b'By Bob Roloff,The Arizona DuuudeYou can follow Bob on Facebook.R ecently I ordered and received Bob Boze Bell\'sThe next time I went to southeastern Arizona newest book The 66 Kid. What a well-put- I planned a side trip to Portal where Bob together book with pictographs, photos, cartoons,Waldmire resided. It is said that somewhere old advertising, and of course Bob\'s great artwork.beyond paradise is Portal, Arizona. In many I have been passing it around wherever I go. Bob isways Portal really is beyond paradise. If you from Kingman so old Route 66 ran right through hisare looking for a place to spend some time hometown. The book brought back memories, goodwith nature, and I mean inside a cocoon memories. I traveled on some of it in the 60s myself. Itof nights, with bright stars overhead and brought back the memory of another guy named Bob. beautiful quiet sunny days then please find Portal. The tiny mining community was established in 1905.The Portal Peak Lodge is the center of a veryI found that Bob standing next to his VW van and it tookWaldmire got his mail at the post office that once servedcaring community. me back, back to the late 60s. They both hadn\'t changed,as the town\'s first schoolhouse.right out of a time machine, bumper stickers and all,The artwork of the map, of the Portal Peak Lodge, and they looked great. But waitback up. I was in Kingman,Besides ranches, the area in nearby Rodeo, New Mexicothe Portal postcard, are the creations of the truly unique Arizona attending a western fast draw competition. I hadis a haven for birders, and nature lovers. Youll also findBob Waldmire. Google his name and you\'ll see what I stopped at the Mohave Museum on Route 66 to have aUltralight flyers at Sky Gypsy Aviation, a scenic airstripmean. I wish I would have met him back in the heyday of look around. While I was looking at a map of Arizona, thecomplete with a hanger, an RV park, a lovely caf nearbyRoute 66. Bob traveled Route 66 from end to end many most interesting, informative, and yet strangest map I hadwith a game room where a grand piano sits waiting,times and knows more people along it than anyone I\'ve ever seen. A guy standing behind me said, If you\'d like toand an excellent private movie theater that seats 32 veryever met. He is truly a part of our West."meet the guy that drew that map, he\'s out in the parkingcomfortably. There is the Rodeo Natural Market and a lot under the big shade tree. I couldn\'t pass up thatlarge trailer park especially for mobile homes pullingJohnnie Meier wrote in Route 66 Magazine, Waldmire opportunity. I had to meet the mind that created such ahorse trailers with each space having a side area bigis a Route 66 celebrity. You may have met him at any of map. I wasn\'t disappointed. What a nice visit we had. Bobenough for a portable horse pen.several Route 66 Festivals, knew him when he owned the gave me a copy of an article from the last issue of Route Hackberry General Store, maybe you\'ve seen his art for 66 Magazine. If you ever get a chance pick it up, its a veryThen there is Skysale at Route 66 landmarks, admired his many murals, good read.Village, just northor watched the character Filmore in the movie CARS, of Portal. A placefor which Bob was the inspiration. The most prominent that has some darkfeature on his forty-acre property is the Power Tower." nights, I mean itThis wind turbine was a creation of Waldmire and his has very little man- friend Ken Clark, gadgeteer and husband of Route made light pollution,66 author, Marion Clark. The tower is fifteen-feet in making it attractiveheight and it sits on a mound, fifteen feet in height. to astronomers.The propeller is seven feet in diameter and drives an Everyone there has800-watt generator. The project is about eighty percent a very professionalcomplete. The tower features an observation deck from observatory in theirwhich Waldmire can sit and observe wildlife. Bob speaks backyard. Rick Benorhapsodically of listening to the windmill\'s song."gave us a tour of his and it is trulyWell, Bob Waldmire left us some years ago but he left a great setup. Youhis mark on Route 66, and on everyone lucky enough to can see more atmeet him. He\'d get a kick out of me writing about him conferringwithnow.I miss him and his artwork. Bob is the son of Ed thesky.org. GoingWaldmire Jr. often associated with the Cozy Dog Drive-back over to Portalin Restaurant in Springfield, Illinois (on Route 66). The be sure to stop byelder Waldmire (along with his friend Don Strand) the friendly newlyhaving created the Cozy Corn Dog." (Hot dog dippedrenovated library.in batter & deep fried). ArizonaRealCountry.com April 2021 17'