A ride to Seligman, Az

Monday, April 13, 2015

Last spring we rode from Laughlin Nevada through Kingman to Route 66 and on to Seligman, Az and Williams, Az. close to the Grand Canyon south rim overlook. A long day at 325 miles….actually too long!  So…what to do?  We have been trying to figure out how to ride up and see the Grand Canyon and it seems now that it would take us 3 days to do it. One day to Williams and stay overnight, late morning when it starts to warms up ride into the Canyon and then overnight again in Williams before heading back to Laughlin.  There are RV parks up that way but we aren’t into hauling the rig up to Kingman to get to them.  So….a big deal and we settled for a ride to Seligman for lunch.  We’ll have to figure out the Grand Canyon on another trip.  It’s still cold at higher elevations at this time of year and Williams at 6770 ft. is high.  The ride to Seligman round trip is 240 miles and that’s long enough.

>  

Heading up the highway to Kingman. It is supposed to be 95 F today so a ride to higher elevations will be a good thing.  We are still well clothed as we got fooled last year as it got really cool when we got up high.  You can take clothes off but you can’t put them on if they aren’t with you!

Look at those mountains….they don’t seem real.

Straight up to the Union pass which is at 3571 feet and then down into Golden Valley at 2800 ft. before climbing back up to Kingman at 3300 ft.

Down to Golden Valley.

Andy Devine Drive in Kingman.

Straight ahead to Peach Springs and Seligman on Route 66.

You start out on a high mountain prairie and it is alive with greenery and blooms of all sorts of desert plants.

 

Heading up.

The rocks just fascinate me.  My friend Barb would be filling the back of her vehicle to take them home!

Off to the right you can see the mountains are real mesas.  Flat like a table top or a guy with a really perfect crew cut!

Valentine Indian School built in 1901.  In use until 1969.

 

 

We are much higher now and the open prairie is grassy and covered in small junipers.

Little house on the prairie.

We stopped for a bum break in Peach Springs.

Time to ride on.

Still lots of open road to cover before lunch.

Coming into Seligman, Arizona.

Lots of touristy things to see.  A popular destination on Route 66.

A new house or…and old house redone.

Westside Lilo’s for lunch.  German and American cuisine.  Lots of motorcycles out front.

We could have eaten at the Roadkill Cafe and had buffalo burgers.

Inside Westside Lilo’s.  Up front to the left are a group of German motorcyclists having lunch.  They probably rented those Harley’s parked front in Phoenix…a common winter motorcycle destination.  Were they having bratwurst….who knows!

That’s one big elk.

Lunch was served and boy…they didn’t skimp on the portions!  Eric’s stealing a fry but he has lots of his own.  I managed the burger without half the bun and about half of the fries.  Huge and delicious.  Too much food for lunch but….soup and crackers for dinner.

A trailer load of elk antlers. 

Time to go.

There are all sorts of catchy road signs urging you to “slow down”, “don’t drink and drive” etc. etc and they all end with a Burma Shave sign.  Odd.  Apparently they were started in l925 and continued until l963.  Route 66 is reminiscent of that time. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burma-Shave

Wide open high prairie.

Old stone road bridge?

Here come the Germans.  They are heading east and we are heading west back to Laughlin.  Good trip!

Back into the junipers.

Back through Kingman, Golden Valley and now heading down from Union Pass to Laughlin and it is really hot.  See all that pollution sitting over Bullhead City and Laughlin….a southwest wind brings it in from Los Angeles.

We’ll turn right up ahead and head back to Casino Drive and the Riverside RV park.

You can camp at Davis Camp along the Colorado River just north of the bridge and south of the Davis Dam.  It’s not free!

Looks nice and cool down there by the river.

So a long day and we were home by about 5pm. 

Time for a cold beer.  Another good day.