Meteor City, Arizona: World's Longest Map of Route 66 (Closed)

A Route 66 gift shop claimed to have a Route 66 map longer than any other. As of 2013 the shop had closed and the map had fallen into ruin.

A story in the Flagstaff Business News reports that the Meteor City Trading Post has been sold to Joanne and Mike Brown. They've moved from Indiana onto the abandoned trading post property, and plan to restore not only the domed trading post building, but also its six cement teepees, its giant Dreamcatcher, and the World's Longest Map of Route 66, which they've pledged to make even longer.

As other reviewers have said, the map is three-quarters missing and the dome has been vandalized. However, it did have one last hurrah on the Viceland skateboarding show "Abandoned," where it was featured along with nearby Two Guns/Canyon Diablo and Twin Arrows. The host spoke to a group of Native Americans who explained the insult that stores such as this one -- and here they pointed to a still-standing part of a sign that read, "Pow Wow Blankets, $5" -- were to their people. It was pretty fascinating. When I went, the dreamcatcher was still there, two parts of the map/board were somewhat standing, and the trailers behind the dome had been ripped apart. The interior of the dome had been vandalized as well.

Formerly a gift shop (I remember shopping here about 20 years ago), this site is now an abandoned geodesic dome surrounded by faded tar paper teepees. Vandals have broken into the dome and smashed all the display cases. Behind the dome is a cluster of trailer homes that are also abandoned. In the parking lot is what has to be one of the world's largest dream catchers at 12 feet tall.

We drove by and were greatly saddened to see that the entire map is gone -- whether it was blown or torn down I do not know.