Editor’s Note: This is the ninth column in a series featuring the author’s travels along Route 66.

If you’re just now joining me, my husband and I have been traveling for 16 days and approximately 1,800 miles on Historic Route 66. You’ve missed a lot, but there is still a lot to see.

“Well, I’m a standin’ on a corner in Winslow, Arizona such a fine sight to see. It’s a girl, my lord, in a flat-bed Ford” Need I say more? Since it had been less than four months since the death of Eagles’ lead singer Glenn Frey, there were flowers at the foot of the Standing on a Corner statue located at North Kingsley Avenue and West Second Street in Winslow, Arizona. I’m guessing many more flowers had been placed there, but the City of Winslow, that actually made a small park at the location in 1999 because of the popular song, was keeping them to a minimum.

From Winslow we moved on to Flagstaff where we left Route 66. Don’t fear, we will rejoin the Mother Road where we left off. I have decided to take you with us by sharing a few pictures of our awesome side trips.

We checked in to a timeshare with intentions of driving north to Grand Canyon National Park and then south to Sedona, two places my husband had never seen, and then on to visit my nieces and nephews in the Phoenix area. We soon learned very strong winds were expected at the canyon the next day, so our plans changed even before we set foot in our duplex apartment.

Just as cruises are basically all the same, so are timeshares. I get more amped up over iconic, sometimes musty mom and pop motel rooms than I do over beautifully appointed immaculate timeshares complete with French milled soap, spa tubs and a washer and dryer.

After heading south to beautiful red-rock Sedona, then north to Flagstaff for the night and then farther north to Grand Canyon the next day, we drove three and a half hours south to spend time with my dear family in Glendale. They treated us like royalty, the only way they know, and we hated to leave.

As we headed north after our five day visit, we couldn’t help notice the change in vegetation. We saw saguaros, then short palms and then brushier plants. Out of five trips to Arizona, this was the first time I was able to see the desert in bloom.

We made a stop at Tuzigoot National Monument where we found the remains of a pueblo that had been completed in the late 1300s. I was glad to get back into our air conditioned vehicle after walking through the ruins on a very bright, very hot day.

Our next stop on our way back to the Main Street of America, was Jerome. The historic copper and gold mining town was built on a mountain top 5,000 feet above sea level. Over a billion dollars worth of gold, copper, silver and zinc was mined over the next 70 years. When the precious mineral deposits were nearly depleted and the last mine closed in 1953, Jerome’s population of 15,000 dropped to about 50 residents. In the 60s and 70s artists discovered what had become a decaying ghost town. Today, Jerome is a tourist stop with its mix of artists, craftsmen, musicians and writers.

After getting back on Route 66, we proceeded west. The longest entirely passable stretch of the road, that was decommissioned in 1985, is found between Ash Fork and Kingman, Arizona.

Signs in Ash Fork claim it is the Flagstone Capital of the USA. Colorful flagstones have been placed around flower beds and signs here and there. Originally, when Route 66 came into the town, it boosted the town’s economy. Later, many residential streets, sidewalks and storefronts were destroyed when it became a divided highway. To add insult to injury, the Sante Fe Railroad moved its mainline north causing the town to lose half of its population. Most of the downtown businesses were destroyed in a fire in 1977. The opening of I-40 in the mid-80s split what was left of the town. Today, the main street is one-way heading west on one side of the highway and east on the other side. Small old railroad company houses, mostly abandoned, sit very close on one side of the east bound lane. We saw an early 60s Desoto (Sorry Jerry, I think you are wrong with your 1958 identification.) perched on the roof of a hair salon that was somewhat interesting, especially since the driver looked like Elvis.

Down the road, Burma Shave signs escorted us into Seligman reading “Listen birds these signs cost money, so roost awhile, but don’t get funny. Burma Shave” The town has made an effort to stay alive by cashing in on Route 66 fame with its garish displays of memorabilia and western town facades. It was late in the day, but several tourists were still snapping pictures. Signs indicated tour bus activity earlier in the day. A heavy sprinkling of motels and restaurants are found on this downtown stretch.

From Seligman we passed through several small and very small towns, the Hualapai Indian Reservation and the remains of many “dead” businesses. We went several miles without cell service, something that slightly bothered me after having continuously owned a cellphone for over 20 years, beginning with a bag phone that came with a whopping 15 free minutes per month.

Just as the drive became a little ho-hum, we rounded a bend to find boulder-covered hills, causing new conversation and the taking of more photos.

After stopping near Kingman for a few hours to visit with a classmate, Betty Comstock Hatch Westley, who my husband had not seen since he was 15 years old, we were ready to head to Oatman. Luckily, we stopped to press a penny on our way out of town and learned that the Oatman Highway was closed for the rest of the day due to paving. The alternate route was not as scenic and was the long way around, so being a couple that can easily adjust our very last minute plans, we readjusted and moved up our trip to see my friend in Las Vegas by way of Hoover Dam. This was one more time we saw the advantage of being flexible and not spazzing because we couldn’t keep a rigid schedule.

After visiting the dam, we made a surprise visit to my friend, Mary Edens Rock Parasiliti, in Las Vegas, spending two more nights in a timeshare.

We drove back to where we left Route 66 near Kingman, Arizona, continuing on toward Oatman. The Historic 66 National Back Country Byway or Oatman Highway, begins five miles outside of Kingman, Arizona as a two lane road with flat, dry, bush-covered desert on either side. Many signs warn motorists to turn around in case water crosses the road in low areas, most identified as a wash, a low spot that fills with water after a heavy rain. There was an occasional dirt road with a street sign leading to a house. The terrain became very rocky with low-growing palms as we neared a mountain range.

Suddenly, in the middle of nowhere, a stone gas station came into view. We pulled off in anticipation of getting a good picture. As I positioned myself across the road from the station for that perfect shot, a group of 25-30 bikers roared in, coming out of nowhere or so it seemed.

According to Jerry McClanahan’s EZ 66 Guide, after a warning to look out for wild burros and bighorn sheep on the road, he writes “The first sign of life on the mountain is recently rebuilt Cool Springs. The 1926 store and camp had reverted to stone rubble, before being rebuilt the first time for the movie ‘Universal Soldier.’ Not much was left of the set after Van Damme was through. Fortunately, Ned Leuchtner had a vision (and Dennis Dechenne had the skills) to restore this “cool” place to life, basing the restoration on old photos.'”

At this point the road becomes a curvy mountainous pass with no shoulders and no guard rails. We pulled off just beyond 3,550 foot high Sitgreaves Pass. The cool breezes allowed us to stand in the sun on this sweltering day to admire the twists and turns of the paved roadway above and below. After hiking a few hundred feet, we discovered an area of crosses and cairns placed there as a memorial to deceased loved ones. As we drove away we could see vehicle wreckage that had not been retrieved after accidents in a few out of the way locations.

To be continued …