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Published: June 27th 2012
We started out this morning with the top down - there's no point having the convertible if we don't feel the wind in our hair (or, in Bernie's case, over the scalp!) sometimes. It has been so very, very hot though that we have been wimping out and driving with the top up and the A/C on HIGH.
We drove all the way back through Kingman and then headed for McConnico on Historic Route 66. From there we picked up the Oatman Highway and drove through Cool Springs across the drainage of Sacramento Wash, which is bone dry at the moment, before starting to climb the Black Mountains up to Sitgreave's Pass.
We didn't see any wild burros or bighorn sheep, but we did find Shaffer's Fish Bowl Springs, a man-made basin that collects water from a seep. To our surprise there were actually goldfish in the bowl. You don't really expect to find goldfish in the middle of the desert!! At the top of the pass we stopped to photograph the view and prepare for the downhill leg. Bernie was OK, he had the steering wheel to hang on to. For me it was a bit of a
white-knuckle ride!!
At the bottom we drove into Oatman, best known for the wild burros that roam its streets. Maybe it was just too hot, but we thought that Oatman was tacky, tacky, tacky. We did find three burros roaming around, but they weren't anything special. It was entertaining though watching other tourists patting and walking behind WILD burros that are known to bite and kick!! We didn't see anyone get kicked, but one of the burros tried to nip a lady on her calf. It was only 11.00am so we didn't hang around for the staged gunfight at noon or the ghost riders show at 1.30pm. It was hard to imagine either of those offerings improving our Oatman experience markedly.
With the top back up and the A/C on, it was on to Topock where we had to join I-40 to cross the mighty Colorado River and the state border into California. Just over the bridge we found our way onto Historic Route 66 to loop back around to see the old billboard welcoming travellers to Historic 66 and the Old Trails Arch Bridge. Unfortunately the old bridge was shrouded in scaffolding and shade-cloth. Hopefully they are
restoring it rather than dismantling it??
Our next stop was at Needles where we photographed the 66 Motel and the 'Welcome Wagon' before having lunch at the Burger Hut, a long-time fast food joint on Route 66. We had BLTs today to break the monotony of cheeseburgers and tacos!!
From Needles we drove for a short time on the interstate before taking the turn-off at US 95 to travel north of I-40 through Goffs, Fenner, Essex and Cadiz Summit. Along this section hundreds of travellers have written their names on the dirt bank alongside Route 66 with rocks and bottles.
At East Amboy we found the ruins of the Roadrunner's Retreat Café and Station. In Amboy itself we stopped at Roy's Café and Motel, but the proprietor was too busy on the Internet to serve us so we left without buying anything. The unfriendliest destination we have encountered yet on the Mother Road.
Just west of the small settlement of Amboy we drove out to the Amboy Crater which we had been able to see for miles. The landscape today has been so desolate, but this was beyond desolate. It's as if Mother Nature decided that
the desert wasn't harsh enough on its own and decided to coat it with a lava flow!!
In Ludlow we stopped at the café/coffee shop described in our guide as having genuine 'Googie'-style coffee shop architecture. What? It looked like a chalet to us. We ventured in and ordered ice-creams. The guide also said that the staff are friendly. Hmmn, maybe you need to order something more substantial than and ice-cream for the staff to turn on the charm?? Mind you, if I had to wear the pink 'Alice' dress all day in my job I'm not sure how friendly I would be??!
Blimey, more desolate landscape as we drove past Pisgah Crater and Troy Dry Lake. No wonder the dustbowl Okies turned around and went back home after they arrived in California!! We had a bit of zigzagging to the north and the south of the interstate through Newberry Springs and Daggett ... not to mention the roller coaster effect of all the dips in the road because of the low points where all the 'washes' are.
Along this section we also passed the former CA Inspection Station and the defunct Solar 2 power plant -
a field full of mirrors that were used in experiments to convert solar heat into energy. It seems that nothing is ever dismantled - it is just left to deteriorate slowly year by year.
After a quick dogleg onto the I-40, to make our way around the Marine Corps Logistics Base, it was back onto Historic Route 66 for our entry into Barstow. Bernie didn't want to stay in a motel near the railway line (remember, there are 80 trains/day) so he booked a Comfort Inn a bit out of town - miles out of town on I-15 as it turned out!! Still, it was quiet and beautifully appointed.
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Leo Cleary
non-member comment
Happy Birthday
Hi Tracey, I hope you have a very happy birthday while you continue / conclude your odyssey on Route 66. Not sure what date it is where you are (California?) but it has just ticked over to 28 June here in sunny (at least it was sunny on Wednesday) Melbourne. Regards, Leo.