Get Your Kicks on Route 66: Kingman, Arizona to Ramah, New Mexico

 Per Nat King Cole:

Now you go through Saint Looey
Joplin, Missouri,
And Oklahoma City is mighty pretty.
You see Amarillo,
Gallup, New Mexico,
Flagstaff, Arizona.
Don't forget Winona,
Kingman, Barstow, San Bernandino.

From Kingman, I'll try to stay on old Route 66 through Arizona.  I'll walk Toro somewhere in the Kaibob National Forest and again in the Petrified Forest National Park.  I'll stay in Ramah, NM at a tent campsite at Ancient Way Cafe & Outpost.  Here's the map and driving directions:

Driving directions from KOA in Kingman, AZ to Ancient Way in Ramah, NM

3820 N Roosevelt St Kingman, AZ 86409

	1. Head south on N Roosevelt St towardKino Ave
		0.1 mi
	2. Turn left at the 1st cross street onto Kino Ave
		0.4 mi
	3. Turn right onto N Bank St
		0.5 mi
	4. Turn left onto Airway Ave
		0.4 mi
	5. Turn left onto AZ-66 E/Historic Rte 66/E Andy Devine Ave Continue to follow AZ-66 E/Historic Rte 66 Destination will be on the right
		58.0 mi

59.5 mi – about 1 hour 1 min

Grand Canyon Caverns 115 Mile Marker Arizona 66 Peach Springs, AZ 86434

	6. Head east on AZ-66 E/Historic Rte 66
		24.5 mi
	7. Turn left onto I-40BUS W
		1.2 mi
	8. Turn left to merge onto I-40 E towardFlagstaff
		40.4 mi
	9. Take exit 161 for US-66 toward I-40 BUS/Willliams/Grand Canyon
		0.4 mi
	10. Turn right onto Historic Rte 66
		1.3 mi

67.9 mi – about 1 hour 1 min

Williams, AZ

	11. Head east on Grand Canyon Ave/W Railroad Ave toward S 4th St
		0.2 mi
	12. Turn left at the 3rd cross street onto N Grand Canyon Blvd
		0.6 mi
	13. Turn right to merge onto I-40 E towardFlagstaff
		70.1 mi
	14. Take exit 233 for Meteor Crater Rd
		0.3 mi
	15. Turn right onto Meteor Crater Rd
		0.1 mi

71.3 mi – about 1 hour 1 min

140 Meteor Crater Road, Winslow, AZ

	16. Head north on Meteor Crater Rd
		0.1 mi
	17. Turn right to merge onto I-40 E
		77.2 mi
	18. Take exit 311 toward Petrified Forest/National Park
		0.5 mi
	19. Continue onto Park Rd
		6.1 mi
	20. Continue onto Petrified Forest Rd
		5.0 mi
	21. Turn right
		0.2 mi
	22. Turn right Destination will be on the left
		4.7 mi

93.7 mi – about 1 hour 53 mins

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

	23. Head northeast
		4.7 mi
	24. Turn left toward Petrified Forest Rd
		0.2 mi
	25. Turn left onto Petrified Forest Rd
		10.1 mi
	26. Continue onto Park Rd
		1.4 mi
	27. Merge onto I-40 E
		27.3 mi
	28. Take exit 339 for US-191 S toward St Johns
		0.2 mi
	29. Turn right onto US-191 S
		23.9 mi
	30. Turn left onto AZ-61 E Entering New Mexico
		13.7 mi
	31. Continue onto NM-53 E
		45.8 mi
	32. Turn right Destination will be on the left
		177 ft

127 mi – about 2 hours 36 mins

"I'll Never Be As Young As I Am Today" -- Day 2

(I saw this in my FB feed and felt it described my motivations for this trip.)

Day 2.  Planning to visit Death Valley National Park, and possibly Manzanar.  I will stop at Kingman, AZ.  I found that the national forest camp sites nearby weren't open till May 1, so I will stay at a KOA campground tent site.  Not the most naturific, but it has some of the advantages of a motel at a much lower price -- wifi, electricity, flush toilets and running water.  And of course no pet fee.

Here is my drive route:

From Bishop, CA:

• Head east on W Line St toward Fulton St -- 0.2 mi
• Turn right onto US-395 S/S Main St
  Continue to follow US-395 S -- 59.2 mi
• Turn left onto CA-136 E -- 17.5 mi
• Continue onto CA-190 E -- 85.5 mi
• Turn right onto Airport Rd -- 13 ft

162 mi / 2 h 45 min to Death Valley National Park

• Head east on Airport Rd toward CA-190 W -- 13 ft / 0 s
• Turn right onto CA-190 E -- 30.1 mi / 30 min
• Get on I-215 E in Paradise from Bell Vista Rd and NV-160 E -- 85.5 mi / 1 h 32 min
• Turn right onto CA-127 S -- 0.2 mi
• Turn left onto State Line Rd -- 3.5 mi

3 h 33 min (212 mi) to Kingman, AZ

Trip Dates Chosen, First Day Planned

A long bout of flu and then other distractions disrupted my trip planning, but I'm back on task.  In the intervening time I've meshed the trip dates with Robin's spring break (which is the week beginning March 28) and Bob's extended stay in Shanghai, which will be the three weeks beginning April 5 and ending the 25th.  So those are the dates of my trip -- March 28 - April 25th.  That way our 3-car, 4-adult family can do without my car for 4 weeks.

I have also decided that the trip from home to Virginia will be on the "Southern route".  This should minimize the issue of spring snow storms, I hope.

Day 1 I think I'll drive from home to Bishop, CA via CA-88 and US-395.

1.  Get on CA-92 E in San Mateo from Alameda de las Pulgas

2.  Continue on CA-92 E. 

3.  Take I-580 E, 

4.  Take I-205 E,  

5.  Take I-5 N,  

6.  Take CA-88 E 

7.  Take US-395 S to CA-168 E/W Line St in Bishop, CA

6 h 39 min (367 mi) 

Weather permitting (and exppected to be good) I plan to tent camp at

Brown's Millpond Campground.