On the road again (this had become our mantra in the last few days) to Vegas. We knew we would be stopping at Kingman for lunch but what we didn't know was that we would be taking a detour onto
We were thrilled. We have grown up with the song ("get your kick on) Route 66"), never imagining we would actually get to travel on it. On the way there Allen explained we were visiting Seligman where Angel Delgadillo , (follow the link to read more about Angel's fascinating story), has his barber shop. In September 1978 Angel watched his hometown begin to die when the Interstate Highway system replaced Route 66 as the primary means for automobile travel in the Western United States.
Angel was one of the moving forces in the founding of the Historic Route 66 Association of Arizona and successfully lobbied the Arizona Legislature to designate and preserve Route 66 in Arizona as an historic highway. Following Arizona's lead, the seven states along Route 66 formed associations (California, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Illinois). Thanks to Angel Seligman and Route 66 are now back on the tourist trail.
Angel is retired now but his barber shop is still there, as is his original barber chair, which MWM just had to sit in.
Apparently Angel still obliges tourists with a haircut now and again, but he wasn't there the day we visited.
Angel's brother, Juan, established the Snow Cap Drive-in in Seligman in 1953 and was well known by tourists for the antics he pulled on them while they were trying to order food and drinks. He died in 2004 at the age of 88 but his children and grandchildren still run the Snow Cap and Juan's wacky car is still there.
There wasn't very much traffic while we there
so I suggested that MWM stand in the middle of Route 66 and I would take his photo for posterity
there he is!
We took one last look around
before boarding the coach to continue our jouney on to Kingman where we stopped at what Allen described as 'the Jerry Springer Walmart' (he wasn't wrong) and had lunch in a Kentucky Fried Chicken, which we thought was the best option considering the choice there, then it was On The Road again through the Mojave Desert.
to Las Vegas, which I'll tell you all about in Wonders Of The Golden West Part 5, if you care to join me.
