STRANGE BUT TRUE TALES

THE HIGHWAY TO HELL, RTE 666

THE HIGHWAY TO HELL

Driving alone along a desolate, remote desert highway can be a slightly unnerving experience that touches us on some deep level of our psyche. The endless, monotonous surroundings stretching as far as the eye can see can instil a distinct sense of time standing still and of crushing loneliness, as if civilization or perhaps even the universe somehow no longer exists beyond the road, and all that remains are the relentless expanses of cacti, brush, boulders, and desert dirt. Along with this feeling of stark desolation comes a certain level of menace, with the prospect of somehow getting stuck out in some untamed, unforgiving wilderness along one of these deserted stretches of road enough to create a palpable dread that pokes at the edges of our basest primal fears. Perhaps nowhere is this sinister air of danger more pronounced than on one particular highway in America's "Four Corners" region of sections of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico that has garnered such an intense, enduring reputation for being cursed and haunted that is has rightfully earned its morbid nickname "The Devil's Highway."

Running through Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Arizona, the highway formerly known as U.S. Route 666 (now known as US 491 in Colorado and Utah, and the now separate US 191 in Arizona) meanders through almost 200 miles of rugged, sweeping desert wilderness and passes through the tribal nations of the Navajo Nation and Ute Mountain Ute Tribe. Much of the route is remote and deserted, with long stretches through vast, seemingly uninhabited wasteland that harbors little to no signs of civilization. The route is perhaps one of the most well-known and notorious highways in America, and has a long, bizarre history of all manner of weirdness, bad luck, inexplicable accidents, ghosts, apparitions, spectres, and various other unexplained phenomena.

The beginning of Route 666's rise to infamy as one of the strangest and most haunted highways in America can perhaps be traced back to its unfortunate numbering. The American Association of State Highway Officials assigned the number in 1926, and since the highway was the 6th branch of the now defunct Route 66, the assignment turned out as 666. Although the number was completely keeping with the guidelines for numbering highways and in no way intentional, it did not take long for people to notice and start making the connection between the route and the Christian "Number of the Beast" or "Mark of the Beast." This sinister connotation was compounded by the fact that statistics at the time seemed to show that the highway had a higher number of accidents and road fatalities than was considered normal, particularly along the New Mexico stretch. There were such a large number of fatalities along the road that at one time, Route 666 was named one of the 20 most dangerous highways in America. Although there are a lot of factors that could account for the high number of accidents, such as poor road conditions or the hypnotizing effect that the monotonous scenery can have on tired drivers, many became convinced that there was a link between the misfortune, deaths, and the highway's satanic number.

In addition to the accidents and deaths, many who drove along the route told of being beset with a mysterious and pervasive feelings of anxiety, dread, or a sense of impending evil. There was also supposedly a high rate of car malfunctions and complications on Route 666, with a large number of incidences of overheating, engine troubles, flat or blown tires, electrical malfunctions, and numerous other freak accidents. This sense of terror the highway invoked, the high number of car troubles that seemed to happen there, and the various deadly accidents, some of which have become almost like urban legends, were at the time enough to dissuade many from venturing onto the highway at all and it was not long before Route 666 was being referred to as "The Devil's Highway" or "Satan's Speedway."

This all may not seem particularly supernatural for some. After all, accidents happen on highways, and driving along a bleak, deserted stretch of road at night can certainly give people the jitters, but the weirdness of Route 666 does not end there. In addition to the strange feelings of anxiety and dread, as well as all of the accidents and breakdowns, there is a plethora of strange stories originating from on or around the highway. Perhaps some of the most intriguing are the various tales of alleged spectres and spooks that inhabit Route 666. One of the most infamous and legendary of these apparitions is that of a menacing black sedan, also sometimes referred to as "Satan's Sedan," that allegedly prowls the highway to terrorize drivers. The reports of the sedan share many similar characteristics and usually follow the same basic scenario. The driver will be driving along the highway and be besieged by a potent feeling of inexplicable terror upon sunset. As soon as the sun slips below the horizon and darkness descends, the driver will notice a pair of flickering headlights moving rapidly and inexorably closer from the distance behind them. This is almost always said to happen right after sundown and on the nights of a full moon. Accelerating away is said to do no good, as the phantom vehicle will close in no matter how fast you try to outrun it.