Evidence of both American Indian and Spanish roots is everywhere, from the names and faces to the architecture and food. The Mojave Desert dominates the western Arizona and eastern California section of Route 66. To Dust Bowl and Depression-era travelers, this section of Route 66 must have seemed a cruel joke, a final test of their determination to reach California. Cars no longer have to be towed or driven backwards up Sitgreaves Pass between Seligman and Kingman, but this legendary piece of highway that twists and turns across rangeland and desert, past ruined mines and tourist camps, is still daunting. Likewise, driving the 150 or so miles of Mojave Desert from Needles to Barstow gives a real sense of its size and of the fear that crossing it inspired.
Services are scanty.
Though the road can seem endless with little respite from extremes of heat and cold, its function as a connector and an economic lifeline continues. For most of this stretch, the road is a well preserved two-lane, and the impact of the interstates can be forgotten. The silent desert feels eternal and the views of canyons, buttes, and snow- capped mountains are unspoiled. From Seligman to Barstow, settlements and towns often shimmer in heat waves radiating from hot pavement. Route 66 frequently follows the railroad that was this area's first lifeline.