From Flagstaff to Lupton is approximately 165 miles on old Route 66. We had no plans on where we were going to stay, or how long it would take us. There were a few sites we wanted to see, some of which were off of Route 66.
WINONA
Winona, mentioned in the song “Get Your Kicks on Route 66”, is the first small town we drove through.
We stopped to take a photo of this old iron bridge. You may recognise this area from the 1990 movie Forrest Gump, as it was one of their filming locations.
The bridge, constructed in 1924 over Walnut Creek, was the main thoroughfare of Route 66 from 1926 to 1947.
TWIN ARROWS
Unfortunately, Twin Arrows Trading Post is another example of vandalism and time weathering. Once a busy trading post called Canyon Padre Trading Post, it starting declining in the 1940s.
Changing its name to Twin Arrows and adding the two wooden arrows (inspired by the neighbouring town of Two Guns) business picked up until the I-40 bypassed the hamlet altogether. In 1995 the place officially became a ghost town.
TWO GUNS
Two Guns, Arizona is now an utterly deserted ghost town filled with supernatural superstition and hauntings. It was once a thriving, busy hamlet where travellers could spend the night, fill their bellies and their tanks, and buy supplies for the long, arduous journey that lay ahead of them.
Harry “Two Guns” Miller leased the land back in the late 1920s turning the whole site into a tourist trap complete with a zoo! Built of stone and chicken wire he created cages for mountain lions and other animals of the area. The remains of which are still accessible.
As you are probably aware by now that I love finding old pictures of places to see the “Then & Now”. I came across a great website that had a few photos of how Two Guns once looked, and a rare picture of Harry Miller himself.
- To read more, click the link
Mr Miller also organised tours into the Apache Death Cave where once 42 Apache came to an abrupt, suffocating end. The Navajo set a fire at the entrance of the cave; the Apache, unable to escape, died as a result. Now haunted by these dead warriors, footsteps and groans have reportedly been heard.
- Clink the link below to discover the Apache Death Cave
I thoroughly enjoyed exploring Two Guns and the Apache Death Cave, but be aware of snakes and other ‘bities’. Do watch your step as the ground is very uneven. These two explores were, for me, the most exciting part of our journey from Flagstaff to Lupton.
METEOR CITY
The first time we came through Meteor City, it appeared just to be closed, and the worlds largest dream catcher was in pretty good shape. I’ve since found out that it closed permanently in December 2012.
It was first opened as a service station in 1938 by Joseph Sharber; then in 1941, Jack Newsum purchased the property turning it into a curio shop and changing the name to Meteor City, population 1. After getting married in 1945, he updated the sign to population 2.
The dome was an addition in 1979, and appeared in the 1984 film Starman, starring Jeff Bridges. Unfortunately, the original dome burnt down in 1990 and the one we see today replaced it.
They have locked up the dome building reasonably well and it appears that nobody has tried to break in as of yet. So hopefully, with a little luck, this will become a small tourist shop once again.
WINSLOW
Winslow, world-famous from a single line in The Eagles song “Take It Easy”, is the next town on the list. Most of the motels that were around when the Mother Road was in its prime are still standing. Although some have been so modernised, they are unrecognisable except for the name or signage. Others are now low-income housing.
Earl’s Motor Court once known as the Marble Motel, is the oldest classic R66 motel still open.
One of the main attractions of Winslow is Standin’ on the Corner Park, where there is a huge Route 66 emblem painted on the road. On the corner, there is a life-sized statue of Glen Frey holding a guitar, and parked along the pavement is an old red, flatbed Ford.
la posada hotel
Downtown Winslow near La Posada hotel is a pretty area. All of the buildings have character and invite you to stroll along their sidewalks and window shop. We parked in the hotel’s parking lot and went out to do just that.
Barely unchanged and a “Roadside Attraction” we decided to go in and have some breakfast at La Posada Hotel.
We strolled around the inside of the hotel, before heading outside to view the grounds.
Brick pathways lead to wooden doors, and secret gardens lie behind—patios with fountains, verandas overground with fragrant roses, and beyond what was once a herb and vegetable garden.
The original Harvey Hotel opened to the public in 1930 and remained one of the main lodgings for the Hollywood elite until 1957. It was closed to the public for many years, housing a museum and offices for the Santa Fe railroad.
This magnificent building was up for demolition, but thankfully after a 12 million dollar restoration, it re-opened in 1997.
The railway line out the back still operates.
It is all very well maintained and beautiful and definitely worth a stay. We recommend you take your time exploring this national treasure and the grounds. Maybe pop in for a bite to eat as we did.
Winslow is a charming, quiet, clean little town, and we enjoyed our visit here. Next time we pass through, we plan on spending the night at the La Posada Hotel if time allows.
here it is – JACK RABBIT TRADING POST
The Jack Rabbit Trading Post had its grand opening in the 1940s. Even with the I40 bypass, it remains a busy stopping point and has its own exit. (269 off I-40)
Dozens of large, hand-painted signs dotted the Mother-Road from Arizona to Missouri with the huge jackrabbit logo. Unfortunately, only a few of these billboards remain.
Fun pic
You may recognise the sign from Disney-Pixar’s film Cars. A Model T Ford replaced the jackrabbit.
It’s a wonderful novelty shop filled with all manner of things from curios to souvenirs.
a surprise
The thing about Route 66 and other road trips we’ve been on, you just never know what you’re going to find by taking a left rather than a right!
We came across this little nugget. Ella’s Frontier Trading Post, or at least its remains in Joseph City.
Now the story goes that a former circus clown Fred ‘San Diego” Rawson built San Diego’s Old Frontier Trading Post in 1927 out of old telephone poles. Eventually, it found its way into the hands of Ray Meany and his wife Ella who change the name to “The Last Frontier” in 1947.
After a bitter divorce in 1955, Ella kept the trading post as part of the settlement and renamed it “Ella’s Frontier”. An unconventional and slightly strange lady who not only played her piano to travellers but also to imaginary people and animals.
Ella remained at the Frontier until her death in 1984, and since then nature has taken its toll (along with those pesky vandals) and all that remains are the ruins of a once-bustling road stop for Route 66 travellers.
(UPDATE: Unfortunately, due to vandals and looting, as of 2020, little remains of “Ella’s Frontier” and it is now fenced off, but it is still interesting to see. Please respect POSTED signs.)
Right next to Ella’s is the abandoned Red Arrow Campground.
Geronimo
Passing through the remainder of Joseph City we did a quick stop at the extensive gift shop of Geronimo established in 1974 as a roadside attraction.
Outside there are teepees, old wagons, and massive pieces of petrified wood.
The interior is well designed and has hundreds of Native American arts and crafts on sale.
holbrook
Wigwam Hotel
Vintage cars park at the entrance and outside many of the teepees of the Wigwam Motel, just as they would have done many years ago when Route 66 was in its prime. The authenticity gave me the feeling that I had stepped back in time making me want to blast Elvis on the radio and do some “Rock ’n Roll” dancing around the parking lot. Though I didn’t do either of those things. Despite all of this, it appeared to us to have far less character than the Wigwam Hotel we had stayed in California.
The reception area was all closed up, and it didn’t appear that there were any guests, so we thought it must have closed down. We found out later that wasn’t the case! Anyhow, too late as we ended up camping in the van. Next time we pass through though, we plan on booking a teepee.
Other sites in Holbrook
Mooching around Holbrook we came across these Route 66 relics and of course, just had to take pics.
- Buckets of Blood Saloon – 101 Buckets of Blood Street – On a dark night back in 1886 two rival groups of cowboys had a disagreement in the Terrill’s Cottage Saloon. Guns were drawn, shots fired and bodies lay in buckets of blood on the wooden floor. Which was how this saloon got its name
- Joe & Aggie’s – 120 W Hopi Drive – established in 1943, where it became renowned for its Mexican-American food (especially its chile sauce)
- Holbrook Inn once Woods inn – 235 W Hopi Drive
- Sahara Inn – 2402 Navajo Blvd – built 1967
- Globetrotter Lodge formerly Sun ‘n’ Sand Motel built in 1956
- Butterfield Steakhouse complete with a wild-west wagon on the roof – 609 W Hopi Drive – Built in 1950
- Rainbow Rock Shop – 101 Navajo Blvd – sells rocks, fossils, geodes, petrified wood, and other gifts. Opens 10 am to 5 pm Mon-Sat
- Young T Company- Warehouse built in 1900
- The Plainsman Restaurant – 1001 W. Hopi Drive – permanently closed but with a great sign
- Longest Route 66 map – 609 W. Hopi Drive
And the list goes on………..
continuing our journey from flagstaff to lupton
On leaving Holbrook, the following sections of Route 66 are a little hit and miss. Some of the roads are inaccessible and abandoned. Some are just not drivable and others have been closed or are being repaired. That’s the thing we found throughout this adventure – it’s pretty much impossible to complete the whole journey, so we left a lot to our imagination. Although I must say, looking at some early photo’s of the rutted dirt road it wouldn’t have been a comfortable drive. Very little suspension and no air conditioning!
All along R66, there are so many detours you can take. From here, there is the Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert plus Painted Desert Inn at 1 Park Road. Next time for us…..
Just off the main road is an old 1926 alignment of Route 66 which went through Chambers, Sanders and along a rough dirt road to Allentown.
saunders
Sanders is like a ghost town, and even in its heyday only ever had 88 residence. It has a decommissioned iron bridge known as Old Sanders, built 1923 which we walked over and an old 66 Valentine diner which is now closed.
The unmade road did throw up a lot of dust but there had been no rain so it wasn’t too turreted and our minivan was just fine. The scenery is amazing and you drive over the Historic Querino Canyon Bridge.
Back on the main road we drove through the tiny town of Houck.
Fort Courage – houck
There is an abandoned tourist travel centre in Houck called Fort Courage built as a replica for the 1960s sitcom, F Troop.
It was getting late in the afternoon. Make that very late! The sun was waving goodnight over the distant ridges and the stars were just about ready to greet us. We just had time for a quick explore.
We parked next to the abandoned petrol station and walked around to snap some photographs. Just through an opening in the fence where a gate must have been, were two wooden towers and several buildings which looked like homesteads.
Walking up gingerly to the first porch it creeks and bends underfoot, as the well-weathered wood has all but turned to mulch. Looking inside through the broken windows and unhinged door it offered nothing but piles of rubbish that used to be someones prized possessions. If these were apartments at one time, whoever occupied them departed in a hurry and left everything behind.
With the light fading fast and birds fluttering past starling us to death we decided it was time to explore as much as we could safely. Though we wanted to go up the large tower and get a pic from the top, it wasn’t safe. Who knows what shape the inner stairs were in as it was too dark to see inside completely. Plus it was creepy! Someone could still be calling it home.
The other building next to the petrol station was a pancake house, coffee shop and taco bell at one point. This was also very inviting to explore, but yet again not safe in the dark and with no masks for the more than likely mould infestation, we decided against it.
This is a neat little stop to get some photographs and if it’s light and safe enough, do a little urban exploration!
LUPTON
Lupton, the last town before crossing into New Mexico is the home to the abandoned Indian Market which has defin
Across the road is the Yellowhorse Trading Post.
A very unique place situated at the base of a cliff. The dome seems to have been blasted into the side of the rocks and above, a ledge that holds statues of Eagles, Elk and Mountain Lions. You can just make out fading remnants of paintings on the rock face.
Along this little stretch of roadway are several small trading posts which sell various Native American items. This becomes an overwhelming theme along the last section of Arizona and the rest of the route through New Mexico, so don’t buy all your moccasins at the first store you come to!
The very first store in the row is now abandoned with only a few remnants left inside and some Christmas decorations that had a hefty amount of dust accumulated on them. We parked here and walked the short distance to see the rest of the stores. It was about 7 am and extremely cold out, so nobody else was about.
There is some beautiful artwork along the fence line which makes great photo opportunities.
Leaving Yellowhorse for our next stop…New Mexico.
Our Takeaway on Flagstaff to Lupton
There was a lot to see from Flagstaff to Lupton, and it is difficult for us to say which were our favourite sites.
We love urban exploring and ghost towns. The Apache Death Cave and walking around the ruins of the old zoo at Two Guns would be the top of our list. Discovering Ella’s Frontier was a bonus, and we were fortunate to be able to investigate this tiny homestead and the campground next door.
Unfortunately, due to Mother Nature, vandals and looters, we don’t know how long some of these amazing, historical places will remain. It is up to us to preserve these iconic sites for future generations to appreciate.
Take only photos, leave no trace, respect signage, and enjoy these landmarks.
NEXT ON ROUTE 66:
PREVIOUSLY:
Leave a Reply