Leaving Oatman, we braced for the winding road down the Mountains.
Curve after curve,
someone counted and there are 191 curves.
and no guardrails.
The view from Sitgreaves Pass is incredible.
You can see California, Nevada, and Arizona, depending which way you are facing.
And just beyond the pass there is an incredible memorial / cemetery.
There are memorials for loved ones,
ash scattering and interments,
and goodbye parties for departed loved ones.
I can’t think of a better place to reflect on life and death.
The striking views and serenity,
the silence of the mountains and the whisper of the winds
and here and there a small reminders of the harsh realities of life
and death.
We continued on
observing the random wrecks along the way.
Did they survive?
We had one more stop before we make a full descent.
We missed the unmarked pull over and had to hike back.
There are stone stairs leading up the hill.
to a limestone basin.
And there it was, Shaffer fish bowl.
I the 1930s, Shaffer, a man working on the road construction, noticed the spring cascading down the rocks and created the basin to collect the water.
It became a stop for weary travellers and desert animals.
Stocked with snail and fish that keep algae from growing, it is now visited by only those who know it there. Most tourists just drive past it unaware.
Yet another spot to catch some amazing views.
We had just a few more curves to negotiate,
before reaching the bottom of the Black Mountains.
We stopped at Cool Springs Camp and looked around. You can read about it’s interesting history here.
We got back in the van and continued towards our next destination, Kingman, where we found some bad weather and some good museums.
Wow! Now that’s an experience.
Amazing views. I would not like to travel the mountain roads often. Too many turns. I wonder what animals would be stopping at the basin for a drink. A very interesting post. Thank you for taking me on the mountain tour.
Thanks for coming along, Linda! I believe that the biggest users are burros and bees these days.
It was fun finding a place not visited by too many people.
We’re enjoying your Route 66 posts and photos. Not sure we would survive Sitgreaves Pass.
Thank you and the drive is not too bad. I forgot to mention that it is not ideal for very long rigs…
Quite the road, and the memorials are so poignant
A very somber place!
Looks like a stretch of road where distracted driving results in disaster. Glad you made it down. Thanks for sharing. Allan
Indeed! And we were also happy that we made it down 😊
What an amazing drive, Margie. The different personal tributes and memorial sites felt both calming and a bit eerie for me. I can see though how the views provide a great moment for reflection on life and death.
It was certainly an eerie place! There are so many place like this throughout the desert so it seems to fulfill some sort of a need for this. I thought it was interesting.
That’s quite some drive!
Thank you for sharing.
Thanks for coming along!
It is indeed a scenic drive but since I was driving the car, I did not get to enjoy the view outside of the curvy road.
This is one of those places where “eyes on the road” can be crucial. I hope you managed to get at least a glimpse of the view.
Love your stories – you take us on some wild adventures…when my wife and I were in Yosemite national park last year, we decided to head out the northwest exit toward San Francisco…made the decision to leave in the morning versus try to make the 100 mile drive late in the day – thank GOD. It was exactly like your trip: the first 30+ miles were a twisted, winding road along mountainous cliffs with NO lights or rails – not sure how I would have done after dark!
there are some terrifying roads out there! I am not a fan of driving while looking down into the abyss 🙂
A piece of history. Thanks for sharing. It seems impossible in this day and age that roads exist without guardrails. I’d have to get out several times along the way to take it all in because if I were driving I think it would be harder to enjoy.
Great journey!!
It was fun!
I love a nice long windy scenic road. Nice adventure!
They can be so beautiful, and yes, adventurous too.
Now a question about the roadside memorials. Are they for anyone who wishes to remember a loved one and sprinkle ashes into the wind? Ot are they for people who have lost their life on one of the bends?
That was the first thing I thought of too, but I think that these are memorials to people who passed away and those left behind thought this place is fitting for a memorial. There is something spiritual about the desert and these mountains.
You don’t have to convince me about deserts.
I know!
Funny to think that someone thought to count how many curves there are in the road. Sounds like an adventurous and scenic drive.
I thought so too. Gimmicky, but helps with tourism 🙂
Such a great experience. Great views, though evidently quite treacherous based on the number of memorials. Looking forward to more of your Route 66 adventures. 🌸
at first we thought that the memorials were for people who crashed on this road, but it looks like it’s more of a “memorial destination” for people rather than a death location.
Oh of course, silly me, I assumed memorial meant someone died there. It’s good to know it’s just about the destination.
Hmm, not a road we would want to take in our rig! Thanks for sharing.
I agree. It would be scary!
This didn’t look like the most inviting place to be, but knowing you, I’m sure you found it interesting. Thanks, once again, for taking me along… Cheers, Muriel
Not inviting, but in a way, luring. Thanks for sticking with us!
Wow that drive is crazy!
It was!
You can’t beat a story that has a lot of curves!
Cool
Fishbowl!
it is really cool!
I wouldn’t want to drive that road! The fish bowl was a great discovery.
It’s not so bad when you are descending from Oatman since the drop is on the other side mostly. Driving up you are right by the drop and that can be scarier.