Taking the Southern Route in 1966

In October of 1966, Bob was transferred from Monterey California to Key West Florida. Mom and Dad came out to help us move.

Mother washing the windows of the house we were leaving

We were driving two cars. Bob was driving a 1932 Plymouth which he didn't push to go much faster than 40 mph. My dad was riding shotgun.

The 1932 Plymouth getting gas

I was driving a VW bus, with my motheer to help with our two children, age 5 and age 3.

Children asleep in the VW

We had walkie talkies to communicate from one car to the other.

When we travel, we try to have something for the kids to do every day. We start with an early breakfast, stop for gas about 10, eat a quick lunch someplace, stop for gas about 2 and then stop about 4 at a motel with a pool or where there was something interesting for the kids to do.

We were taking the southern route, so we drove down through central California. We probably did not get away early on the first day and probably stopped the first night in Paso Robles or Bakersfield.

Day 2

The first place where I took any photos was when we stopped in Calico for the night Calico is 10 miles north of Barstow, Exit I-15 at Ghost Town Rd. Calico wwas set up as an old mining town. My dad grew up in a ghost silver mining town in Colorado. In 1881, the silver mining town of Calico was established, and it has about 1/3rd of the original buildings of the mining camp.

Main street

The Townsite is open 8:00 a.m. to Dusk daily. A narrow gauge railroad operates within town limits

Mine train tracks

Mine train rail - looking past the train engineer

Daily Admission 2022

• Adult ............................... $8
• Youth (4-11) .................... $5
• Children (3-under) ........... FREE

The entrance is in "Wall Street Canyon", where the rocks extend upward nearly 100 feet.

Calico

Calico signs on the hill and Hank's Hotel

You can take a walking tour with Calico's historian beginning at 10 a.m., noon, and 2 p.m. The 45 minute tour is free, and examines the life of miners, the famous 20 mule teams, and Calico's mail carrying dog, "Dorsey".

Donkey

The town shops include a 1880's confectionary, a saloon where the sounds of honky tonk piano often fill the air, a full service restaurant, leather goods, pottery, basket, bottle, rock and dry goods stores. South of town is Calico's cemetery.

When we visited the Los Angelos Area in 1965, one of the things that the children loved doing was taking the mule rides in Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. The kids had a mule ride here in Calico.

Mule ride

It did remind me of Knotts Berry farm. Although I did not know it at the time, Mr. Walter Knott, founder of Knott's Berry Farm. Knott had bought Calico in 1951 and started restoring it from old photographs. So no wonder it reminded me of Knott's Berry Farm.

Five of Calico's businesses are in original buildings like "Lil's" Saloon, and Lane's General Store. Others like the school house are exact replicas on existing foundations. One of the exhibits in the town was laundry hanging on the line. This was in line with the type of thing that Disney and Knotts Berry Farm had at the time.

Laundry area

Now, gunfight stunt shows have become a part of Calico's everyday life. Or you can pan for real gold (I don't know whether they 'salt' the stream for gold or not - I think they must. This was after all a SILVER mining town and not gold), and according to the website: "..watch water roll up hill in Calico's Mystery Shack or take a trip down into an actual mine where the air is thin, ceilings are low and evidence of labor intensive rock chipping is everywhere."

I thought it was kind of hokey at the time, but in those days there was only one Disney park (Disneyland) and Walt was still alive.

In November 1966 (right after our visit), Knott donated Calico to San Bernardino County.

Day 3

The next day, we went through Twenty-Nine Palms, on the way to Joshua Tree N.M.

Scenery from the car

Joshua Trees

Dad taking photos. Can you spot him?

Teddybear cholla

Daughter looking at cactus

Teddy bear cactus

We stopped for the night in Kingman AZ. In the "old days" Kingman was primarily a railroad town. Although the area is dotted with mining ghost towns and soldiers at Fort Mojave went prospecting here in their off-duty hours, Kingman, Arizona located in a natural basin, surrounded by basaltic hills, was established not as a mining camp, but because of the railroad.

Train in Kingman

In 1880, Lewis Kingman surveyed along the Atlantic and Pacific right of way between Needles and Albuquerque. By 1883 the track was completed and the name was changed from Middleton to Kingman. At the time of the building of Boulder Dam (now called Hoover) Dam, Kingman had the advantage of being located on the railroad and on U.S. 66. I have pictures of this A.T & S.F. (Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway) locomotive engine #3759

A.T. & S. F. train in Kingman

Rebuilt in 1927, this "Northern type" coal burning steam locomotive was converted to run on oil fuel in 1941. Its regular passenger run was from Los Angeles to Kansas City, with Kingman as a water stop on the way back to Los Angeles.

The last steam engine to traverse the line to Kingman, it was presented to the city as a historical monument in 1957 by the Santa Fe Railroad. It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places

We visited in 1966. A colorful caboose was added to the park in 1987. (after our time).

Now Kingman regards itself as "The Heart of Historic Route 66". because the longest original stretch of Route 66 runs through the downtown.

At the time we were traveling, U.S. Route 66 (also known as the Will Rogers Highway) was still a highway in the U.S. Highway System. Route 66 (i.e.US 66), was originally established on November 11, 1926. There was also a TV series called Route 66 which ran weekly on CBS from 1960 to 1964. Traveling in 1966, we would have been aware of the TV series but I don't remember much being made of the fact that we were traveling on Route 66. After all - this was a normal highway then.

After we did our trip, US 66 was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985 because it was thought that the interstate system made it irrelevant. Now, portions of the road that pass through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name "Historic Route 66".

Lindberg Was Here? Yes, unexpectedly, he was The first airport, laid out by Charles Lindberg, was dedicated on June 8, 1929. Kingman Army Air Field, constructed in 1942, is the site of the present airport. It was built as an Aerial Gunnery Training Base. It was one of the Army Air Corps largest, training some 35,000 individuals.

Presently the airport is located five miles north of Interstate 40, along U.S. Highway 66, and adjacent to the main line of the Burlington Northern and Santa Fe Rail Road. Commercial air service is provided by Great Lakes Airlines with service to Ontario, CA and Farmington, NM.

Calico to 29 palms 110 miles 2.75 hours
29 Palms to Kingman - 193 miles 4.8 hours
End Day 3

Day 4

From Kingman, we went up US 180 to the Grand Canyon National Park. We entered at the South Entrance. We took some photos when we got there, but the light at noon was very 'flat' and we couldn't really see the scale of the canyon. All the nooks and crannies will tend to blend into each other and you don't get any sense of the depth

Flat light at noon

Photos can never really do justice to being there in person.

North rim

I don't know what this photo shows, except that I know it was taken from the South Rim, because it was so late in the season that we visited that the North Rim wasn't open. If anyone knows what this is a picture of, I'd appreciate knowing.

"The ages have been at work on it and man can only mar it. What you can do is to keep it for your children, your children's children, and for all who come after you..."

- President Theodore Roosevelt in 1903

Grand Canyon

This is an oft-quoted comment on the Grand Canyon.

In order to retain as much as possible of the Canyon's glory, there are some simple rules to follow: Do not disturb canyon vegetation or feed the animals. No pets of any kind are allowed below the rim of the Grand Canyon, except for certified seeing-eye and hearing guide dogs.

Hopi House

We visited Hopi House (designed by Mary Colter to be shaped and built like a Hopi pueblo) which is located right on the rim of Grand Canyon, and offers authentic American Indian arts and crafts. I was amused by the sign in side Hopi House.

Sign inside Hopi House

We stayed overnight at the Grand Canyon, so we got to see the sunset

first overlook - approaching sunset

Kingman to Grand Canyon - 170 miles 4.5 hours
End Day 4

Day 5

We got up before dawn to take photos of the sunrise. It was really COLD. A lot of people warn about heat and dehydration. Because this is the desert, and heat, sun and dehydration are life-threatening problems. The top of the Grand Canyon is up at altitude (6,790' Elevation for the South Rim), so not only are you closer to the sun (better sunburn), so there are altitude problems as well.

My dad wearing my wool scarf

But sometimes people forget the other side of the desert - the cold side - the fact is that the desert and high altitudes get COLDer when it is cold.

My dad and my daughter got up with us to take pictures at sunrise. We had come from Califorina and didn't realize how cold it would be.

Before Sunrise

So in addition to packing for heat and sun, put something in to protect you from the cold at night, even in the summer. In August, the high will average 83, and the low will average 47. And in the fall or spring, what you pack ought to be really warm because it will go down to the low 20s and be windy.

It is also really dark out in the desert - no street lights. When you are driving, you have the headlights of course. Buses on the Hermit Rest Route run 4 am to 20 minutes after sunset, but after you get off the bus (or park) and walk to the overlook, it's dark. But it is definitely worth it. You must go to see the Canyon at sunrise. It is awesome to see the sun first touch the tops of the rocks, and gradually travel down into the Canyon. It is almost as good at sunset as the shadows creep up the Canyon walls.

My dad bundled up against the cold

Sunrise

Sunrise

Sun risen

My parents standing on the edge

Since it is such an arid climate, you won't have too many days where it is overcast and drizzly all day long.

There are many places along the canyon rim to stop and go out on a point such as Mather Point. It is tempting to keep snapping away , but it is hard for a photograph to give a sense of how enormous the Canyon.

You CAN capture some of the color.

Colorful Canyon

Foreground vegetation

The people on the point give some scale to this picture which helps a little.

Mather Point

If you can include something in the foreground, or some detail in a photograph it will do a better job of conveying at least part of the scene.

We don't really know how the Grand Canyon was formed. It antedates all of us living today. We suspect that it was primarily carved by erosion, from water (and ice) and the wind. The course of the Colorado River itself was probably a major part of it. Also vulcanism, continental drift and slight variations in the earths orbit which in turn causes variations in seasons and climate have been indicated as possiblilities.

Colorado River Belov

Looking directly down from an overlook, it is almost unimagineable (especially to someone from more humid climates where the air is thicker) how far down it really is.
How wide would that tiny stream be if we got up close to it?

The railings are meant to warn you that you are approaching the edge - not keep you in.

Dad's photo of me and 3 year old

Bob, Barb and me on the edge

I really wanted to take a One-Day Trip to the bottom of the canyon and back on the mules. But my husband did not really want to go and my children were too young. I didn't feel I could go by myself and leave everyone at the top, so I didn't do it.

Mules for the ride down the canyon

Current restrictions are:

" Riders Must Be:
♦ At least 9 years of age.
♦ Be at least 57 inches (4'9") tall.
♦ Weigh less than 200 lbs. or 225 lbs fully dressed (depending upon the trip)
♦ Be able to understand instructions in English.

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a parent or guardian.

Day 6

The Desert View Watchtowerwas designed and built by the architect Mary Colter in 1932

Desert Watchtower

Mary Elizabeth Jane Colter was born on April 4, 1869, in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When her father died, she persuaded her mom to let her attend the California School of Design in San Francisco. Afterwards she taught mechanical drawing until she signed a contract with the Fred Harvey company to decorate the Alvarado Hotel in Albuquerque.

Mary Colter was an admirer of native American architecture and she tried to integrate native American designs into her own, as she has been very successful here.

Someone at the watch tower window (Mother and youngest daughter)

We left the park by the East Entrance (Desert View), so this tower was one of the last things we saw.

After we left the park we went up US 89 and across US 160 to Four Corners.

Photo from Plymouth

photo by my mother from VW of Plymouth ahead on road from Grand Canyon

Red sandstone cliffs

From wheel of VW bus

I took this picture (a digitized slide) from the driver's seat of our VW bus. My husband has stopped to avoid hitting some cows that were wandering around on the open range land.

Four Corners is in the middle of the Navajo reservation.

Navaho hut at gas stop

This picture was taken from the car of a hogan in the Four Corners area. This is a very large reservation which has 18,119.2 square miles in Arizona.

We got to Four Corners (Teec Nos Pos) late in the day. This is the place where the corners of four states (Utah, Colorado, New Mexico and Arizona) meet, It is the only place like that in the United States, probably because most states are not square.

My dad in Colorado and Utah. Bob standing in the center

When we were there, there was nothing else there except an elevated concrete pad around the 1931 brass marker; this pad included the state border lines and names in tile.. There was no admission fee and no one was selling food or souveniers.

Bob standing in New Mexico - daughter on Colorado border. (I'm in Arizona)

It would look differernt now because not only are there food vendors and souvenier stands, but the monument was completely rebuilt in 1992, and the 1931 brass marker was replaced with a disc-shaped aluminum-bronze plate set in granite. The monument was again rebuilt in 2010,

And then we drove west on U.S. Highway 160, approximately 40 miles (64 km) tof Cortez, Colorado.

1966 post card

We stayed in the Sands Motor Hotel. My mother wrote in a letter to my sister in October 1966
"We are now in Cortez, just 30 miles from Mesa Verde & we are up in degrees! (She meant that it was warmer than the Grand Canyon.) Daddy and I are through in the bathroom and dressed; RosalieAnn [me] is thru dressing, and Bob is in there & the children are still asleep! We had a family room for the first time. A large room with 3 double beds. It worked fine except only one bathroom makes the shift system necessary. It was Bob and Daddy's idea -- I didn't think much of it because Daddy uses the b'room longer than any other two people -- but since it was their idea, the men can't complain, which is good. "

Grand Canyon to 4 corners 240 miles 6 hours
4 corners to Cortez - 46 miles - 1 hour
Emd Day 6

Day 7

From Cortez, we went to Mesa Verde - we seem to be National Park hopping.

Hike

One of the cliff dwellings

Excavation

Sun Temple?

I don't remember whether we spent the night here, but I know we visited Spuce Tree House with its iconic T shaped doors on a ranger led tour.

Mesa Verde - Spruce House from the top

Ranger talk

Climbing the ladder

Climbing the ladder

A tight fit

Bob and the kids beside a sign that says Do Not Stand, Sit or Climb on Walls

Touring Spruce House

Close-up of Spruce house

T-shaped doorway in Spruce House

Grinding corn

My husband going down into a kiva

Cortez to Mesa Verde - 10 miles
End Day7

Day 8

We left Mesa Verde, and crossed Wolf Creek Pass...

Wolf Creek Pass

Hot Spring

Entrance

...on our way to the Great Sand Dunes N.P. My parents went here on their honeymoon. My mom said there was an electrical storm and all their hair stood up on top of their heads. My mother had waist length hair so if she had it loose that must have been something to see. My sister and I slide down the dunes on our trip west in 1948.

I was told that it was a remnant of when the sea was up at this level. I understand that isn't the explanation that is given today. Currently you can sand board or sand sled, but when we were there we just slid around on our bottoms

Great Sand Dunes

This dunefield has the tallest dunes in North America and spreads across 30 square miles (78 sq. km), a unique high-altitude desert environment but the dunes are not the only ecosystem here. These dunes are a place of extremes: the sand surface can reach 150 degrees F (65 degrees C) on a summer afternoon, or drop to minus 20 degrees F (minus 29 degrees C) on a winter night. While the top few inches are often dry, these dunes are moist year-round, kept wet by ongoing precipitation.

Message from a trash can

Walking

Bob and Dad

In those days, there was nothing there but sand - no particular infrastructure. So we played in the sand. The kids climbed up and rolled down, and climbed up and slid down the dunes on their bottoms like we had done on Cape Cod Sand Dunes when I was a kid.

Parents taking photos of children sliding on the dunes

Rolling down the dune

And then Bob wrote

"Key West or Bust" in the sand,
and then we sat down and brushed off our feet or shook the sand out of our shoes and got back in the car and drove onward.

Getting the sand out of our shoes

The Great Sand Dunes is right across the Sangre de Cristo mountains from were my dad was brought up in the Wet Mountain Valley. But there's no road through - you have to go down around the south end of the mountains and come back up the other side.

Colorado road

Silver Cliff Town Hall

Daddy with his old teacher Miss Kettle

We may have stayed the night here.

Mesa Verde to wolf Creek Pass 117 miles 3 hours
Wolf Creek Pass to Sand Dunes 97 miles 2.4 hours
Sand dunes to Silver Cliff 96 miles 2.4 hours
End Day8

Day 9

From Silver Cliff we went to my aunt and uncle's house in Brighton. Where we found that Aunt Alice had broken her wrist. She still welcomed us hospitably, and we were able to use her washing machine and she packed lunches for the next part of the trip

Dad and his brother Harry

Silver Cliff to Brighton 166 miles - 4 hours
End Day 9

From Brighton, we drove to Miami - For this part of the trip, I have no photos and no memory of exactly where we stopped each night. I think this part of the trip took eight or nine days. When we got to Miami we went to the house of my dad's former student, Dr. Joe Scott. The only thing I remember about it was his great hospitality and the fact that his Boston terrior bit my daughter who had walked between the dog and his food dish. It wasn't a serious bite.

Brighton to Miami - 2084 miles 8 or 9 days

Then Bob got in the Convertible Sedan with a jug of water for the radiator beside him on the seat. I drove the PB four door sedan, and my mother drive the VW bus with the two kids and my dad. We drove the 166 miles down to Key West

Welcome Center

Miami to key west - 166 miles 4 hours

We rented a big room over a garage in town. It had several alcoves for beds, and there was a kitchen and a bathroom. Bob and I found a house to rent. We painted all the rooms while we were waiting for the furniture to be delivered from California. Mom and Dad went home and we moved in.

our Key West house

I have photos of the time we lived in Key West - October 1966 to December 1968, but I have apparently lost the notebook in which I wrote down what order they were taken in.

So until I get that organized, the next trip is Moving north to Philadelphia