If I had to say what our #1 goal was in planning this past winter’s travel, I would say it was staying away from snow.  We also say that we are chasing 70.  That’s 70 degrees Fahrenheit, a perfect temperature, in our honest opinion, give or take ten degrees.  With family weddings in the Phoenix area in January and Las Vegas in February, we looked for places to see things we hadn’t seen and where we could easily stay warm.

We wanted to spend time in Lake Havasu, Arizona, in the weeks between Xscapers’ Casa Grande and Bishop convergences.  I called to make reservations for these three or four weeks in March only to have Lake Havasu RV park owners tell me repeatedly that they were full and not able to accommodate our dates.  Looking a little further north on the map within an easy drive of Lake Havasu and still on the Colorado River, we discovered Needles, California.  Prices were cheap ($400 + electric for the month) at Desert RV Park, and there was plenty of room for us.

Aside from travelers making a quick stop off of the I-40 for an overnight, food, or fuel (the next services west of town are about 35 miles away and east of town about 20), It would seem that most people visit Needles either for activities on the river or for its position along the historic Route 66.  Of course, I’d heard of Route 66 because, well, I listen to music.  The Nat King Cole Trio originally performed Route 66 (Get Your Kicks On) in 1947, but others have recorded versions, including The Rolling Stones in 1964 and John Mayer in 2006. 

While the songwriter forgot the town in the lyrics of the song about the 2000+ miles of historic highway between Chicago and Los Angeles, Needles served as a major stop for travelers from the 1920s to the 1960s.  As the I-40 replaced Route 66, the area began to change.  Needles survived because of its proximity to the interstate as well as US-95 running near town offering north/southbound traffic an option to travel along the Colorado River.  Not all the area towns survived the changes and there are several ghost towns in the area available to visit if you’re interested.

Between Brian and my desire to regroup after the Casa Grande Convergence and the war on COVID-19, the town has proven itself as a wayside rest area.  We have laid low in the time that we’ve spent here, although we did take time to go to the Mojave National Preserve and to visit Lake Havasu for the day.   

The RV park where we are staying is outside of the main drag, on the west side of town.  Situated on the historic Route 66, I expected too much traffic to enjoy walking our dog, Skipper, along the road.  Not only did I find it to be the perfect place for our routine walks with very little traffic, I’ve especially enjoyed taking thoughtful moments to appreciate the eleven rock monuments that line this portion of the road.

A little research tells me, Jim Nickel, a winter visitor to the area originally from Oregon, constructed the monuments.  He first made one for his wife, Starr, in 2010. 

Next, he made one for himself.

Not long after, he built one for his longtime friend, Ron, who had served in the US Navy, and had passed away.

The last mention of the monuments that I could find was in 2015 just after he completed the construction of the monument for POW/MIA.  At this time, the town of Needles was meeting to award him with a couple of Home Depot gift cards and see about helping with the cost of maintenance on the memorials.

I suspect that Jim and Starr Nickels continue to return to the area.  Others that I’ve seen walking around have told me that they return a couple of times per year to maintain the monuments. 

On December 11, 2015, Needles Desert Star reporter Jennifer Deneven wrote, “Starr said with the way things are in this country, there’s a need to be centered and to remember that freedom isn’t free.”

There are a few monuments where others have added a stone as a memorial of their own.

In total, there are eleven monuments ranging in size from about 6-50 feet, each meticulously hand-built from rocks gathered from around the area. 

In these uncertain times, it’s an area that has provided me with a place to walk, clear my head, and think about what others have sacrificed before me.  If you find yourself in the area, it’s worth taking a few minutes to walk, bike, or drive along the road to see.