Day 7: Williams, AZ to Williams, AZ (via Oatman, AZ & Needles, CA) – The Sidewinder, Crazy Burros and 114°F Heat

If yesterday was about dealing with mechanical breakdowns, today was an absolute endurance test against the desert heat. We pulled a massive loop today, pushing into the Mojave desert to check California off our list before looping back to our hub in Williams.

Here is how we survived 191 curves, triple-digit temperatures, and a coasting Harley.

0530 Kickstands Up & Techno Gas Stops

To beat the brutal, suffocating heat waiting for us in Oatman and Needles, we rolled out of the Historic Grand Canyon Hotel at 5:30 AM.

We hopped straight onto Interstate 40 toward Kingman to make up time while the air was still crisp. The highway was incredibly rough—massive, tire-catching cracks everywhere—requiring total focus to stay upright at speed.

We pulled into a spot called Crazy Fred’s for a quick fuel stop and immediately ran into some classic road weirdness. A girl with dreadlocks was filling up multiple 5-gallon gas cans inside the back of her car while blasting heavy techno music. We couldn’t tell if she was heading to an early Burning Man setup or some secret desert rave, but it was the perfect soundtrack for a surreal morning.

Taming the Sidewinder to Oatman

From Kingman, we peeled off onto the infamous Oatman Highway. They call this stretch “The Sidewinder” for a reason: 191 curves packed into just 8 miles. It’s steep, incredibly narrow, features zero guardrails, and boasts a local population of free-roaming wildlife that will just stand in the road and stare you down.

As we leaned into one tight corner, a massive cow was standing dead center in the asphalt. Just past it, a wild burro was blocking the lane, calmly watching us pass.

We climbed up and over Sitgreaves Pass before dropping down the hairpins into the quirky, old-west town of Oatman. On the way down, we spotted a rusted-out vintage orange car resting deep in the ravine—a stark reminder of what happens if you miss one of those hairpins.

We parked right on Main Street, and the town’s famous wild burros immediately strolled up to greet us and get some head scratches. We ducked into the Mission Inn to browse the antiques and curios. If I had been driving a support truck instead of riding a bike, I would have left with a trailer full of awesome souvenirs.

The lady working the counter gave us a grim warning: “It hit 118 degrees here yesterday.” Time to move fast.

California Dreamin’ (and Melting)

We kept rolling down Route 66 to Topock to snap a picture with their iconic drive-through shield sign, then eased through Golden Shores before jumping back on I-40 to cross the Colorado River into California. To our left, we could see the beautiful old original Route 66 bridge, which today only serves to carry pipelines across the water.

We pulled over at the historic Route 66 California Gateway sign for pictures.

The Bike Thermometer: Read 107°F.
The “Gnome” Thermometer: Read a blistering 114°F.

And this was still early in the morning!

We made a quick loop through Needles, California, then pointed the bikes back east toward Arizona, through Oatman, and heading right back over Sitgreaves Pass.

As we summited the pass for the second time, Tyler’s bike started screaming that it was overheating. Operating on quick instincts, we told him to kill the ignition, drop it into neutral, and coast the entire way down the mountain. By the time we hit the bottom, gravity and the coasting breeze had done its job and the engine had cooled off substantially.

No Service and Roadkill Cafes

We rolled back into Kingman and hit Mother Road Harley-Davidson to log our official tour miles, but the joke was on us—AT&T’s cell service was completely knocked out for the entire region. Unable to update our apps, we just sat in the dealership’s glorious air conditioning, chugged water, and brought our core temps down.

Next stop: the legendary Hackberry Trading Post. We had stopped here back in 2020, and it was awesome to reminisce. We even found a spot on their massive sticker board to slap up one of our own “Stater Hater” stickers.

By this time, our stomachs were growling louder than the exhaust pipes, so we pulled into Seligman for lunch at the famous Roadkill Café (“You Kill It, We Grill It”). Blake ordered a salad bowl that looked like something out of The Beverly Hillbillies—absolutely massive.

For dessert, we eased up the road to Delgadillo’s Snow Cap for milkshakes and Coke floats. Opened in 1953 by Juan Delgadillo and still run by the family, this place is a Route 66 monument built on pure roadside humor. The doors have knobs on the wrong side, the signs say things like “Sorry, We’re Open,” and they love hitting unsuspecting tourists with the classic fake mustard string squirt bottle. It’s an absolute must-stop.

Outsmarting the Ghosts

We finally cruised back into Williams to handle some chores. While Billy and Blake took a break, Tyler and I hit the local laundromat to finally get some clean gear, later meeting up with the guys for a well-deserved pizza dinner.

Before hitting the sack, I stopped by the front desk of the Grand Canyon Hotel to see if they could fix our possessed room lights from last night. The receptionist actually walked up to the room and worked on it herself for a bit, but the bizarre wiring left her stumped.

After making a few phone calls, she returned with a triumphant smile and a hard-earned answer. She reset the master switches and informed Blake that the physical wall switch for their lights was actually located directly on the ceiling.

Take that, spirits of 1895! Just odd controls and settings; no ghosts here.

Looking Ahead to Day 8

Tomorrow is going to be a much more relaxed day. Our original route was cut short because the Pocket Fire near Sedona has closed the highway dropping down from Flagstaff.

Because of the detour, we get to sleep in for a regular, civilized “kickstands up” time. We’ll be hunting down the sights in Flagstaff, riding through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest National Park, and spending the night in the iconic concrete teepees at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook!

See you on the blacktop.