As many times as I visit San Bernardino, CA's legendary Wigwam Motel, the Route 66 icon never ceases to inspire wonder and joy; and really, are there any more fitting emotions for this most wondrous and joyful time of year? Whether a road-trip stop, a pow-wow birthday, or a holiday festivity, the Wigwam Motel is an ideal setting for any occasion.
This past weekend we were hosted by the Wigwam Motel and Charles Phoenix for the first-ever Wigwam Holiday Lighting & Donut Exchange. Every year, I try to get more people in my life to forgo the tradition of gift giving and instead participate more fully in the season - donating time, caroling, looking at Christmas lights, etc. - and boy, did this event fit the bill.
Thanks to our pal Fabian of Chopit Kustoms, our ride for the evening
was his '55 Buick. All decked out for Christmas, it looked right at
home amongst the wigwams.
(photo by Fabian)
Guess who was forced to sit in the backseat?
Mr. Tiny, Charles, and our pal, Cherie, who incidentally made the most- delicious, vegan donuts (pistachio and peppermint). As is the case in most photos of me, my eyes were closed so Fabian photoshopped in some googly eyes. (photo by Fabian)
The wigwam lighting itself was the centerpiece of an event filled with sing-a-longs (my favorite was The Carpenter's "Merry Christmas, Darling") and mountains of donuts (I failed to get a picture of the donut box tower). Even the wattage of all those bulbs did nothing to stave off the frosty temperatures.
Leave it to the minds of Charles Phoenix and the
Wigwam Motel to create a Christmas tree out of stucco teepee.
In spite of the cold, there was a warm and wonderful turnout. Hopefully, this is just the first in a new holiday tradition that is certain to get bigger and better with each holiday season. Wouldn't you love to see all the wigwams lit, flashing in time with a holiday soundtrack?
If you've read this blog for any length of time, you're sure to have realized that wacky tacky is defined in large measure by the reckless ingenuity of 20th-Century America. From roadside architecture to flagpole sitting to marshmallow creme, industrialized America used its unique blend of innovative spirit, disposable time/income and constitutional freedom to create a trail of googie glory of from sea to shining sea. The Wigwam Motel (est. 1949) in San Bernardino, CA is my "amber waves of grain" and it's enough to have me weeping through a spirited rendition of "America the Beautiful," or at least "This Land is Your Land." You might remember that we have featured the Wigwam Motel in a previous blog post but when our friend Benny told us that he was planning his birthday party there, we decided that any time is a fine time to go sleep-y in a tee pee. We briefly questioned our decision as on our drive out to the party the freeway traffic headed inland was disturbingly light. Glancing across to the other side of the road, miles and miles of cars were backed up in their desperate race to the coast and cooler climes.
Jennifer & Birthday Boy Benny
Our group filled every available wigwam and
anybody who had a vintage auto was obliged to motor in.
Benny's ride
The festivities began with a no-holds-barred game of netless, vigilante volleyball. It was a veritable version of the old west where rules were made on the spot but were really made to be broken. I'm still not sure who won because every player proclaimed him/herself a victor.
It looks pretty tame but photos cannot convey the
cheap shots, gnashing of teeth and trash-talking.
Mary enjoying the sunshine - it was over 110 degrees by 11 o'clock in the morning!
As the sun slowly sank over the peaks of the wigwams, the
temperature dropped and the party really got started.
A smorgasbord of party foods, grilled favorites and German-style veggies was laid out and "cleaned up" just as quickly. Swimmers kept right on swimming and music wafted over the grounds of The Wigwam. Fortunately, the motel's slightly-industrial surroundings allowed for all-night revelry and and our party didn't seem to disturb the neighbors.
The Legend with his jar of store-bought moonshine?
The amazing Miss Monica Marie -
genuinely nice and a swell dancer!
Ashley & Eva in a "candid" photo
With so many well-dressed attendees, one found wonderful clothing at every turn. I got just a couple shots of some fashion accessory do's.
Mary & Eva's matching, tooled-leather sandals Jeff's pow wow-perfect necktie
Dancing lasted late into the night/early in the morning. For the first (and probably only) time in my life I didn't go to sleep until 5 o'clock in the morning. It has probably become glaringly-apparent to readers and anyone who has met me but to state the obvious, I am SQUARE. I am like an eighty eight-year-old man; I like to have dinner around 4:30 and most nights I am contentedly snoring by 9 o'clock. But a party is a pow wow and I didn't want to be the first brave back in his wigwam!
Sergio & Linda "Queen of the Mambo" Richard & Kitty
Mary takes a lesson
Why is it that on work days I have to drag myself out of bed but on mornings when I have every right and reason to sleep in, I wake up bright and early? Even after dancing all night, I awoke with the sun. I blame a pitiless, internal alarm clock and the neighborhood roosters - seriously.
You are now rethinking your very harsh judgment of San Bernardino
and planning your wigwam retreat aren't you? Aren't you?
When we left, the thermometer reading was 115. As we made our way home, there was a nearly-40 degree drop in temperature; we're thankful for wigwams with air conditioning but even more grateful for ocean breezes. Thanks Benny for getting the gang together for a heap-good party!
p.s. There is a little contraversy as to the exact location of the Wigwam Motel. The motel's website lists a San Bernardino address but many books and websites site Rialto as the home of the motel. Rest assured, if you ever find yourself on Foothill Blvd in Rialto/San Bernardino, you will not get lost; the Wigwam Motel will be the ONLY motel made of giant teepees.
Hi-how-are-ya! Hi-how-are-ya! Hi-how-are-ya! When was the last time you immersed yourself fully in the indigenous culture of your country? When last did you slough off the cares of our modern, workaday world for the purposes of cultural appreciation and personal enrichment? I am always open to a spiritual awakening - an opportunity to open my heart and mind. I embrace the chance to really "walk a mile in another man's moccasins," as it were. In search of such an experience, I sought out, nay, I was called to the Wigwam Villages of San Bernardino, CA and Holbrook, AZ. The Wigwam Villages were the vision of Frank Redford, a Kentucky native, who built his first wigwam in 1933 to capitalize on his collection of Native American artifacts. What started out as a roadside attraction dedicated to Indian culture soon turned into a motel concept and The Wigwam Village Motel was born. In total, seven Wigwam Villages were built from Kentucky to California. For the purposes of this blog post, we will be using the terms "wigwam" and "teepee" interchangeably - just to keep it authentic!
Wigwam Village Motel #7 - "Do it in a Tee Pee!"
Wigwam Village #7 (est.1949) in San Bernardino, CA is a veritable diamond in the rough. This is not a stale cliche - "rough" is an accurate description of the surrounding area. My mother's people are from San Bernardino; I can remember the dreamy days we spent with my great-grandmother and great-aunt in their turn-of-the-Century, San Bernardino homes. The area, while decidedly working class, felt old-timey and safe. Unfortunately, the last few decades have been less than kind to San Bernardino. Yet, somehow, it felt good to be there - especially in a teepee!
The Happy Hunting Ground
In Indian territory
The wigwam
The interior did not fulfill my dreams of peace pipes and smoke signals.
In fact, the furnishings did not speak to Native American heritage at all.
Rating: ^^^^^^^^^ (9 wigwams) - The facilities are well-maintained and the staff is very courteous and seemed genuinely happy to have us. They allowed us early check-in, gave us recommendations for places to eat and even took our photo and added it to their Facebook page! A one-wigwam deduction was taken for the boring, standard motel furnishings.
Wigwam Village Motel #6 - "Have you slept in a Wigwam Lately?"
Wigwam Village #6 in Holbrook, AZ was built in 1942 by Charles Lewis as a wigwam franchise. According to the motel website, the payments to Frank Redford as franchise fees consisted of the dimes collected from the pay-radios installed in each teepee! We liked the exterior of these wigwams better than the San Bernardino location as they look like the picture postcards from the 40's.
A teepee-cal teepee
Vintage automobiles enhanced the motel's Route 66 credibility and character.
The custom, metal benches outside the teepees were a reminder of our path.
King of the castle teepee!
We were happy to learn that the room's furnishings, including the quirky,
bedside lamp and desk/vanity were all original.
Native American Art
The room was surprisingly roomy - enough for two beds.
My biggest complaint was the distracting, southwestern bedding!
Wigwams by day...
...and wigwams by night...
Rating: ^^^^^^^^^ (9 wigwams) - It is hard not to give a perfect 10 to a motel that has operated for nearly 70 years by maintaining the look and feel of true, vintage-American roadside/Route 66 history. Really, who doesn't want to sleep in a wigwam? A single wigwam deduction was given for a less-than-immaculate bathroom, proximity to the bustling railroad tracks (all-night freight trains) and those terrible, I mean terrible, bedspreads. The staff was accommodating, the sleeping quarters were tidy (bonus point for the original art/furniture), the exterior of the wigwams were well-maintained and the vintage cars added greatly to the atmosphere.
Wigwam Village numbers 6 and 7 are independently owned and share only a common history. Beyond the San Bernardino and Holbrook motels, there is only one other remaining Wigwam Village. Wigwam Village #2 is located in Cave City, KY which means just one thing - we'll be seeing you in Kentucky for another authentically-Native American experience. How!!!
The American landscape is both beautiful and unpredictable. My sister, my 13-month-old nephew and I found this out after we planned a two-week adventure across country to visit my brother-in-law; he is engaged in Military Police training before his unit is deployed to Guantanamo Bay. We set out just as Missouri, our ultimate destination, was being ravaged by tornadoes. Moreover, our itinerary had us driving directly through the threatened areas of Oklahoma.
Astute problem solvers that we are, we decided not to continue the trip as planned, but instead explore the American Southwest - namely Arizona and New Mexico.
We had already decided to travel along as much of the old Route 66 as was practical. Our adventure along Route 66 began in the Barstow area and I immediately began snapping photos of the cool wacky tacky signs that had starting cropping up along the roadside. The major stops along our route included Oatman, Kingman, Seligman, Williams, The Grand Canyon, Flagstaff, Sedona, Holbrook, The Painted Desert/Petrified Forest, Tucson, Phoenix, Scottsdale, Quartzite (all in AZ) and Gallup, Albuquerque, Truth or Consequences and Las Cruces (NM).
The Painted Desert
Sedona, AZ
The Grand Canyon
Instead of boring you with an endless travelogue or countless photos of geological formations, I thought I'd share a compilation of the Southwest's best roadside signs and dinosaurs (that we encountered). Forgive my proto-novice camera abilities; it may seem impossible to take a bad picture of The Grand Canyon, but I managed...
"Dead Chicken" is actually the best item on the menu.
Burma-Shave signs are alive and well along Route 66.
I captured Fred at The Flinstone Campground - just barely...
A taste of the Southwest.
I'm pretty sure this dinosaur is on the cover of a vintage roadside book that I have
Dinosaurs were EVERYWHERE!!
Who knew the Indians were so kinky?
The El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, NM was built by D.W. Griffith's brother
and hosted just about every Hollywood star of the 1930's and 40's.
A cigar store-style Indian covered in turquoise.
Is that a skateboarding, pink dinosaur in a helmet?
Hotel Congress was built in 1919 in the "Pueblo Deco" style and was the
last hideout for John Dillinger and his gang before they were captured.
Easter Island in the middle of Tucson
This camel was a wheeler-dealer
Thanks, Petula.
The biggest surprise of the trip - the Southwest is more than giant, metal-lizard wall art, retirees and turquoise jewelry; active Route 66, unfortunately, is trading on little more than life-size cut outs of Marilyn Monroe, James Dean, Elvis and Betty Boop...
