Route 66 to Arizona

Leaving California, I drove much of the way on historic U.S. Route 66.  It more or less parallels Interstate 40 in California and Arizona, at some points only a few hundred feet away from the Interstate but at other points a few miles away.  Most of the road is very sparsely populated, at least in that part of the country where it runs through the Mohave Desert.  There were a small number of roadside attractions, like this cemetery (does that count as a roadside attraction?):

I reckon they died with their boots on.

 But most of the trip between Barstow, CA and western AZ was more like:

I could have stood here for an hour without seeing another car.

My route then took me through northwestern Arizona.  I stopped in Prescott, which seemed like a charming and pretty town.  Well, the older parts at least.  The newer parts are starting to creep towards a strip mall and housing development wasteland.

Isn't Arizona's flag cool?

Quilt sample added so my mom can see it.

After Prescott, I took a pretty and steep winding road east, which took me through the town of Jerome.  Jerome is pretty famous, as nearly every single building in the town is built on the same road, which just switchbacks all the way through.  It was a mining town, back in the day, and now is home to shops and restaurants.  Fortunately, Jerome will never become another giant tourist trap because there's just not enough room to grow any more.

All those houses are on the same road, switching back and forth.

The front of the house is on one street, and the back of the house two stories down is on another.  They are all like this.

The view (hazy).

My next stop was an authentic native american ruin -- Montezuma's Castle.  As you can see below, it's hardly a castle -- just some dwellings built into the side of the cliff about 1,000 years ago.  And it got its name from Spanish Explorers who thought it was part of Mexico (dumb explorers, I guess they forgot their map), but it really has nothing to do with Montezuma.  But it must be one of the oldest man-made dwellings in North America.  It's certainly the oldest dwelling I've seen in this hemisphere.  So it felt like a treat because the U.S. isn't home to a lot of ancient ruins.

Montezuma's Castle

Several people asked if I was going, or suggest I go to Sedona, AZ.  But one friend who used to live in the state warned me if I liked spas and crass consumerism, I should go but otherwise I should skip it.  I like spas, but given my current austerity measures, I knew I wouldn't feel comfortable splurging on them.  And I've seen enough shopping districts to last me a lifetime, so I skipped it.

One last little thing.  The following photo is of Arizona Sycamore (just the trunk), which grows near Montezuma's Castle.  Does anyone else think the pattern for desert camouflage came from the bark of this tree?