“Arizona Kicks on Route 66” isn’t strictly a gorgeous photo book. Nor is it strictly a guide to the historic’s highway’s attractions in Arizona. Nor is it a collection of stories about Route 66’s past and present in that state.
It is all of these things. That makes “Arizona Kicks on Route 66” (92 pages, soft cover, Rio Nuevo Publishers) an entertaining and enlightening book about Route 66 — at a budget price, too.
One of the strong points of the book is its appearance. Larry Lindahl‘s hundreds of photographs come in vivid colors, and the book’s larger 12-by-9-inch format takes advantage of those images.
Here are a couple of pages to show you:
Also, Julie Sullivan Design, based in Flagstaff, also deserves a lot of credit for the book’s attractive look. “Arizona Kicks” contains a lot of elements, and the firm laid them out on the pages in an eye-pleasing way.
Writer Roger Naylor organized the text in a east-to-west format, starting at the Native American souvenir shops at the border village of Lupton, and ending at the Old Trails Bridge at the Colorado River that brings you into California.
The book consists of dozens of bite-size entries about attractions, restaurants, and restaurants on the Mother Road, plus brief driving directions, Fun Facts, history, side trips, and other sidebar stories. The relatively short length of “Arizona Kicks” probably made brevity in the stories necessary. But it also makes the book well-paced and fun to read.
To some readers, Naylor’s prose may occasionally come across as overexcited (“big sandstone cliffs bully their way forward,” as an example). But he comes across as a true enthusiast for the Mother Road, and makes you want to hop in your car and experience it yourself.
On a related note, my favorite parts of the book are his “Arizona Moment” stories. You’ll read about Naylor being stopped by a group of horses loitering on the road, camping overnight in the Painted Desert, spending the night underground at Grand Canyon Caverns, and encountering a 17-year-old pianist playing a Grateful Dead tune inside La Posada. These strange but wonderful occurrences capture the spirit of Route 66 as well as anything.
Naylor acknowledges that “Arizona Kicks on Route 66” isn’t best-suited as a turn-by-turn driving guide. But it’s more than adequate as a thumbnail guide to Arizona’s Mother Road if you’re planning a trip. And those who have already experienced Route 66 in Arizona may find this book a perfect souvenir of their memories.
Recommended.