亚利桑那州:66号公路的精神

AS IT IS 2015-12-14 Arizona: The Spirit of Route 66 亚利桑那州:66号公路的精神

Arizona’s stretch of Route 66 contains some of America’s most impressive - and famous - landscapes.

Parts of Arizona’s Mother Road wind through the Petrified¹ Forest and Painted Desert National Parks. Red, yellow, orange and grey earth greets you in the Painted Desert. Eerie² fossilized pieces of wood dot the moon-like landscape of the Petrified Forest.  

The road leading up to the Grand Canyon³ National Park is just off Route 66. You travel through the Kalibab National Forest, where the air smells of fresh pine. Deer and elk⁴ sightings along the way are common.

But beyond the scenery, Arizona’s Route 66 offers Old West experiences, ghost towns, and legendary⁵ ghost stories.

Arizona’s nickname⁶ may be the Grand Canyon State. But with so many ghost stories along Route 66, it could also be called the Haunted⁸ State.

One of those ghost stories takes place at the historic⁹ Weatherford Hotel in Flagstaff, Arizona.

The Weatherford Hotel has been around since 1897. A Texan named John Weatherford built the hotel after falling in love with the town and surrounding mountains. It was a grand hotel. The city’s local newspaper at the time declared, “There is no finer hotel in the whole southwest.”

An elegant¹⁰ balcony wraps around the hotel’s second floor, offering views of the city and nearby San Francisco peaks.

Many famous Americans have stayed at the Weatherford, including former President Theodore Roosevelt and newspaper publisher William Randolph Hearst.

And, as the story goes, some visitors never left.

Weatherford legend includes the ghost of a broken-hearted bride. She is reportedly seen most often in the hotel’s ballroom¹¹ on the second floor. Over the years, many guests and hotel workers have claimed to hear or see her -- and other ghosts -- in the night.

Manny Martinez is the manager at the Weatherford. He says he has heard all about ghostly sightings from his guests and employees.

“There’s been all kinds of different stories about it. Mainly weird¹² things with the lights, with the noises. You know, it's an old building, as well. But there are some stories that I kinda' do believe. You do get an eerie feeling, especially working upstairs at that bar. You know, it’s two in the morning, you're by yourself closing it down, so you kind of get the feeling like somebody's watching you.”

The broken-hearted bride reportedly stayed in hotel room 54. These days, the room is used as a closet. Martinez explains that several workers have reported mysterious events.

“This is Room 54. We turned it into a maid’s closet now. As you can tell, the door kinda' sounds a little creepy as it opens up. An employee of mine came up here once, he came up here, opened the door, and he saw a picture of something, a silhouette¹³ of somebody -- turned on the light, turned back around to where he was looking, there was nothing there. 

“But this is where my maids, as well, said that they found a lot of weird things, you know, sheets kinda looking like they were burned. The room itself is kinda scary, kinda creepy…”

Another of Flagstaff’s spooky stories took place at an old honky-tonk called the Museum Club. Its former owners are said to haunt⁷ the place to this day. Their lives ended tragically¹⁴ inside the club.

In 1973, Don Scott and his wife Thora owned the business. They lived on the second floor. One late night, Thora Scott fell down the stairs and broke her neck. She died a few weeks later. Her husband never recovered, and his business suffered as well. Don Scott shot and killed himself at the club two years later.

Rhylee Helsper works at the Museum Club. She says there are reports of sightings of Don and Thora’s ghosts.

“She (Thora) is often seen at the back bar,” Helsper said. “They (the ghosts) both hang out. Don’s not exactly a friendly character. But, Thora’s a sweetheart.”

West of Flagstaff, Route 66 leaves behind the pine trees and cool air for much warmer climates. It winds through Crozier Canyon, with its beautiful reddish-brown hills piled with boulders¹⁵. Some rocks seem in position to roll down the hills at the lightest gust¹⁶ of wind.

The town of Seligman marks the beginning of the longest remaining uninterrupted stretch of Route 66. The road extends unbroken for over 250 kilometers, until the Colorado River divides Arizona and California.

Along the way is the desert city of Kingman. In the 1940s, the town became a popular spot to film Old West gunfighter movies.  As a result, many movie stars spent time in the area, including Marilyn Monroe and Clark Gable.

From Kingman, Route 66 runs through narrow roads in the mountainous desert until it reaches the Old West outpost of Oatman.

Oatman, Arizona was once a ghost town – a town abandoned by its residents, often because economic activity that supported it has failed or ended.

But tourism has revived¹⁷ Oatman’s economy. 

Arriving in Oatman is like returning to the American West of 150 years ago. The storefronts and other businesses look just as they did decades ago. Wild burros roam¹⁸ the streets among the tourists. These days, burros far outnumber Oatman residents.

Tourists here come to see the donkeys -- and the Old West outlaws¹⁹. Actors put on a fake²⁰ gunfight show two times every day. The show takes place in front of the Oatman Hotel.The actors who play the gunfighters live in Oatman. 

"My name's Yosemite. They call me John George when I'm in trouble. But, Yosemite."

"And, what about you?"

"They call me Dusty."

"What about when you're in trouble, Dusty, what do they call you?"

"Gone."

People line both sides of the street to watch them perform. They “rob” the Oatman Hotel and then argue about who should hold on to the big bag of money.

They decide to settle the dispute the old-fashioned way, with their guns. Of course, they shoot blanks, not bullets.

Yosemite describes the shows more colorfully.

"We do gunfights two times a day, 12 o'clock, high noon, and 2:15, if there's any targets left. So, if you show up bring a carload of 'em and (we'll) more than likely give you a free ticket. That's the driver (who) gets out free."

The show is free and the two men are volunteers. But they do pass their hats asking for donations. All the money the crowd donates goes to a medical center that treats child burn victims.

Oatman is just a few kilometers from Arizona’s border with California, the final state on the Mother Road journey.

Leaving behind the beauty of Arizona is not easy. But, its spirit – and spirits – will stay with visitors long after they leave. 

Words in This Story 

landscape - n. an area of land that has a particular quality or appearance

eerie - adj. strange and mysterious

scenery - n. a view of natural features

legendary - adj. very famous or well-known

ghost - n. the soul of a dead person thought of as living in an unseen world or as appearing to living people

balcony - n. a raised platform that is connected to the side of a building and surrounded by a low wall or railing

peak - n. the pointed²¹ top of a mountain

spooky - adj. strange and frightening

creepy - adj. strange or scary : causing people to feel nervous and afraid

honky-tonk - n. a cheap nightclub or dance hall that often features country music

haunt - v. of a ghost : to visit or live in (a place)

pine - n. a tree that has long, thin needles instead of leaves and that stays green throughout the year

uninterrupted - adj. not interrupted, stopped, or blocked

outpost- n. a small town in a place that is far away from other towns or cit

ghost town - n. a town that no longer has any people living in it : an abandoned town

burro - n. (animal) a small donkey

1 petrified   

adj.惊呆的；目瞪口呆的v.使吓呆，使惊呆；变僵硬；使石化(petrify的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• I'm petrified of snakes. 我特别怕蛇。
• The poor child was petrified with fear. 这可怜的孩子被吓呆了。 来自《简明英汉词典》

2 eerie   

adj.怪诞的；奇异的；可怕的；胆怯的

参考例句：

• It's eerie to walk through a dark wood at night.夜晚在漆黑的森林中行走很是恐怖。
• I walked down the eerie dark path.我走在那条漆黑恐怖的小路上。

3 canyon   

n.峡谷，溪谷

参考例句：

• The Grand Canyon in the USA is 1900 metres deep.美国的大峡谷1900米深。
• The canyon is famous for producing echoes.这个峡谷以回声而闻名。

4 elk   

n.麋鹿

参考例句：

• I was close enough to the elk to hear its labored breathing.我离那头麋鹿非常近，能听见它吃力的呼吸声。
• The refuge contains the largest wintering population of elk in the world.这座庇护所有着世界上数量最大的冬季麋鹿群。

5 legendary   

adj.传奇（中）的，闻名遐迩的；n.传奇（文学）

参考例句：

• Legendary stories are passed down from parents to children.传奇故事是由父母传给孩子们的。
• Odysseus was a legendary Greek hero.奥狄修斯是传说中的希腊英雄。

6 nickname   

n.绰号，昵称；v.给...取绰号，叫错名字

参考例句：

• She called me by my nickname.她叫我的外号。
• Why do you fasten such a nickname on her?你为什么给她取这样一个绰号？

7 haunt   

vt.常出没于，使苦恼，萦绕；n.常去的地方

参考例句：

• The area was a haunt of criminals.这个地区是罪犯经常出没的地方。
• The college library is a favorite haunt.大学图书馆是人们喜欢的地方。

8 haunted   

adj.闹鬼的；受到折磨的；令人烦恼的v.“haunt”的过去式和过去分词

参考例句：

• There was a haunted look in his eyes. 他眼中透露出忧虑的神色。
• The country is haunted by the spectre of civil war. 内战仿佛一触即发，举国上下一片恐慌。

9 historic   

adj.历史上著名的，具有历史意义的

参考例句：

• This is a historic occasion.这是具有重大历史意义的时刻。
• We are living in a great historic era.我们正处在一个伟大的历史时代。

10 elegant   

adj.优美的，文雅的，简练的，简结的

参考例句：

• She was an elegant and accomplished woman.她是位优雅的才女。
• She has a life of elegant ease.她过着风雅悠闲的生活。

11 ballroom   

n.舞厅

参考例句：

• The boss of the ballroom excused them the fee.舞厅老板给他们免费。
• I go ballroom dancing twice a week.我一个星期跳两次交际舞。

12 weird   

adj.古怪的，离奇的；怪诞的，神秘而可怕的

参考例句：

• From his weird behaviour,he seems a bit of an oddity.从他不寻常的行为看来，他好像有点怪。
• His weird clothes really gas me.他的怪衣裳简直笑死人。

13 silhouette   

n.黑色半身侧面影，影子，轮廓；v.描绘成侧面影，照出影子来，仅仅显出轮廓

参考例句：

• I could see its black silhouette against the evening sky.我能看到夜幕下它黑色的轮廓。
• I could see the silhouette of the woman in the pickup.我可以见到小卡车的女人黑色半身侧面影。

14 tragically   

adv. 悲剧地，悲惨地

参考例句：

• Their daughter was tragically killed in a road accident. 他们的女儿不幸死于车祸。
• Her father died tragically in a car crash. 她父亲在一场车祸中惨死。

15 boulders   

n.卵石( boulder的名词复数 )；巨砾；（受水或天气侵蚀而成的）巨石；漂砾

参考例句：

• Seals basked on boulders in a flat calm. 海面风平浪静，海豹在巨石上晒太阳。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The river takes a headlong plunge into a maelstrom of rocks and boulders. 河水急流而下，入一个漂砾的漩涡中。 来自《简明英汉词典》

16 gust   

n.阵风，突然一阵（雨、烟等），（感情的）迸发

参考例句：

• A gust of wind blew the front door shut.一阵大风吹来，把前门关上了。
• A gust of happiness swept through her.一股幸福的暖流流遍她的全身。

17 revived   

adj.再生的v.恢复( revive的过去式和过去分词 )；苏醒；使再生效；回忆起

参考例句：

• The flowers soon revived in water. 这些花见了水很快就活过来了。
• The temperance [dry; anti-alcohol] movement revived in the city. 这个城市的禁酒运动又活跃起来了。 来自《现代汉英综合大词典》

18 roam   

vi.漫游，闲逛，徜徉

参考例句：

• He used to roam the streets for hours on end.他过去常逛大街，一逛就是几个小时。
• I like to roam about over the countryside.我喜欢在乡间走一走。

19 outlaws   

歹徒，亡命之徒( outlaw的名词复数 )； 逃犯

参考例句：

• During his year in the forest, Robin met many other outlaws. 在森林里的一年，罗宾遇见其他许多绿林大盗。
• I didn't have to leave the country or fight outlaws. 我不必离开自己的国家，也不必与不法分子斗争。

20 fake   

vt.伪造，造假，假装；n.假货，赝品

参考例句：

• He can tell a fake from the original.他能分辨出赝品和真品。
• You can easily fake up an excuse to avoid going out with him.你可以很容易地编造一个借口而不与他一同外出。

21 pointed   

adj.尖的，直截了当的

参考例句：

• He gave me a very sharp pointed pencil.他给我一支削得非常尖的铅笔。
• She wished to show Mrs.John Dashwood by this pointed invitation to her brother.她想通过对达茨伍德夫人提出直截了当的邀请向她的哥哥表示出来。