Route 66 – Day 18: Donkeys, Hairpin Bends and a London Bridge in the Desert!
Thanks to painfully slow internet, this instalment is arriving a day late. Apparently, even our blog updates are taking the scenic route across America! 😂
Today was our last day in Arizona before crossing into California, and we had a few interesting stops planned along the way.
Leaving Kingman behind, we headed towards Cool Springs, sitting at one end of the famous Sitgreaves Pass. What followed was a 9-mile (14.5 km) stretch of twisty road winding its way towards Oatman, with around 122 curves to keep riders on their toes!
This is proper old Route 66 riding, with plenty of bends and some spectacular scenery. You certainly wouldn’t want to be distracted by the scenery at the wrong moment!
Our next stop was Oatman, a town that feels as though it’s been left behind in the days of the Wild West. This place is the real cowboy deal, with an old-time atmosphere and donkeys wandering up and down the main street as though they own the joint. Given the number of tourists around, they probably reckon they do!
After soaking up the atmosphere, we continued to Needles before making a return trip to Lake Havasu City to check out the city and its famous old London Bridge.
Yes, you read that correctly – London Bridge, in the middle of Arizona! The original bridge was brought over from England, dismantled and shipped to America before being rebuilt at Lake Havasu. It’s certainly a sight you don’t expect to find in the desert.
Once we’d had a look around, it was back to Needles to check into the motel, cool off with a swim and try to recover from the day’s travels.
And when I say cool off, I mean we were dealing with a scorching 41°C during the day, with the overnight temperature only dropping to a low of 30°C. That’s right, 30 degrees overnight! The air conditioning was definitely earning its keep.
Thankfully, the humidity was low, which made the heat a little more bearable. Still, after a day on the road, a swim was just what the doctor ordered.
Another day of Route 66 history, twisting roads and unexpected sights ticked off. Tomorrow, we continue our adventure into California!
#Route66 #Arizona #Oatman #LakeHavasu #LondonBridge
