We followed Route 66 out of town until it merged with I-40, continued west for a few miles to the Bellemont Exit, and lunched at the Route 66 Roadhouse Bar & Grill. The name of the place was enough to intrigue us, and it proved to be well worth the stop. At least of third of the interior was taken up with a display of special interest and collectible cars, including a chopped '50 Merc, a mid-'60s Impala, plus a few motorcycles. A bar with more different beers than we've ever seen in one place lines most of one wall. In the opposite corner was a pair of huge gas grills and a condiment bar that's larger than some restaurants' salad bars, and in the center of the hall was a dozen and half round tables with bar stools for seating. There's also patio seating. If you opt for the outdoor dining experience, the views to the north and west are of the San Francisco Mountains. The atmosphere was extremely casual, and the menu was pretty much limited to items that can be grilled. If, for instance, you order a steak sandwich, the server brings you a plate with the bread or a roll, some chips, and a slab of raw steak-for you to cook however you want it. And naturally, you garnish it to suit your own tastes. It really was cool!
We goofed off for a couple hours before continuing our westward trek. About 30 miles west of Bellemont is Williams, which is THE major gateway to the south rim of the Grand Canyon, some 60 miles to the north. There is daily train service from Williams to the National Park. The rail cars are all "historic," including a few old-fashioned observation cars with elevated roofs. From Memorial Day weekend through September, the train is pulled by a turn-of-the-century steam locomotive while vintage diesels are used the rest of the year. For a quick day trip or a non-camping weekend, the Grand Canyon Railway would be a fascinating and unique way to travel to this natural wonder.
Just a few miles farther west, at Exit 139, is the eastern terminus for the longest remaining intact stretch of the original Route 66. This 140-mile segment parallels I-40 for 15-20 miles before swinging in a northward arc to Peach Springs (in the Hualapai Indian Reservation), then southwest where it crosses I-40 in Kingman and continues west to Topock on the eastern banks of the Colorado River. This would make a great one-day roundtrip, particularly if you used Williams or Flagstaff as a base.
Considering our time constraints, we stuck to the interstate, but made mental notes that this section of old Route 66 is another "gotta-do" road trip.
About 85 miles west of the Route 66 turnoff is Kingman, where we experienced our final doses of road construction. We also got to see one of the most blatant radar speed traps ever, as well as what certainly appeared to be a massive waste of police personnel-unless Kingman has zero crime and gang problems. There were two different sections of I-40 where road work was ostensibly being done, one each at the east and west ends of town. And, in each instance, the road was restricted to one lane each way. At each of the two work areas there were multiple Kingman P.D. cars, some with radar and some with officers just waiting to go out and add to the city government's coffers. The reduced speed for the eastern work area was semi-realistic, but the zone on the west side of town was ludicrous to an extreme-with progressively lower limits down to a final and exceedingly absurd 15 mph! What a scam! Watch your wallet and your speed (and equip your Vette with a good radar detector) if you're ever in Kingman-this place looks like a cinch for a top ten rating in the judicial theft category.