Route 66 and Kingman AZ
We left Tusayan and drove to Kingman AZ for the night. We took the long way following parts of the legendary Route 66 through Seligman and Peach Springs but didn’t stop much along the way. Since the I-40 freeway bypasses most of them the towns along Route 66 seem to be dying a slow death, caught in their peculiar time warp. Though there still are signs of the past, particularly the series of poetry-inspired Burma-Shave ditties on roadsigns.
No sight-seeing in Kingman – it was just a convenient stop before Las Vegas. It’s a hot and I didn’t find it interesting, but I admit we didn’t really look around very much. What does make it noteworthy (to me) is that it’s the home of the Kingman Turquoise Mine.
As I’m a hobbyist lapidary and gold-smith, stopping in Kingman was an excellent idea. We visited the Colbaugh Processing shop where I got a small handful of top-quality rough turquoise to take home and make gemstones from. Beautiful stuff!
We also stopped at the local Walmart where she bought some baby stuff and maternity clothes. As much as I hate Walmart the prices are much better than what we pay in Canada.
