Renegade Issue 34

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tage items tucked away in every nook and cranny. It
was like I was in some sort of Alice in Wonderland
for gearheads. I just wanted to keep going down the
rabbit hole!
Make no mistake, this is not a corporate amusement
park or a fake Hollywood set created for your amuse-
ment; it’s a genuine town founded in the 1800’s with
historic buildings that have a rustic charm and char-
acter that can only be created by the erosion of time
and the ghosts of residents past. Lowell even has it’s
own (non-operational) police department, complete
with a patrol car out front a la Barney Fife. On the
other end of the street you’ll find an antiquated filling
station with a nifty-50’s classic frozen in time at the
pump.
This amazing blast from the past was brought to you
in part brought by Jay Allen; the creator and found-
er of the Broken Spoke Saloon brand, along with a
couple other fellow vintage car lovers who happen to
own most of the street in Lowell. Together they have
created their own little slice of gearhead heaven. It’s
kind of like a giant man cave that covers an entire
city block!
Please keep in mind that if you decide to go explore
Lowell; you should be respectful of all the vehicles
parked on the street, they are all private property and
should be treated as such. No matter how tempting it
may be to throw your leg over a bike or get inside an
old car for a picture; don’t do it! There are plenty of
cool angles to capture without being ill-mannered and
possibly damaging something priceless. It would be
a damn shame if some rude prick spoils this place for
everyone else; in the event that the owners of these
treasures decide that they are no longer comfortable
leaving them on display.
The coolness of this funky little town doesn’t end
there. Just around the corner is the Shady Dell, a
50’s style RV Park that comes complete with vintage
Airstreams and other antique campers that you can
rent and stay in for your own retro experience in the
Arizona desert.
Another hidden treasure in Lowell is the residence of
Jay Allen. Jay has been collecting biker and automo-
tive memorabilia for his whole life; filling almost every
inch of his majestic building at the end of the block.
Jay is working on converting the building into a biker
friendly B&B. Each room will have a different theme
and a vintage motorcycle hanging from the ceiling,
with the names like the Panhead room or the Flat-
head suite, etc. I had the pleasure of staying a few
days in his home while visiting Bisbee. It was like liv-
ing in a biker and automotive museum, with all those
antiques and ghosts of racers past. The best part of