Rt 66 Poplars Motel
Poplars Motel
“Your Quietest Night on Route 66… Whether You Want It or Not”
Location
Mile marker 217, old U.S. Route 66, two miles west of Two Guns, Arizona
(35.1114° N, 111.0917° W)
Between the ghost towns of Two Guns and Twin Arrows, where the interstate long ago sucked the life out of the Mother Road, the Poplars Motel still stands under a grove of freakishly tall, perfectly symmetrical Lombardy poplars that were planted in 1954 by the original owner, Delmar “Pop” Larue. No one is sure how the trees thrive in 115 °F summers with no visible irrigation, but they do. They also whisper. Constantly.
Opened: July 4, 1955
Rooms: 14 (all ground floor, doors face the trees)
Current owners: Delmar’s grand-niece, Ruth Larue (age 63), and her “business partner” Mr. Finch (a large, silent African grey parrot who wears a tiny red porter’s cap).
The Vibe – What Guests Actually Say
TripAdvisor 4.2/5 (1,847 reviews)
Yelp 4.7/5 (mostly because the photos look like a David Lynch roadside fever dream)
“Cleanest sheets I’ve ever slept on. Also the quietest place on Earth. I’m talking ‘hear your own blood’ quiet. The trees block every sound from the highway. I slept 14 hours and woke up crying for no reason.” – Jenna T., Tucson
“Ruth gave me a key attached to a real human finger bone (painted turquoise). She said it was ‘traditional.’ Room 7 smells faintly of cotton candy and ozone. Wi-Fi password is ‘thetreesarelistening’ in lowercase. Five stars.” – Marcus, Albuquerque
“Mr. Finch rode on my shoulder to Room 12 and repeated my Social Security number back to me in perfect order. I did not tell him my Social Security number.” – Greg P., Flagstaff
Amenities (all included in the rate, no exceptions)
– 14 individually themed rooms (1955–1969 time capsule décor – no TVs newer than 1968, but all have working 8-track players)
– Real porcelain pedestal sinks with separate hot/cold taps (the hot tap occasionally runs slightly pink – Ruth insists it’s iron from the ancient well)
– Complimentary RC Cola and moon pies left on the nightstand every evening at 9:03 p.m. sharp, even if you’re not in the room
– A 1954 Seeburg Select-O-Matic jukebox in the courtyard that only plays songs recorded on someone’s birthday (somehow it always knows)
– Outdoor pool shaped exactly like the state of Arizona, filled with water that is always 88 °F regardless of season
– Poplar-leaf cigarettes hand-rolled by Ruth (they taste like vanilla and childhood memories; non-addictive, she claims)
– “Silence Garden” – gravel paths between the trees where guests report losing 30–90 minutes of time with no memory of sitting still
– Gift shop items: jars of “Poplar Honey” that never crystallizes, vintage Polaroids of previous guests you’ve never met (yet they wave at you), and tiny bottles of “Road Dust No. 66” cologne that makes dogs follow you for miles
– One payphone in the courtyard that only receives incoming calls – usually heavy breathing or someone asking if “the trees are still standing”
Room Highlights (selected)
Room 3 – “Lunar Honeymoon Suite”
Round bed, mirrored ceiling, glow-in-the-dark star chart from 1955 that is 100 % accurate for tonight’s sky… and only tonight.
Room 7 – “The Cotton Candy Room”
Pink shag carpet, faint carnival music from nowhere, bed vibrates gently like a Tilt-A-Whirl on its slowest setting.
Room 13 – “The Quiet Room”
No furniture except a single chair facing the poplars. Guests who stay the full night (almost nobody does) receive a handwritten apology note from Ruth the next morning and a lifetime 15 % discount.
Rates (cash preferred, exact change appreciated)
Single queen: $79
Double queen: $89
Lunar Honeymoon: $119
The Quiet Room: $49 (or free if you finish the night – zero takers since 2019)
Check-in: 3:00 p.m.–11:00 p.m.
Check-out: “Whenever you remember you have somewhere else to be.”
Policies
– No children under 16
– No pets except Mr. Finch
– Ice machine dispenses only one bucket per room per stay; second bucket costs an embarrassing childhood secret told aloud in front of Ruth
– All rooms are strictly non-smoking, but the poplars themselves smolder gently on windless nights (no one has ever seen flames)
Recent Additions (2024–2025)
Ruth installed a single Tesla destination charger “for the future,” but it only works if you read aloud one page of the 1955 Two Guns phone book (provided) while plugging in.
Final Note from Management (hand-written on the registration card)
“The poplars were here before the highway, before the railroad, before the Navajo, before the Anasazi, and before you. They will be here after all of us. Please be polite. They remember rudeness.”
If you drive old Route 66 west of Two Guns after dark and see fourteen tall trees glowing faintly teal against the desert sky, slow down. The neon VACANCY sign flickers in Morse code that translates to “WELCOME HOME.” Most people speed up. The ones who don’t usually end up writing the best reviews nobody else believes.
