I ask myself that very question every time I drive up the dynamite-carved, artificial canyons of the interstate. This Sunday, after a much needed stop at Arby's, we decided to find out. There are roads leading to the top of most of these old plateaus, some in better shape than others, but all of them unmaintained. The first one we came across was blocked by a pile of boulders that had long ago fallen from the mesa's wall, and thats why they invented boots...
Smart planning by Kingman's founders became immediately apparent as we reached the edge of the plateau. It was almost "t-shirt weather" where we parked, but up top we were continuously hammered by an ice-cold wind. The views are simply amazing. From one spot, the city around us disappeared and the only signs of human presence were the ranch buildings in the distance and a lone radio tower clinging to a neighboring mesa. Hiking farther up, the ever-growing sprawl of "New" Kingman came into view as it slowly consumes Hualapai Valley. Downtown was below us, warm and cozy, in one of the few east-west canyons. At the top, a memorial to the late Jesse Timms stood watch over Interstate 40.
I've visited the wagon trail and the ruins of Fort Beale before, and read stories from surprise attacks and long seiges during the Hualapai War. Looking out over this maze of canyons you get a real sense of just how challenging it must have been to defend this place in the days of horse and wagon.
We took the long way home via Route 66, and a track across the open desert. On the way we happened upon a car dealership / junk yard filled with all sorts of interesting classics…
