It’s always a bit sad when a family member moves away because you can’t see them as often as you’d like. But, when you have the opportunity to visit them you may also have the opportunity to see a new part of the country. That’s the case with my brother. When he retired he and my sister-in-law moved from Wisconsin to Arizona. They traded the dry cold for the dry heat. This winter that seemed like a very good trade.
When I go to Photoshop World in Las Vegas in September, I like to add a few days onto my trip to visit a nearby National Park and another few days to visit my brother and sister-in-law. They live in Kingman, Arizona, which is about 100 miles southeast of Las Vegas.
Kingman is known for two things, neither of which may register at all to people under 40. It’s biggest claim to fame is that it’s located on historic Route 66. If you can still remember two young guys cruising along that highway in a Corvette you’re probably too old to “get your kicks on Route 66.” At one time it was the route that carried people from Chicago who were chasing their dreams to southern California.
Kingman’s second claim to fame is that it was the boyhood home of Andy Devine. I’m not sure if he took Route 66 but he did make it to Hollywood where he appeared in over 400 films. I can hear his raspy voice when I think of old black-and-white westerns from my childhood. The main street in Kingman is now named Andy Devine Avenue in his honor.
When I made a trip in 2011 I got rained on while hiking in Zion National Park and then went to Kingman where it was apparently trying to set a record for most rainfall in 48 hours. When I visited last fall I got rained on while hiking in Arches National Park so I had my doubts about another trip to Kingman. This time my luck had changed; the weather was great! I took advantage of the sunshine and wandered around the Historic District where signs reminded me of Kingman’s claims to fame and many of the old buildings glowed with the bright colors that I associate with the southwest. The photos below show parts of downtown Kingman and illustrate some of the colors of Kingman.