The  Grand Canyon is a classic jaunt for any traveler, but I didn’t see it until adulthood. Check out my first time seeing one of the wonders of the world with Desert Magazine. Turns out, the journey was just as amazing as the destination!

Route 66 and the Grand Canyon

The idea for this road trip was born on New Year’s Eve. I was planning to ring in 2015 with friends in Los Angeles, but also thought it would be cool to go see the Grand Canyon for the first time. I punched it into my phone and saw that I could be there in just five hours — “That’s it?” I thought. It wasn’t so far away. I went for it, and learned that getting there was half the fun.

Our trip begins on I-40, just across the California state line in Needles. I take the Topock/Golden Shores exit over the Colorado River to the mother road: Route 66. Here in Arizona, most of this iconic old highway — marked by old and new signage — is still drivable. We head northwest along the snaking green river to our first destination. Oatman attracted gold miners to its Black Mountains in its heyday, but this is one ghost town that just won’t die. A dirt road surrounded by clusters of old homes leads to the center of town. Immediately we’re greeted by Oatman’s most famous residents — free-roaming donkeys. We’ll learn that they belong to the Bureau of Land Management, which allows them to roam free and for tourists to purchase food for a few bucks and feed them.

A few stores and burros up the road from Fanny’s is the historic Oatman Hotel, where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their wedding night in 1939. (Back then, to get married in California, a couple would have to wait three days, but Arizona had no such law and so several movie stars would drive to Kingman or Yuma to get hitched right away.) Legend has it that Gable’s spirit haunts the honeymoon suite, which is now a museum in the upstairs of the hotel. A photograph of what the hotel alleges is the late actor’s ghost hangs outside in the hallway. Downstairs in the lobby is a cantina (serving old-fashioned candies and ice cream cones) and a restaurant and bar — quite a sight, with every square inch covered in dollar bills, all signed by past patrons. A large portrait of Willie Nelson hangs above a small stage in back. I’m told that the owner, apparently a die-hard fan, always says that Willie will play here someday, and even keeps his favorite drink ready if he does show up — but so far, no Willie.

Departing Oatman for our next ghost town, the road narrows and winds through some pretty amazing canyons and buttes. Moving up and down along the mountain, I’m fascinated thinking about older cars that once made the trip through this portion of Route 66 from Chicago to California. In the 1960s, the construction of I-40, which bypasses the area into Needles, left Oatman nearly abandoned. But the development of Laughlin, Nevada — about 40 minutes away — and legend of Route 66 kept the town flourishing.

Soon we arrive in Kingman, a “crossroads” town dotted with old Route 66 cafés and motels and museums (many worth a peep!), and home to one the largest biker conventions in the country. But what interests me most in Kingman is the copper and turquoise mine, and a little turquoise store nearby called Colbaugh Processing. This is the most famous turquoise in America, and it all comes from the mine just a few miles way in Mineral Park. Known for its sky-blue hue, Kingman turquoise was first sought after by the Mayans and Aztecs more than 1,000 years ago, and is the biggest supplier to the Southwest jewelry industry. On the way here, we spot a Native American woman carrying a sign that reads “Good Luck Turquoise.” When I ask the store’s owner, Marty, a miner, if there’s any truth to this, he pulls a piece about the size of a silver dollar from his pocket. He carries it with him every day for good luck, he says.

I top off the gas tank (there aren’t any fuel stations where I’m going) and head north on U.S. 93 for about 30 miles, and then turn right onto Pierce Ferry Road. I follow signs for our ultimate destination: Grand Canyon West. This isn’t part of the National Park system, and it lies on the outskirts on Hualapai Indian reservation land. Here you can experience the canyon by air, river or land via helicopter rides, rafting and shuttle bus. It’s also home to the renowned Skywalk — a horseshoe-shaped bridge made of glass that’s suspended 4,000 feet over the canyon. We’re heading for a ranch that sits about 100 feet from the rim — a family-friendly place where you can horseback ride, roast s’mores around a fire pit and “camp out” in a private cabin, complete with a full bath, cozy bed and a front porch. This trip, I’m checking out the sites on foot.

Being so close to Las Vegas, this part of the Grand Canyon is always bustling with tourists, so I suggest getting an early start. We catch the shuttle bus right at the ranch, but you can also pick it up at the main entrance, where tickets are available for all of the West’s adventures. For $40 a person, we hit three different points. Buses run every 15 minutes, so we can take our time at each — hike around, take in the views, read about the history, grab a coffee or a bite to eat.

My favorite stop is Guano Point lookout, where a trail from the café leads to an old mineshaft and a nearby  “ant hill” — a pile of rocks you can climb for a 360-degree view of the canyon. Standing here, watching the Colorado River flow between these grand walls, it dawns on me just how amazing it is that this is all only five hours from my home in Palm Desert.

Back on U.S. 93 and heading toward home, we pass through a dense Joshua Tree forest — the subspecies here are much larger and more abundant than those in our own national park — before arriving in our next ghost town. The funky city of Chloride, California, was a silver-mining town in its heyday. Founded in 1862, it reached its peak of 75 mines and 2,000 residents in the 1920s. Today, just about 350 artists, musicians, writers and other eccentric types call it home. One of the artists, Roy Purcell, helped keep it on the map with a series of murals he painted on the rock canyon walls.

A rusty barbwire fence ornamented with junkyard treasures marks the entrance of town (a clue to what you’re in for). In addition to satisfying curiosities and getting a lesson in California history, I’ve come to check out a restaurant called Yesterdays and its adjoining motel, Shep Miners Inn — both popular spots for snowbirds in the wintertime. Originally built as a Butterfield stagecoach stop, the structure looks much like what I imagine it looked like 100 years ago. The owner, a sweet Rhode Island native named Miss Bonnie who has lived in Chloride for over a decade now, shows me the ropes. The old adobe once provided housing for miners. Its 11 rooms have a back-in-the-day feel (as does the pricing, at only $50 a night) with clean, modern amenities. Room No. 10 was home to actor Jack Nicholson while he filmed Rebel Rousers — his first movie — in 1970.

I’ll save the sleepover for another trip, but today I’m not passing up the opportunity to try some of Miss Bonnie’s delicious chili (a “must try,” the staff says). The little saloon inside also carries 120 different kinds of bottled beer. A small stage at the opposite corner hosts live music and comedy acts on a nightly basis.

This trip on Arizona’s Route 66 and the Grand Canyon West is just one of many ways to see it. Pick up a book on the old highway and the region’s ghost towns, and you’ll see there is much more to explore. Next time I think I’ll catch the Grand Canyon Train to the South Rim, where classic lodges in the National Park are perched right on the edge.