Friday, August 13, 1999
Day 13: Needles, CA - Santa Monica, CA
Today we were planning on just navigating through the Mojave desert and stopping in Barstow, but the desert driving went more quickly than we had planned, so Chris and I decided to drive the route all the way to the Pacific Ocean today.
We woke up early and rested, partly due to the great room we had for the night, plus also due to the time change. After a quick continental breakfast provided by the motel, we were off through the desert. Though the temp rapidly climbed to approximately 105 degrees, the car ran perfectly and didn't overheat at all. Along the way we stopped at Amboy, the location of Roy's Motel and Cafe. You can see that location on a current commercial for Honda and also one for Quest, an internet company. Keep your eyes peeled. It is in the middle of nowhere.
As we drove through the desert the road was empty, and the miles passed quickly. Along a 10-15 mile stretch of the road there was "stone graffiti". People had spelled their names or other words in stones along a sand bank by the side of the road. We stopped and added our names and "99" to the words there. Who knows how long those names have been there, and how long ours will stay there.
We saw some white lilly-like flowers growing along the shoulder of the road. I tooka picture of one to try to identify it when I get home. I wonder how such a large white flower can survive in this hostile environment. We saw a lizard dart across the road, and later, a snake coiled in the middle of the road. We didn't stop to check THAT one out!
The National Trails Hwy, Old 66 runs uninterrupted from just past Needles all the way to Barstow.
At about noon, we pulled into the Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs. The Bagdad Cafe was featured in a movie from the late 80's called, appropriately, The Bagdad Cafe. It was kind of a quirky, character based movie starring among others, Jack Palance. If you haven't seen it, try to rent it, or borrow my copy. ANYWAY, we HAD to eat there because of the famous location. It is located in the middle of nowhere in the desert. An old Airstream trailer with flat tires and no windows sits in a corner of the parking lot. There was a German couple in the booth next to us. As we ate, an old man with gray hair, a pony tail, and bad BO came and sat at the counter, checking us out in the process. I didn't think much of it, and we finished our lunch which, by the way, was excellent cafe fare.
After paying the bill, we got in the car and drove over to the edge of the large, dirt parking lot and I got out and began to take some pictures of the cafe, the old Airstream, and the closed motel next door. As I was taking a picture of the cafe, the old man who had been sitting at the counter came out and looked angrily at me, then approached me.
"Who are you with?" he yelled. I told him I was with my son. He said, "NO! I said, WHO are you with?" I said, "my son, Chris." He said that it wasn't safe to dress like Chris was and take pictures in "these parts." He told me his name was General Bob, that he was 95 years old, and that he was in charge of security for the whole area, including the military bases in the area. He had to keep an eye out for Nazis, you know. He said that 6 or more people disappear from the highway each week, shot and killed, never to be heard from again. Since 1957 he's been helping with national security by traveling to Europe and making sure the treaties are being enforced. It's also up to him to open and close the military bases and the Bagdad Cafe each day. If you're wondering, yes, he was certifiably crazy. I listened intently in the 105 degree heat and motioned for Chris to stay in the car. The guy was actually pretty entertaining in a crazy sort of way. I told him thanks for the warning about the shootings, and assured him that Chris wasn't a Neo-Nazi. He told me that he was only trying to warn me to be careful. We shook hands, and I said, "Nice to meet you, General Bob." Oh, by the way, he's five star general.........was a two star, but now is a five star.
Chris and I agreed this was the strangest experience of the trip so far.
We headed through Barstow, and it was only 1:45 pm, so we continued on. Next was Victorville (where I think some distant relatives live) then San Bernadino. San Bernadino certainly has had better days. There is another Wigwam Motel, but it looks quite run down and the sign said it all...."Do It In A Teepee". We kept driving through all the towns leading to LA. Actually, it seemed like one long strip mall most of the way. Many of the Route 66 businesses have obviously been torn down for strip malls. Every now and then we'd see a classic old motel or neon sign or restaurant. We passed through Rancho Cucamunga, Pasadena, and headed down Sunset Boulevard toward Santa Monica. We followed Santa Monica Blvd all the way to Ocean Blvd....the end of Route 66. Across Ocean Blvd there is a plaque stating it's the end of the Will Rogers Highway, Route 66. Right next to the park where the plaque is located is the Santa Monica Pier. We were both hungry, so we stopped at the Crocodile Cafe for supper, then found a room at the Holiday Inn Santa Monica Beach after stopping at several full motels.
Chris decided HE needed the nice bed, and stuck me with the friggin' sofa bed. What's wrong with THIS picture?
Exhausted, I didn't even write the journal until tomorrow (Fri, the 13th).
We completed the drive down Route 66 in 13 days--driving over 2900 miles in the process.. We can now both recognize the old road when we see it, can pick out classic 50's and 60's signeage and businesses, and we've both grown to dislike interstate highway travel. Though we both got on each other's nerves at times, we've had no major fights......amazing, don't you think? I was going to wax philosophical on ya here, but I really don't know how to summarize the experience in a sentence or two. It is definitely an experience different from all others. I highly recommend it.
I reckon it's time to hop the plane for Chicago. Oops---Chris says now that we're in LA we can't say "reckon", "y'all", or "yee-haw" anymore. Oh well. Back to reality.
We woke up early and rested, partly due to the great room we had for the night, plus also due to the time change. After a quick continental breakfast provided by the motel, we were off through the desert. Though the temp rapidly climbed to approximately 105 degrees, the car ran perfectly and didn't overheat at all. Along the way we stopped at Amboy, the location of Roy's Motel and Cafe. You can see that location on a current commercial for Honda and also one for Quest, an internet company. Keep your eyes peeled. It is in the middle of nowhere.
As we drove through the desert the road was empty, and the miles passed quickly. Along a 10-15 mile stretch of the road there was "stone graffiti". People had spelled their names or other words in stones along a sand bank by the side of the road. We stopped and added our names and "99" to the words there. Who knows how long those names have been there, and how long ours will stay there.
We saw some white lilly-like flowers growing along the shoulder of the road. I tooka picture of one to try to identify it when I get home. I wonder how such a large white flower can survive in this hostile environment. We saw a lizard dart across the road, and later, a snake coiled in the middle of the road. We didn't stop to check THAT one out!
The National Trails Hwy, Old 66 runs uninterrupted from just past Needles all the way to Barstow.
At about noon, we pulled into the Bagdad Cafe in Newberry Springs. The Bagdad Cafe was featured in a movie from the late 80's called, appropriately, The Bagdad Cafe. It was kind of a quirky, character based movie starring among others, Jack Palance. If you haven't seen it, try to rent it, or borrow my copy. ANYWAY, we HAD to eat there because of the famous location. It is located in the middle of nowhere in the desert. An old Airstream trailer with flat tires and no windows sits in a corner of the parking lot. There was a German couple in the booth next to us. As we ate, an old man with gray hair, a pony tail, and bad BO came and sat at the counter, checking us out in the process. I didn't think much of it, and we finished our lunch which, by the way, was excellent cafe fare.
After paying the bill, we got in the car and drove over to the edge of the large, dirt parking lot and I got out and began to take some pictures of the cafe, the old Airstream, and the closed motel next door. As I was taking a picture of the cafe, the old man who had been sitting at the counter came out and looked angrily at me, then approached me.
"Who are you with?" he yelled. I told him I was with my son. He said, "NO! I said, WHO are you with?" I said, "my son, Chris." He said that it wasn't safe to dress like Chris was and take pictures in "these parts." He told me his name was General Bob, that he was 95 years old, and that he was in charge of security for the whole area, including the military bases in the area. He had to keep an eye out for Nazis, you know. He said that 6 or more people disappear from the highway each week, shot and killed, never to be heard from again. Since 1957 he's been helping with national security by traveling to Europe and making sure the treaties are being enforced. It's also up to him to open and close the military bases and the Bagdad Cafe each day. If you're wondering, yes, he was certifiably crazy. I listened intently in the 105 degree heat and motioned for Chris to stay in the car. The guy was actually pretty entertaining in a crazy sort of way. I told him thanks for the warning about the shootings, and assured him that Chris wasn't a Neo-Nazi. He told me that he was only trying to warn me to be careful. We shook hands, and I said, "Nice to meet you, General Bob." Oh, by the way, he's five star general.........was a two star, but now is a five star.
Chris and I agreed this was the strangest experience of the trip so far.
We headed through Barstow, and it was only 1:45 pm, so we continued on. Next was Victorville (where I think some distant relatives live) then San Bernadino. San Bernadino certainly has had better days. There is another Wigwam Motel, but it looks quite run down and the sign said it all...."Do It In A Teepee". We kept driving through all the towns leading to LA. Actually, it seemed like one long strip mall most of the way. Many of the Route 66 businesses have obviously been torn down for strip malls. Every now and then we'd see a classic old motel or neon sign or restaurant. We passed through Rancho Cucamunga, Pasadena, and headed down Sunset Boulevard toward Santa Monica. We followed Santa Monica Blvd all the way to Ocean Blvd....the end of Route 66. Across Ocean Blvd there is a plaque stating it's the end of the Will Rogers Highway, Route 66. Right next to the park where the plaque is located is the Santa Monica Pier. We were both hungry, so we stopped at the Crocodile Cafe for supper, then found a room at the Holiday Inn Santa Monica Beach after stopping at several full motels.
Chris decided HE needed the nice bed, and stuck me with the friggin' sofa bed. What's wrong with THIS picture?
Exhausted, I didn't even write the journal until tomorrow (Fri, the 13th).
We completed the drive down Route 66 in 13 days--driving over 2900 miles in the process.. We can now both recognize the old road when we see it, can pick out classic 50's and 60's signeage and businesses, and we've both grown to dislike interstate highway travel. Though we both got on each other's nerves at times, we've had no major fights......amazing, don't you think? I was going to wax philosophical on ya here, but I really don't know how to summarize the experience in a sentence or two. It is definitely an experience different from all others. I highly recommend it.
I reckon it's time to hop the plane for Chicago. Oops---Chris says now that we're in LA we can't say "reckon", "y'all", or "yee-haw" anymore. Oh well. Back to reality.
