Kingman and Wickenburg

Today I said a second goodbye to Vern. He’s headed home again. He sure has been a fun camping partner and I hope to see him again on my way up the coast.

Once Vern left camp, I took a bath and got dressed. I’ve gotten pretty good at taking a bath in the old porcelain clad dishpan that belonged to Ma, my grandmother. I even washed my hair!

After breakfast, I traveled to Kingman and visited the Route 66 Museum. It was a cool little museum with a lot of memorabilia that reminded me of my childhood. The lady didn’t have change for a $20 bill so I got in free!  I really enjoyed it.  There was a lot of the history written, and many quotes from Steinbeck’s GRAPES OF WRATH were written on the walls.

Very much like the one I use on the road!

Never saw one of these before!  lol!

I remember checking these for change when I was a kid.

I asked about traveling north on Route 66 and was advised against it by the lady at the help desk. She said night temperatures in that area were getting down in the 17-15 degree range. That’s too bloody cold for me!  I decided to come back next summer and do the route from the eastern border. I got a Route 66 passport and got my first stamp at Kingman, so I’m ready to go when I return from Spain in July.

I picked up an Arizona Delorme map book, considered by many van-dwellers to be the best!  A spendy little book, I dropped that $20 bill on it! It’s one of those things you learn on the road. I now have 3 map books!  Time to cull…

After the museum, I went across the street to Mr. D’z Café and had a bacon cheeseburger and a big iced tea. That was breakfast and lunch!

Then I hit the road for Wickenburg. It was a 2-hour drive and parts of it were beautiful. I especially enjoyed the big rocks that reminded me of the upper Joshua Tree area, and in fact, there were also many more Joshua Trees than I’ve ever seen before.

Merle told me about a BLM campground at Vulture Mine, so I drove the 9 miles out here, only to find it nearly full!  I got lucky and found a small pullout for the night. There ARE benefits to being in a minivan!  I was hoping to get a hike in but the wind is too high to enjoy it – I’ve had sand blown into my eyes already several times.  I think I’ll just hunker down in the van, watch the sunrise, then continue south in the morning. I can hike when I get further south. I’m still not sure exactly where I’m going – wherever the wind takes me, I guess.

Just hanging out in the shade

Beautiful sunset as usual. I never get tired of them.

I haven’t been playing my guitar, practicing my Spanish, or writing lately, so I’m feeling the need for some alone time. I thought about meeting Merle down in Organ Pipe National Monument, but I’m leaning more toward just finding a quiet safe place to hang for a couple of weeks so I can sort out my thoughts and get caught up on some work I need to do.  I also need to make a trip to Algadones to see a Dermatologist sometime before I return to Portland.

(Update:  Talked to Merle this morning and we may meet up and go to Algadones on Monday or Tuesday.)

So, that’s it for now. My Route 66 trip was cut short by the weather, but it’s still at the top of my list for next season.

Life is good!

Annie