15 Feb Seligman, Arizona – Route 66 Gold!
Little did we know (us Route 66 newbies) as we pulled out of Williams to continue our journey on Arizona’s famed Route 66 – that we were headed for #66 Gold!!! But we knew something was up as we slowly approached Seligman. “OMG – stop the car”! There was no reason to drive through this little town – “let’s get out and walk”! One of the first things we saw as we entered the town is the very historic and wonderful Delgadillos Snow Cap Drive-in. Sadly it was closed, (January must be an off month on #66) but there was so much going on visually with this shop that I could have done a large photo essay here! A brief bit of research reveals that Juan Delgadillo built this place in 1953 from scrap lumber and operated it for fifty plus years. You can see that he was a guy who loved to have a good time. Enjoy a few of the pics I took – and played around with in Photoshop!
I’m not sure of their relationship, but can only imagine that they were related, Juan and Angel Delgadillo – I mentioned him in an earlier blog as one of the real Route 66 heroes. He was the barber in Seligman when Interstate 40 came along and passed the town by. He could see the handwriting on the wall and decided to do something about it: he helped form the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona, which brought attention to the plight of all the small towns that were now being left out. He also helped create The Route 66 Fun Run which is an annual event that takes place over a three-day weekend: anyone can come out in their vehicle, cruise the scenic by-way and enjoy multitudes of events celebrating the glory of Route 66. Brilliant! This year’s event begins on Friday May 4th! Gosh – I wish I could go! I’ll have to put this on my bucket list for sure!
As you can see from the photos, this town is rich in #66 history! So many fun shops to visit and you could even stay in the beautiful Supai Motel (I’m guessing the name is taken from the nearby Havasupai Falls, another interesting destination). It looks like the 57-year-old motel was recently purchased and refurbished to provide lodging for all fans of the dear Mother Road. (Note to self – next time around stay at the Supai!)
Next up: the road to Kingman!
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