See the USA!
Posts tagged flagstaff
July 8, 2014: Route 66 – Holbrook to Seligman, Arizona
0November 15, 2014
by Jennifer
in Road Trips
Today’s Map
Below is an interactive map of our trip, tracked using my Trimble Outdoors Navigator iPhone app. You can zoom in, or click the link below for a bigger, fullscreen map.
Feel free to browse and refer to the map for details about where we traveled, the photos were taken, etc.
Even though we had a perfectly acceptable stay at the Magnuson, it would have been nice to sleep in a Wigwam (we have at the Cave City, KY location). But here’s a morning photo on our way out of town.
Next, we stopped at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post. Glad we went and checked the door, because it looked closed, it seemed dark inside and there were no cars visible. But happily, they were open. Sadly, though, they no longer sold that cloyingly sweet cider we enjoyed on our honeymoon. We picked up a few souvenirs, including a HERE IT IS shirt for our grandson.
And here he is, posing on the Jack Rabbit! A rite of passage for all good Route 66 roadies.
Continuing to motor west, our next stop was Winslow, Arizona.
There is a 9/11 Memorial on the east end of Winslow on 66, which contains pieces from the World Trade Center.
We went over to Standin’ on the Corner Park, which has a mural, statue, and Flatbed Ford, all depicting a scene from The Eagles’ song “Take It Easy.”
There’s a man with a guitar standing on the corner, and the reflection in the window of a girl in a Flatbed Ford. I decided to take it easy and sip a Route 66 root beer. Very peaceful and relaxing.
Closeup of the statue…I still think he looks like Jackson Browne, despite the fact that there is no “official” word on who this is (I asked)!
I browsed in two of the shops there and picked up some t-shirts and postcards, while Pat took our grandson for a walk (a 3 year old and breakables is not a good combination!!).
Continuing west, we stopped for a photo at the old Twin Arrows Trading Post. It was barricaded and not as easily accessible as it used to be. There was also a casino nearby, of course, called the Twin Arrows Casino.
This old bridge is located on Route 66 at the Winona exit (exit 211 from I-40).
Heading toward Flagstaff.
In Flagstaff, is this former Howard Johnson’s Restaurant (the hotel is still that brand), now the Crown Railroad Cafe.
Western Hills Motel sign
Sierra Vista Motel sign
Old scaffold style signs in Flagstaff – Downtowner Motel and Motel DuBeau
We stopped in Flagstaff for a while to walk around and take photos of various Easy Rider filming locations, from the opening credits, which was filmed in part along Route 66 in Flagstaff. Click here for my post on Easy Rider Filming Locations to see more photos from Flagstaff along with screen shots from Easy Rider.
We stopped at the 66 Visitors Center and picked up a couple of Route 66 / Cars shirts for our grandson. One was a 66 t-shirt and the other was a really cute hand made Hawaiian type shirt made from Cars fabric with a map and Cars characters Mater and Lightning McQueen.
There was a bakery called Sugar Mamas that we wanted to visit, but it had already closed.
The Galaxy Diner is on 66 on the west side of town.
West of Flagstaff, Route 66 takes you on a scenic drive through the Kaibab National Forest. This is another location that was well-depicted in the Pixar film Cars, as Sally & Lightning take a drive through the forest (see video below the photo).
We told our grandson this was where Lightning and Sally went for a drive too!
Next, we arrived in Williams, a really nice Route 66 town with alot of great shops and restaurants. Again, we no longer buy alot of knick knacks, since we’re not in “acquisition” mode, but rather on a long, slow path to decluttering and eliminating stuff for a future of “fulltiming” in an RV someday, but that’s another story. We do buy a few things that we can use like t-shirts, coffee mugs, tote bags, etc. So I bought a cool Route 66 ceramic coffee mug at Cruisers and a couple small other things.
I was disappointed to see the Route 66 Inn closed. I stayed here during my first trip on Route 66 in August 2000.
Turquoise Tepee
Addicted to Deals
Rod’s Steak House
We stopped to get some ice cream at Twisters Soda Fountain…the chocolate met with our grandson’s approval! Here he is wearing the Cars shirt we had bought him in Flagstaff.
We managed to walk around Williams without any rainfall, which was looming. Moving west, we took the Crookton Road exit, which leads travelers onto a beautiful stretch of Route 66 away from the Interstate, and through Ash Fork, Seligman, Hackberry, Truxton, and on into Kingman.
Here are two photos at the Crookton Road exit.
Near Seligman, another BNSF train was approaching!
Next, we arrived in Seligman as it was nearing dusk; however, as we had never stayed in Kingman, that was our intended destination for this evening.
Looking west on 66 in Seligman.
The Copper Cart
Fillmore from Cars!
Historic Route 66 Motel on the west side of Seligman
The Supai Motel
We needed to get gas, so we stopped on the west side of Seligman. Once we did, we realized we really didn’t want to continue for this evening. It was getting dark, and we wouldn’t see much between here and Kingman. We decided to stay at the Stagecoach 66 Motel, where we’d stayed on our honeymoon. Double bonus, there was a restaurant / bar on the premises, so we could get some takeout and eat in our room (we would have eaten at the Snow Cap, but it was already closed by the time we arrived in town).
They had vacancy, and Pat even managed a surprise…a Cars-themed room. Jameson was very excited to see all of the decor with Mater, Lightning McQueen, and other Cars characters, just like his room at home. He was literally bouncing all over the place in excitement.
As Pat went over to the bar & restaurant to get a pizza, Jameson and I had a nice walk all around the grounds of the motel (about 5 laps, no less). It was a nice, peaceful time – I’m not sure what’s in the air in Seligman that calmed my grandson down, but it was just about the most quiet time I’d had with him so far during the trip (and in retrospect it would turn out to be the most quiet time of the entire trip…).
The office area of the motel.
Dinner!
Then it was time for some shuteye and the nightly ritual of trying to get our grandson to calm down and go to sleep. Mercifully, he fell asleep fairly easily today!
Until tomorrow…
Slideshow of All Photos (July 8, 2014)
Below is a slideshow of all of the photos from this portion of the trip.
Click any photo to stop the slideshow and view the photos on my Flickr site. If you are on an iOS device and do not see the slideshow below, click here to view the set on Flickr.
Hope you enjoyed the ride!
Pat & Jennifer
Easy Rider Filming Locations
2July 23, 2014
Opening Credits
The opening credits actually contain all of the filming locations that we currently have (we don’t have them all at this point). This will be a work in progress as we travel.
Here is a video of the opening credits to set the proper mood, as well as the context of the scene, which we love, with Steppenwolf’s “Born to be Wild.” Classic.
Interstate 40 East, Crossing the Colorado River at the California/Arizona Border
This scene was filmed along I-40 eastbound, crossing from California into Arizona. Two bridges, which are former alignments of Route 66 are also visible. The first bridge to the right, is the Red Rock Bridge, which carried Route 66 traffic from 1947 until 1966, when I-40 became the primary crossing. The Red Rock Bridge was later demolished. Also visible is the Old Trails Arch Bridge, which was built in 1916 and was an alignment of Route 66 from its inception through 1947, when it was replaced by the Red Rock Bridge.
Below, you can “drive” the same location on Google Street View.
Here is another view from this scene filmed from I-40, with the Red Rock Bridge first, and the Old Trails Arch Bridge more clearly visible behind it.
Since the scene was along the Interstate, our best replication was taken through the windshield. Not great quality, we know (dirty windshield!).
Here is a better view of the Old Trails Arch Bridge, taken from the California side (Park Moabi exit).
Golden Shores/Oatman Exit 1 off I-40, near Topock, Arizona
This scene was filmed on the Arizona side of the Colorado River, the first exit after the I-40 crossing above. The road that Billy and Wyatt are seen riding is on the south side of the Interstate, and is an old alignment of Route 66, leading to the Old Trails Arch Bridge (privately owned by Pacific Gas & Electric).
A view of this scene taken from across the road.
Park Moabi Road Exit 153 off I-40, Needles, California
Here, through the magic of film, Wyatt and Billy are back west, in Calfornia again. This scene was taken off the first exit on the California side of the Colorado River, Exit 153, Park Moabi Road.
The view below is looking north on Park Moabi Road, toward what is now an RV resort called Pirates Cove Resort & Marina, near Needles, California.
From assessing this scene and the photo below, we believe that some changes were made to the road since the film was made. The curves seen in the screenshot above do not exist in the road today, and judging from satellite views of the location, it appears there are remnants of curved road here. But without research (or the opinion of some of our Route expert friends, we won’t state this as fact, just casual observation. However, it definitely safe to say that this is a very close approximation of the location of this scene. As the co/owner of a small retro trailer (Serro Scotty HiLander), we actually like the scene in 1969 with the cool canned ham trailer!
Additionally, Park Moabi Road north, leads to an old alignment of Route 66, which eastbound leads to where the Red Rock Bridge (from the screenshots above).
And in July 2014…
Oddly enough (and ignore this now if you aren’t into geeky details…just enjoy the photos), in reality, this scene was filmed from the same spot as the shot above. If you watch the YouTube video, you will see that as Wyatt and Billy are riding up the hill, the camera smoothly pans across, following them as they proceed south on Park Moabi Road.
Interestingly (and this could be the result of the technical differences between movie and still cameras), while the film was shot from the same location (by the railroad on Park Moabi, where an old alignment of Route 66 goes back east), our photos were taken some distance apart on Park Moabi. This will be evident to anyone who drives Park Moabi in real life (or check it out on Google Street view).
Here is the view as they rode south on Park Moabi Road.
And in 2014…
Route 66 – Flagstaff, Arizona
This scene was filmed on Route 66 (S. Milton Street, near Tuscon Avenue) in Flagstaff, Arizona. Billy and Wyatt are passing what was the Lumberjack Cafe. This lumberjack statue is still in Flagstaff; not at this location, but instead at Northern Arizona University, at the J. Lawrence Walkup Skydome, along with a similar twin. Their team is the Lumberjacks, and he serves as their mascot.
This is the scene today, at what is now called Granny’s Closet. The lumberjack that was visible in Easy Rider is now located at Northern Arizona University. Below is Little Louie, who was not visible in Easy Rider, but has been at the Lumberjack Cafe since the 1960’s, along with the two other Bunyan-type statues.
For more detailed information on the Bunyan lumberjacks and Little Louie at the Lumberjack Cafe, please see this page on RoadsideArchitecture.com
In this scene, they are a bit farther east on Route 66 (near N. Leroux Street) in Flagstaff. This building was the Canyon Hotel at the time, with a camera shop also.
The building in 2014. Several businesses are listed at this location, such as an Architectural Design Studio, Flagstaff Piano, Clock and Fine Art Gallery, and a realty company.
The scene below is just a block east from the location above, also on Route 66, looking south onto S. San Francisco Street).
And the same scene in 2014.
That’s all for now! We had a screen capture of a couple others that we missed. One is a quick cut of them at another angle in the view above (we were right there and totally spaced taking a photo…next time!). Another location is a bit farther west in Bellemont, Arizona. Again, a work in progress that we’ll add to over time. There are many other locations in the movie in New Mexico and Louisiana (of note), so as we travel to those areas, we’ll add to this page!
Hope you enjoyed the ride!
Pat & Jennifer
