Keep on climbing…(April 24)

Today was another “average” day with much cooler temps (80s high) and very windy. We were to ride from Kingman to Seligman. Seligman is considered as the birthplace of the Rt. 66 revival. Characters like the local barber, Angel Delgadillo, fought back after I-40 construction bypassed this town and in the processed bypassed their livelihood. More on Angel later.

The strong wind mostly behind us and at times a strong crosswind. But it mostly helped us ride through rolling hills surrounded by mesas both North and South of us as we headed East. We had no turns today and the vast scenery around us did not change a whole lot. It can make time go by hard.

Anyway I got in at 3:30 and got a call from Jim that Angel the barber was working today and would give me a shave. I have started to look a bit shabby without a shave for a week. Also getting an opportunity to have the 70+ year old master work the straight edge was not to be missed. I rode my bike down the road and got in the chair…bought in 1920s for $140 by Angel’s father. His father came to Seligman in 1918 and started this barber shop as opportunity to cut hair for ethnic folks who did not have a place to go in town. Most of Angel’s family still lives in town. His sons run the gift shop – the barber shop is a small part of that. These guys have been instrumental in bringing travelers back to old Rt. 66. Take a look at the pictures Jim took of me while I was getting a new look. A truly Old Road experience!