We're on our way home on Wednesday.



We've left Hoover Dam behind, and now we're driving--again--across Arizona.



We're in what's called the High Desert. I'm guessing that's because it's dry and we're at altitudes ranging from 4500 feet to 7500 feet. (See the top of the water bottle? And beside it is my coffee mug full of juice. It's absolutely critical to stay hydrated out here. We went through a case and a half of water and 2 gallons of juice, in addition to the drinks we had with meals. And not one time did I break a sweat.)



This is got to be the most inhospitable land I've ever visited. I'm amazed that anything is able to grow here.

There are very nearly no clouds in the sky. And on this return trip, the sun is shining in my window, for the most part. I had to change into a long-sleeved shirt, and part of the time wear my hat again, to keep from burning more.



How do people live out here? (And why do they want to?) Remember, this is Arizona, the favorite retirement state in the country. I know some parts of the state look different, but not by much.



One thing I noticed is that the houses are in small groups. Almost never do you see a residence out by itself. It seems that neighbors would be absolutely necessary in this desert.



Still, you can find beauty in abundance. I don't know what this is, but it's stunning with its tall branches and orange blooms.



Some of the desert shrubs were blooming, too, in tiny yellow flowers. And as we drove I occasionally saw these things that looked like short red tubes sticking up out in the fields. I couldn't tell if they were survey markers or what. I finally got a good look.



They were cacti in bloom. We found this one in the landscape in front of a store. I wasn't about to get out of the car, climb the fence, and traipse across the desert to get a picture, and we couldn't find any close to the road.

See the white stuck to the cactus? That ever-present wind out here blows everything lightweight across the desert. Anything with spines or points catches the debris, and then the wind shreds it. No big deal with most things, as they just disintegrate and fade away. Not so with plastic. It hangs on. And on, and on...... I actually started to gauge how populated a place was, and how much the wind blew, by the amount of plastic stuck to fences and the degree of shredding. A sad commentary.

Just when I had decided that I didn't care if I EVER saw another rock, we got to Kingman, AZ. We were back on Route 66 at this point, and we'd decided to take the old road through as many towns as time would allow.



This is one of the first places we saw.



We'd been reading a couple of online sites that listed major points of interest along Route 66, and the Powerhouse was listed, for good reason. There's a little place across the street that made the list, too, but I'll tell you more about that in a minute.



Here's the side (now front) view.



The Powerhouse is an official Route 66 Roadside Attraction. I'm not sure the criteria, but every one we stopped at was well worth seeing. The Powerhouse is also on the National Register of Historic Places.

There's this great plaque 9 or 10 feet up the front wall outside.



You gotta wonder who thought of that. I love Americans. They have great senses of humor.

Inside is a manned visitor's center, a gift shop, and a museum.



The gift shop is set up as a period diner. The neons on the ceiling are great.

They have all kinds of Route 66 merchandise. Some of it is a little touristy, but in a good way. There are also reprints of photos from the road's heyday, books about the Route, etc. And there's some local art mixed in.

We bought a book here that lists LOTS of Route 66 attractions, complete with pictures and phone numbers, if the place is still in business. The author, David Wickline, actually traveled as much of the original Route as possible over the course of a few years, taking pictures to document the architecture, signs, and attractions that are left. It's fantastic. It let us decide which towns skip and which attractions couldn't be missed. It's not an easy book to find, apparently. It was published in 2006, and the only place on the web you can get it is his site. At this point, it's $34.99. Trust me, it's worth it if you are interested in the Mother Road.



This is one of the pictures the gift shop has. That piece of roadway looks like La Bajada Hill (New Mexico). It was the most dangerous part of Route 66. With 2 dozen or so of these tight curves and switchbacks, it's easy to see why. A New Mexico road sign from the late 1920's read:

La Bajada Hill
Warning
Safe Speed 10 Miles
Watch Sharp Curves
This Road Is Not Fool Proof
But Safe For A Sane Driver
Use Low Gear

This road is not fool proof--what do you suppose that meant, exactly???

Route 66 actually bypassed that piece of road by 1932. That means it was very early autos that drove it, for the most part. Can you imagine driving that in a car without power steering or power brakes, and using a manual transmission? In the middle of summer with no air conditioning, to boot. Amazing.

One of the signs on the wall in the gift shop. I love it.



There was a model railroad that ran around the perimeter of the second floor. The track layout was pretty elaborate, even running outside for a bit. There were two trains on the track.



Kids who were there were having a great time watching.



I'm sure the train was there partly because of the real train outside.



Dean tells me the A.T.&S.F. stands for Atchison, Topeka, & Santa Fe Railway.

The reason we pulled into the Powerhouse parking lot to begin with was to get good pictures of this place.



It's Mr. D's Route 66 Diner.



It's pretty well known, apparently. This place has been in business since the 1940s, with only a few years when it was closed. The new owners have had the place for about 8 years, and they've kept it wonderfully authentic.



This place has period decor outside......



.......and in.



The old truck just adds to the charm.



It has a counter, as any good diner should.



Mr. D's has a lovely pink and aqua color scheme, and black and white checked floor. (Looks a little like Sims decorating.)



There's lots of James Dean, Elvis, and Marilyn.

Mr. D's is famous for it's authentic experience and food, so we decided to splurge a little and eat lunch here.



As it turns out, we didn't have to splurge at all. The prices are the most reasonable we found on the entire trip. (Remember that this is as of May, 2008.)



And the food was delicious.



We both had the open faced burger topped with chili. Those are sweet potato fries by my burger. Being a good southern girl, those suited me to a tee. Dean chose onion rings with his. I should have made two meals of it, but it was so good, I didn't want to stop. Dean made it all the way through his, but I didn't quite make it. (I was uncomfortable for hours.)



This was great. It's a gadget that lets the waitresses know when an order is up. The cook can reach through and pull the handle, and the pipes whistle. They still use it, too.

If you're going to travel Route 66, I'd say Mr. D's is a must.

I'll post more of Wednesday in the next post. See you there.