs where the largest body of water was a dry wash.
“He stayed, worked on a ranch, became a citizen, and was drafted when the United States went to war. After World War I, he returned to Peach Springs, opened a small gas station, and quickly developed a reputation for honest work. He would tow a car day or night. He stocked Ford parts, particularly springs–six were delivered daily from Los Angeles for folks who busted theirs on the rough road. He persuaded his brother, Oscar, to join him, sold him the gas station in 1925, and moved to Kingman. A year later the highway department designated the road in front of the gas station U.S. Highway 66, and then moved it a block north six year later. Oscar needed a new building: he built a jagged Alamo.
“He poured a two-story concrete frame, four bays wide, and filled it with concrete block, formed to look like quarried stone. By 1920 the reinforced concrete frame had come into general use in large industrial buildings–flour mills and factories, but it was unusual to see one on such a small scale.[Endnote #25] He housed his office and work room in the west half of the building and the garage in the east half. He provided a second-story sleeping room for the help behind the stepped facade over the garage. He finished it with a wide, spreading canopy that covered the pumps.” Photograph, 1998.
In 1998 when I was making a trip along Route 66 for my book, Along Route 66, I checked into the station to get permission from the Hualapai to drive across their lands and down into the Grand Canyon.
Here is Big Red parked in front of the Osterman Gas Station.
Side of the station looking toward the railroad.
Grand Canyon Caverans would be a good place to visit…maybe next time. Elevation 5386 ft.
Old bus in their parking lot.
Car 54 where are you?
Stark.
Looking towards the Grand Canyon. You can see this is “canyon” country.
Sante Fe Railroad.
Downtown Seligman.
We had our lunch packed and with us because we didn’t know if there would be anywhere to eat or get fuel. We were looking for a place to eat and this gift shop had tables. I know it sounds jaded but the whole street is just memorabilia for sale. Keeps the local folk in business I guess. Not my cup of tea!
Big Red waits patiently!
The Japanese man with the hat on came over with “Get your kicks…” written on a napkin. He couldn’t find what kicks would mean in his dictionary…we explained it meant “to have fun.” We didn’t go into the whole “Get your kicks on route 66” thing. He was sitting with people speaking French…who knows why. There were lots of oriental and European tourists. Hope they liked Seligman.
Eric.
This is the only sign east of Seligman and we wound up on I 40 heading east. Couldn’t find the last piece of US 66 in this area.
Straight ahead to Flagstaff.
Heading up, up, up and there are more and more trees.
Now we are into pine forest and it’s getting colder.
We left I40 and went into Williams which is at the southern entrance to the Grand Canyon. Elevation 6754 ft. and it was time to get out of Dodge. It is now cool and tomorrow morning would be way too cold to ride. We didn’t bring our heated gear as the temperatures looked like they would be okay…..not.
Coming down main street and it’s not too busy.
Old buildings.
There was a huge amount of accommodation, a ski hill close by and of all things a man made Zip line. The journey will not continue to Flagstaff….next time. We are heading back down to warmer country. We would also stay in Williams and tour down into the Grand Canyon on another trip.
A large pack of motorcycles that we saw in Peach Springs passed us heading back to Flagstaff where likely their warm houses and beds awaited. I took this picture behind my head so use your imagination!
Back down to the Junipers.
Getting warmer now.
We ended up back in Seligman and I had to decide whether I wanted to overnight there. Nope….so we headed home. Eric was all for it but it didn’t float my boat!
We did find the missing piece of Route 66 on the way back to Seligman because there was a sign on the I40.
So total trip 350 miles….not bad for a couple of geezers. A good scouting journey and do some easy day trips from Laughlin next year….weather permitting! Oh yeah, and with heated gear too.
No comments:
Post a Comment