Picture this: It’s 1955. The radio’s playing Elvis, your family’s car is packed with snacks, suitcases, and a well-worn map. You’re rolling west down Route 66, the “Main Street of America,” chasing adventure and a jaw-dropping view of the Grand Canyon.
Neon motel signs are flickering on as night falls, promising soft beds and cool stories. Diners with shiny counters dish out burgers and the thickest chocolate shakes. Roadside giants, like Muffler Men and statues of jackrabbits, wait for your best pose. Gas stations are a social scene, and every souvenir shop has a postcard you’ll want to send home—even if it’s mostly just to brag.
Cruising Route 66
After World War II, most of your friends and their families have a new car. There’s a growing fascination with road trips—pile everyone in the car and drive. Route 66 alone stretches for 2,400 miles from Chicago to California. Each little town is a stop-and-stretch adventure: sleep in a giant teepee at the Wigwam Motel, marvel at the Grand Canyon Caverns (marketed as being linked to the canyon), or grab a Navajo craft at a roadside stand.
Snapping photos with crazy roadside attractions—giant arrows, neon signs, or maybe a statue as tall as your dad—is a rite of passage. Every stop has its own memory to tuck away and hold onto.
Grand Canyon: The Ultimate Road Trip Prize
The Grand Canyon in the 50s and 60s was the road trip’s ultimate reward. You’d pull off Route 66 near Williams, AZ and drive the 60 miles to the South Rim. In those days, you could walk right up to the rim. There were no massive visitor centers. No crowds with selfie sticks. It felt wild and wide open.
The grand old El Tovar Hotel already had a reputation for luxury, perched right on the edge of the canyon, offering amazing views and a dining room where you never knew if you’d sit next to a tourist from Topeka or a movie star passing through. Many families, looking for adventure, would try out a classic mule ride—clip-clopping their way down winding canyon trails, gripping the reins and courage at the same time.
The Grand Canyon Railway was a real treat back then. You could hop the train in Williams, Arizona, and rattle across the high desert in old Pullman cars and listen to singing cowboys. It was equal parts journey and destination.
Everyone sent postcards from the edge, too. Gift shops were full of colorful cards, tiny canyon models, and handmade crafts you couldn’t resist. You’d write home about sunrise over the rocks, a daredevil mule ride, or that lady on the train who claimed she met John Wayne (maybe she did).
Final Thoughts and Looking Ahead
Route 66 and the Grand Canyon are way more than just dusty postcards on your grandma’s fridge—they’re living, breathing adventures. Even now, you can sleep in a retro motel, grab lunch at a vintage diner, and take a family selfie by the biggest jackrabbit statue you can find. Or, if you want to go full vintage, climb aboard the Grand Canyon Railway or stay at El Tovar just like travelers did nearly seventy years ago. But watch out for the gunfights on the train! They might not have been around in the 50s and 60s, but they’re popular today!
Next week, we’ll make our way into California and stop at the Calico Ghost Town, a former silver mining town that eventually was designated California’s Silver Rush Ghost Town.
If you enjoyed this week’s Friday Morning Post, please leave a comment with your time on the puzzle. I’d also love to hear your thoughts on the post! Thanks for being here!
See all my Friday Morning Posts here. If you missed last week’s post, you can use this link to view A Day in the Life of a Meteor Crater Explorer.
9:53
Beautiful picture. My time was 7:39.
5:46 When I was a kid we camped in the campground near the Grand Canyon. What an amazing experience. Thanks for the information.
5:13. Really enjoying this series on Route 66 and its remnants.
7:44 for me! These posts about Route 66 really make me wish all of the vintage things still existed. I’d definitely love to stop at the ones that are still around. They also make me nostalgic about my son being little and watching Cars!
Wow – my fastest time yet 7:07 and it’s still the slowest time so far, deep sigh. I hope you keep doing the interesting stories and puzzles. I would love to go back to the Grand Canyon some day!
I thought this one was going to be really difficult, but somehow I finished it in 3:35! My family (parents, sister and I) took a road trip to the Grand Canyon in the 70s, but didn’t go via Route 66, so it has been fascinating to read about.
4:30
My son (45) still remembers when his grandparents took him on this train ride and they spent the night there. I remember my first time seeing the Grand Canyon. As you said, you drove right up to the canyon. We were driving through big trees and then suddenly… we broke out of the trees and the earth seemed to just fall away into this amazing giant abyss. I was disappointed when years later I took my husband for his first visit and he didn’t get to have that experience. Sadly, tourons abound.
5:22, I was able to see this for the first time a few years back when hubby and I took a road trip out west. Pictures just don’t do it justice.
5:56 Thank you for this inspiring photo
4:15 for me this morning, beautiful picture!