Every year me and my husband drive across the country to work on the east coast for the Summer (this will be our 5th time!) So this year I wanted to share a little bit of our trip with you! We took off from my mom’s house near San Diego, California and our final destination was Miami, Florida. I’ve always wanted to drive route 66! I mean how more American can you get with a road trip on route 66, seeing many of America’s famous sights! Keep reading to hear what stops we made!
Roy’s Motel & Café
No longer operating as a motel and café, Roy’s still serves as a great pit-stop on a route 66 road trip! Take a photo with the iconic route 66 sign, use the restroom, and pick up a snack from the convenience store that is still running if you want!
Location:
Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner
Is a route 66 road trip complete without a diner meal? This place was so cute, the inside’s décor was 1950’s inspired and the menu fit the décor. Classic American diner foods with hamburgers, sandwiches, and fries! They also have a breakfast menu if you so choose. Make sure to order a milkshake, definitely my favorite thing I got here!
Location:
Grand Canyon
When I think of an American road trip, my first thought always the Grand Canyon. Not sure why that it is? Is this just me, or is the Grand Canyon the unsaid American road trip symbol? Anyway, this was my first time seeing this majestic wonder and I was in awe! So impressive! Sometimes photos of a place just don’t do it justice and this place is definitely one of those places.
The Grand Canyon itself being over one mile (1.6 km) deep, 18 miles (29 km) wide at certain points, and a whopping 277 miles (445 km) long, the National Park contains one of the largest canyons in the whole world! You just need to see it for yourself. We entered through the south side of the park and caught the sunset at mather point. It can get pretty crowed at this location, especially for sunset but I suggest venturing a little further and getting a little space all your own to soak up all it’s glory.
Location:
Flagstaff, AZ
So we ended up just sleeping here. I had plans of waking up early and going to devils bridge from this stop but morning came way too fast. If you plan on staying here a little longer I suggest checking out galaxy diner. We didn’t eat here but it was another place we planed to stop but ended up not being hungry. From photos I’ve seen it looks super cute.
Lost Dutchman State Park
Lost Dutchman is located in the Sonoran Desert, only 40 miles east of Phoenix. It got its name from lost gold mine next door. There are 6 different hiking trails leading from the park into the superstitious mountains and surrounding Tonto Forrest. Since this place is a state park there is a car fee of $7.00
The trail we decided to do for the afternoon was treasure loop trail. Since we had our dog, Kingsley, and it was already pretty hot this was the best choice for us. Treasure loop is really nice and easy walk. It is 2.4 mile round trip and pretty easy to navigate. Another nice stroll the park ranger suggested to us was Native Plant Trail which is a mile trail. What the park is known for is the Siphon Draw trail which goes up to the top of the flatiron. This trail is considered challenging.
Goldfield Ghost Town
I have thing for abandoned places. I am not sure what is, maybe it is the eerie aspect, or how it sort of takes you back in time and makes you feel that you have time travelled. You get a little inside of how people lived in the time period it was forgotten.
The town was founded in 1892 and was abandoned only 5 years later. Goldfield had originally sprung up because of the legend of the Lost Dutchman Mine, which told a story of an alleged mother lode in the near by wilderness. This led plenty of new miners to the area, but left almost as quickly as they came.
Check out this wild west town and go into all the cute shops, eat at the restaurant and take a train ride around the town and enjoy the views the superstitious mountains.
Saguaro National Park
If you want to see some gigantic cacti, then this is the place for you. Tucson, Arizona is home to the nation’s largest cacti. These spiky giants are the universal symbol of the American South West. Check out these bad boys and soak up an incredible firey desert sunset.
That is the end of our Route 66 journey! There so many different stops you can make on this iconic route but these are the ones we dedcided to make that were convient for us!
Bonus:
Since we continued on all the way to Miami I thought I would include the other stops we made before we hit out destination even though they are not apart of Route 66. Our bonus stops include:
White Sands, New Mexico
Can you believe these epic sand dunes are real? In the middle of the desert of new mexico lies miles of white sand dunes. This place left me speechless. We woke up to catch sunrise and we were able to catch a show of colors above snow white sands.
New Orleans, Louisiana
A stop we always make on our way to the east coast is NOLA. There’s just something magical about this city that always has me coming back. For instance, everything here as something to do with witches, vampires, or voodoo. I love just roaming these streets, grabing a beignet, and listening to jazz music fill the streets. I am currently writing a blog post on this mystical city with more details, so stay tuned!
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Great adventures
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we had a blast! thanks for reading!
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