WILLIAMS, AZ ~ June 10, 2007

On Saturday night after the Beale presentation, we left Riordan Mansion and got onto Route 66 heading west from Flagstaff toward Williams. (As you’re leaving Riordan Mansion State Historic Park, just continue straight through the intersection at Hwy. 180 to get onto Old Hwy. 66.) Route 66 takes you out of Flagstaff as it runs diagonally toward I-40. Then we had to get on I-40 for a while, but we got off on Parks Road which again is the same as Old Route 66. After a while, Parks Road just kind of turns into Forest Road 74 and heads north past the Pittman Valley Helibase and an El Paso Natural Gas compression station.

After that, the road becomes a dirt road as it continues north and curves to the east (which incidentally is where one of the segments of the Beale Wagon Trail is located). Along the way we saw a couple of deer on the side of the road and a raccoon, its large round eyes glowing with the reflection of our headlights. We set up our tent alongside FR 070. (We would have camped on FR 75 except for the grave, which was a spooky thing to encounter in the woods at night. It looked like a large mound with a white cross on top. In the morning we went back there out of curiosity and it was simply a pile of rocks and the marker said “MAX WILL’S BEST FRIEND.” Poor Max!) We also saw a large herd of deer near there, on both sides of the road.

Heading back in the direction from whence we had come, we turned onto Parks Road and stopped at the Oak Hill Snowplay Area so that we could walk to the Keyhole Sink. It’s an easy mile-long trail through the forest down to the base of a basalt cliff that has petroglyphs on it. One incredibly detailed petroglyph is a dramatic depiction of some Indians hunting a herd of deer at this very spot. While Keyhole Sink looked like the kind of place that Beale would have stopped at, there were no other markings except for the petroglyphs. Perhaps that’s because it’s not a year-round water source. When we were there it consisted only of damp mud – and lots of bugs! But it also contained a natural garden of roses and irises that were just past their prime bloom. What a wonder to see these flowers growing wild out in the middle of a forest in Arizona of all places!

When we got to the town of Williams later that morning, we were just in time to see the Grand Canyon Railway train pulling into the station. The steam train is really impressive when the steam is hissing and the bell is ringing – and it’s really loud, too! We ran right up next to it so we could even see the fire inside and the smallest valves moving. We stood there for the longest time looking at it, it’s such an interesting piece of mechanical equipment to watch. (See movie clip here) We had no idea how long the train was going to be stopped there, and by then it was noon so we walked over to the main street to get something to eat at Old Smokey’s Restaurant and Pancake House. Old Smokey’s opened for business in 1946 and it’s been in that same location for over 60 years, so it is truly a Route 66 original. When we came back out an hour later, the train was gone.

After lunch we walked to the Williams Visitor Center on the corner of Railroad Ave. and Grand Canyon Blvd., which is located near the train station just down a ways from where we had parked. At first a tour bus loaded with Japanese tourists was stopped there, but soon they left and we had the place mostly to ourselves. The building itself has an interesting history as the Santa Fe Railway depot for Williams and the Grand Canyon. Built of brick in 1901, it was later moved across the tracks for use as a freight depot. Restored in 1994, it is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Williams Visitor Center is jointly operated by the Williams-Grand Canyon Chamber of Commerce and the National Forest Service. One half of the visitor center is full of information and racks of brochures for the local area as well as from all around the state, while also offering a variety of books, maps, and souvenirs to purchase. The other half is a museum with interactive exhibits explaining the history of Williams, the prehistory of the area, Route 66, forest ecosystems, fire ecology and water conservation. (For example, did you know that just by turning off the faucet while brushing your teeth you save 3-4 gallons of water?) A “Kids Corner” offers hands-on activities for the family.

This is an excellent, must-see visitor center – families will especially appreciate being able to view all of the interesting museum-quality exhibits for free! The Visitor Center is staffed seven days a week, and for after-hours visitors there is an interactive computer that provides information. The rangers there will be able to answer any questions that you have, too. They gave us a couple of handouts showing how to get up Bill Williams Mountain, which was where we were going next.

FLAGSTAFF, AZ ~ June 9, 2007

For the most part we’ve been bypassing Flagstaff on our Route 66 trips lately, but this time it was our destination. Jon had a birthday postcard for $5 off any book at Bookmans, so that was our first stop. Then we looked around the downtown area for a while, went into Peace Surplus, and got to see a few trains passing through. I would have stopped at the Flagstaff Visitor Center next to the tracks, but the parking lot was full. Actually, the whole downtown area was crowded and congested. I realize that Flagstaff is not the small town that it used to be, but personally I think it’s grown too much for its own good. Despite the presence of historic museums and old buildings, Flagstaff has gotten away from its Western roots and has become a typical liberal college town. We might as well have been in downtown Tempe!

Anyway, we decided to drive east on Old Route 66. Originally I was looking for something like a Route 66-style diner (and we did drive past the classic Museum Club restaurant), but we decided to eat at the Salsa Brava Fresh Mexican Grill (2220 East Route 66). We got there at 5:00 and soon after that it got pretty busy, mostly families like us with children. The prices were quite reasonable and they offer a wide selection of appetizers, salads, fajitas, enchiladas, traditional plates, house specialties, breakfasts, desserts, and a children’s menu. Along with the bowl of chips, they give each person a little cup to bring up to the salsa bar. This way everyone can choose their own salsa according to their personal taste. We sat right across from a wall covered with award plaques for “Best Mexican Food,” “Best Salsa,” and more. The food was indeed fresh, healthy, and delicious, while the service was friendly and fast. We too would rate this restaurant as excellent!

BEALE’S WAGON ROAD & A DAY OUT WITH THOMAS ~ May 12, 2007

Mother’s Day was coming up and what did I want to do on my special weekend? Go back to Route 66, of course – to do some more exploring on the Beale Wagon Road, and also to see Thomas the Train. A real life-sized Thomas was going to be at the Grand Canyon Railway, which intrigued me because we’ve been fans of Thomas the Tank Engine ever since the original series narrated by Ringo Starr.

Tickets for “A Day Out With Thomas” were $20 for a 20-minute ride with Thomas pulling the train. This was a lot cheaper than $60 per ticket for a regular train ride on the Grand Canyon Railway, but it would still be almost $100 for a family of five. So we were debating about whether it was worth it or not, but by the time we got around to solidifying our plans, the tickets for the days we wanted were all sold out. Then I had an even better idea! When you’re on the train you don’t get to see much of the engine anyway. But what if we were able to park or walk next to the track somewhere and just watch it go by? We’d be able to see it for a good long time that way.

To get an early start, we drove up north on Friday night to camp in the forest near Williams. From I-40, we got off on Parks Road (which is Old Route 66). After a while, Parks Road just kind of turns into Forest Road 74 and heads north past the Pittman Valley Helibase and an El Paso Natural Gas compressor station. We turned right on a dirt road across from the natural gas facility and set up our tent there. It was quite cold in the woods at night (50º when we checked). The compressor station was so noisy, it seemed like it could be heard for miles around, but we didn’t bother moving.

The next morning before heading in the direction of Williams to see the train, I wanted to look for some more of the Beale Wagon Road while we were up there. The place that I had in mind was not too far from where we camped. As it turned out, it was even closer than we thought because we made a big loop around and ended up back on FR 74 right where we had started from!

The way we had gone was, we went to Parks and at the Maine Consolidated School we headed north toward Spring Valley. We were looking for signs of the Beale Wagon Road and finally found one where the road turned westward at the corner of a large ranch. We followed the Beale signs through the forest, although they seemed to be few and far between. Then we looked for the turnoff to Laws Spring. We found it, but we were unclear as to how far it was and where to go next.

We just kept driving north on that dirt road, being careful not to get off on any side roads, and eventually we found the trailhead for Laws Spring. It had a rather large parking area, despite being in a remote piñon-juniper woodland with no one else around for miles. We hiked down to the spring which was only about a quarter mile. There we came upon a huge pool of water fed by a spring and surrounded by a neat rock outcropping. There were ancient petroglyphs on the rocks, as well as historic names and dates carved by Beale’s men and others who passed that way.

The trail continued on for a quarter mile past Laws Spring, where in the middle of a flat plain there was another marker for the Beale Wagon Road. I thought a wagon road would be so well worn that the tracks would last forever, but there was no evidence of it at all. We wouldn’t have known it was there if it wasn’t for the signpost.

If you’re interested in exploring the Beale Wagon Road, here are some tips:

Beale Wagon Road traverses the northern part of the state, running east-west, primarily north of and roughly paralleling Interstate 40. Many forest service roads are presently located where the Beale Road used to be, and other roads intersect the Beale Road as well, so there are a variety of access points. Forest Road 141 out of Parks is suitable for passenger vehicles, but on most forest roads a high clearance vehicle is recommended. Good places to look for the Beale Wagon Road include: Leupp, Government Hill, Laws Spring, and west of Seligman. Depending on the area, the Beale Wagon Road route may be marked with rock cairns, brass cap markers, tree blazes, and 4" by 4" wood posts.

It’s great that the Forest Service is currently developing the Beale Wagon Road into a recreational trail. Laws Spring is the only parking facility along the route so far, but more trailheads with interpretive signs are planned in the future. Portions of the historic route that are part of the forest road system may be accessed by any means, including motor vehicles and mountain bicycles. The off-road trail sections are open only to hikers and horseback riders. A pathway has not yet been cleared on the trail sections, so it can be a challenge to follow – but that’s part of the adventure isn’t it?

http://www.fs.fed.us/r3/kai/recreation/trails/handouts/wil_beale.pdf (Click here for a Printable Map from the Forest Service.)

Next on our agenda was the Grand Canyon Railway in hopes of seeing Thomas the Train. We spotted the cute little blue tank engine at the station as soon as we pulled into town. Contrary to what we were led to believe, however, Thomas wasn’t pulling the train at all. In fact, he wasn’t even a working engine. Thomas was attached to one end of the train and a real diesel engine was at the other end. When the train left the station, it was pulled away by the diesel engine and Thomas simply trailed behind like a caboose. The train just went back and forth on the same track, ten minutes out and ten minutes back. So when it returned to the station, the real engine would be pushing from behind, making it look like Thomas was pulling the train. All Thomas did was whistle “Pip, Pip” all day long. Maybe it fooled the two-year-olds, but even my 7-year-old could tell that it was a fake. Now my kids all make fun of me for wanting to see it in the first place, but I’m still glad that we did. Watch the video below and you can say that you saw it too!

http://www.knowledgehouse.info/Thomas.wmv

YUMA CROSSING STATE HISTORIC PARK ~ March 17, 2007

Yuma Crossing State Historic Park was the site of the Yuma Quartermaster Supply Depot, used by the U.S. Army to store and distribute supplies for all the military posts in Arizona, Nevada, Utah, New Mexico and Texas. A six month supply of clothing, food, ammunition, and other goods was kept at the depot at all times. The supplies were brought from California by ocean vessels traveling around the Baja Peninsula to Port Isabel near the mouth of the Colorado River. There, cargos were transferred to river steamers and brought upstream to Yuma. The depot was in operation from 1864-1883.

While we were at this state park we had a chance to see a 1907 Southern Pacific Steam Locomotive and Coach Car, a transportation museum with wagons and other vehicles on display (including a riverboat replica and tons of historic photos), and some nice exhibits in the Visitor Center (the centerpiece of which is a Model T Ford on a wooden plank roadway). If you venture into a side room where they show films, be sure to look at the old black-and-white photos on the wall. One of them is a photo of a local bridge from long before WWII, but guess what design is painted on the side? (We did a double-take upon seeing the swastika, but this symbol was actually found in many ancient cultures before Hitler started using it.)

Yuma Crossing State Historic Park is located on the east side of 4th Avenue. All you have to do is find 4th Avenue, head in the direction of the Colorado River, and you will see the park grounds on the east side of 4th Avenue just past the old downtown area.