The Mother Road Part 7

Travels with Caroline and Party Research Part 7

We began the second day of our final trek across Route 66 in the California high desert.  As we hit the outskirts of Victorville the city and neighborhoods with streets of packed houses gave way to  a desert landscape broken up by small houses surrounded by cars in varying levels of disrepair, and chain-link fences that seemed more about keeping the trash in than keeping neighbors out.   This is not the part of California you are going to find on a postcard.  Our first stop was just down the way, a desert yard surrounded by a chain-link fence and filled with what would be considered “trash” by anyone’s standards. Yet, it was a work of art and I have to say well worth the stop on the Mother Road. 

Pictures don’t do Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch justice.  In fact, even standing outside it, I wasn’t sure that this was worth the time of actually entering.  But, it was early in the morning, the gate was unlocked and a sign told us to “come on in”.  Once we walked inside the gate, this world of junk became somewhat magical, and even calming.  There are over 200 bottle trees in this relatively small area. Imagine hat racks with wine and soda bottles sticking off of each “limb”.  (I’m pretty sure there was a Pinterest craze on doing this a couple of years ago.) Elmer topped many of the trees with additional items such as wheels, a teapot, even an old gun.  In addition to the bottle trees, the area is filled with old road signs, menu boards, and the carcass of a jeep.  Individually, this sounds like an outdoor version of Hoarders, but together it just worked.  The small breeze blowing through the bottles created a very pleasant hum, and the early morning sun glinted playfully off the different bottles. The trees and their toppers created a forest effect momentarily letting you forget the barren world that was outside the fence.  I will admit, we hit Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch at the perfect time.  It was before 8 am in May the sun was completely up, but not the absolute beat down that comes in the afternoon.  We were also blessed with a calm breeze and not the high winds that make you think you and your family are going to get blown away if you stop to get gas.  

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is a relatively new addition to Route 66.  Elmer created his first bottle tree in 2000.  He continued his art and expanded “the ranch” until he died in 2019.  The family closed the ranch to visitors for some time after Elmer’s passing, but a small Facebook page (not created by the family) that grew into a community let the family know that Elmer’s art was a place that people valued. As a result, they have reopened the Bottle Tree Ranch to visitors.  We would have gladly spent more time wandering and discovering all that Elmer’s art had to offer.  However, we had a really long day ahead of us, and had to keep driving down the Mother Road.

Once we left the ranch we headed for Barstow, sticking to the original Route 66.  As we drove through the sparsely populated area, we couldn’t help but wonder if there had been a fire sale on winnebagos from the prop department of Breaking Bad.  1986 Fleetwood Bounders, seemed to be the yard art of choice between Victorville and Barstow. 

We intentionally stopped for breakfast at the “Barstow Station”.  Barstow station is basically a fast food court built to look like a train station, with train cars filled with tables surrounding it on three sides.  It was built in 1975 and housed what was at the time the World’s largest McDonalds. McDonald’s is still the main inhabitant of the building, but there are other fast food joints as well.  Additionally, it is filled with stalls selling everything from Route 66 kitsch to knock off shoes.  The charm of the train station is pretty much lost on the inside as gates and wares cover up most of the train decor.  I bet this place was pretty open when it opened in 1975 when the train station really stood out.  A 5 year old Caroline would have been thrilled to eat in a train car, and watch the actual trains go by.  But, unless you’re desperate for an egg mcmuffin, I really wouldn’t recommend this as a stop along your route.  Apparently, the writers at Roadside America wouldn’t either. 

Once we left Barstow, we left even the sparsely populated desert for the truly empty desert.  As route 66 deviated further and further from I-40 we saw fewer and fewer cars, and lost cell service.  (side note if you’re going to travel this route don’t rely on waze to get you from point A to point B). Before the roads diverged too far, we made a brief stop in Ludlow, California. Ludlow is another ghost town that rose up as a water stop along the railroad; it eventually served as the home of the Tonopah and Tidewater Railway.  But, the railroad never turned a profit, and even the tracks have been pulled up.  The town hung onto life as a water stop for miners and travel stop along Route 66. But, once I-40 was built by passing the town, most of the residents left, leaving its buildings to slowly disappear in the harsh desert weather.  If you’re traveling along the route and need gas or sustenance.  You are not completely out of luck; the A frame Ludlow Cafe still exists as a result of its presence at the ramp of Junction 50 off of I-40.  The cafe was originally the Friends Coffee Shop when it opened in the 1970s, but as the original Ludlow Cafe slowly closed and eventually disappeared into the desert, the Friends Coffee Shop gradually started taking over the name.  According to one blogger in 2009, it still had the Coffee shop signage along with a newer cafe sign.  Now, it is just the Ludlow Cafe, and any reference to its previous existence as the coffee shop is gone.  If you’re stopping to eat, you may not care.  But, reading about the slow demise of the original cafe, I’m personally not a fan of what seems like “revisionist history” especially given the dearth of information regarding this small but historic ghost town.  

We left Ludlow vering further away from I-40 heading toward Amboy.  We had the Texaco Service Station and Post Office in Bagdad (yes that is the correct spelling), California on our list. My research prior to the trip indicated that these buildings were still here and visible driving along the Route.  However, when we got to the area where Bagdad once was, there was NOTHING.  Since returning home, and trying to figure out how we missed it, I have learned that the town’s buildings were razed in 1991 leaving very little to mark that it even existed.  

We stopped along the way to check out the Amboy Crater.  The crater is 250 feet high and is known for its almost cylindrical shape with a 1,500 foot diameter.  Its black mass stands imposingly over the tan desert floor.  The crater was designated a National Natural landmark in 1973, and has hiking trails with rest stations that allow you to hike into the cone’s center.  There is a well maintained rest stop with a look out, tables and even restrooms at the beginning of the trail. The park service and the state of California recommend you only take on this hike between the late fall and the early spring, as temperatures regularly top 100 degrees.  As people who lived in the California desert, we would say topping 100 degrees in the summer is an understatement, and we would also agree with their recommendation.  Apparently there are also stunning desert flowers in the late winter.  

Not too far beyond the Amboy crater is what remains of the city of Amboy.  For the most part, Amboy is just another ghost town with little to show it ever existed.  Unlike other towns, Amboy is the ghost town that just won’t die. Along the way it has had a series of champions who refuse to let it be just a set of crumbling buildings. 

Since its creation, Amboy has always been a very small town, in fact it has generally existed as a place for travelers to stop as they made their way across the California desert.  Notably, while the town has passed through several owners it has always been owned by no more than one or two people at a time.  The town was originally created as the first stop for the Atlantic Pacific railroad in the Mojave desert.  Like many of the small towns that dot Route 66 it “boomed” when the road was built through it in the late 1930’s.  The landmark Roy’s Hotel and Cafe was opened in 1938, and its famous sign was added in 1959.  Roy’s and the town of Amboy were owned by Roy Crowl and his wife and were later sold to his son-in-law Buster Burris.   Burris owned the town until he sold it in 1995.

It was no small feat to create the town of Amboy and keep it running.  Absolutely everything has to be imported into Amboy including water.  Burris himself built and brought in power from Barstow. Despite this difficulty, the town and especially Roy’s grew.  In the 1950’s it had up to 70 employees creating a town population of close to 700 people.  When I-40 came along in the 70’s the town quickly declined and Roy’s was the only business besides the post office and a chloride works.  Burris was determined and Roy’s remained operating, providing service to the limited travelers that passed through the area.  When Burris sold the property the new owners kept Roy’s open as a gas station and restaurant. They hoped to generate money by renting the town out as movie and photography sites.  They were unable to make money on the property and tried selling it on Ebay. The town reverted to Burris’ wife, and she eventually sold it to Albert Okura, the owner of the Juan Pollo chicken restaurants (I told you he’d come up again). 

Since purchasing the town, Okura has been slowly working to restore it.  Roy’s is open again as a gas station and convenience store.  He has restored the historic sign, and even held a lighting ceremony for it. The motel lobby has been restored and staged to look like it probably did in its heyday. While you can’t go in you can see it through the giant picture window.   The motel buildings have been repainted, but they still lack windows and the insides have not been restored.  One even includes a mattress that “could have been a part of a crime scene” according to Alex.  With the Okura’s restoration effort and population of 4, Amboy is a town that isn’t going down without a fight!  It was well worth the stop on the route, and I look forward to seeing what they manage to accomplish in the future.

Almost immediately, after leaving Amboy Route 66 was closed off and we were directed to turn left (I think we were sent back North).  This is one of those times we really wished there was working cell service.  Ultimately, we ended up on I-40 for a bit of the trip.

We stopped very briefly in Needles at the El Garces Train Station and Harvey House Motel.  At one point, the El Garces Train station was considered one of the most opulent train stations in the nation, and the restaurant and hotel were considered “Crown Jewels” of the Harvey House Chain.  (Before beginning this research, I had never heard of the Harvey House chain, but it at least used to be a big deal. I also really have to wonder why people WANTed to go to Needles ). As railroad travel declined and people with a more moderate means began to travel, the El Garces closed at least as a Harvey House Hotel. The building has been through several restoration efforts and at one point there was a push to reopen it as a Harvey House hotel.  While that plan didn’t take, the restoration continued and it was eventually reopened as the El Garces Intermodal Transportation Facility.

From Needles, we pushed onto Kingman, Arizona.  There we stopped for a quick bite to eat at a cute little diner called Mr. D’z Route 66 Diner.  Mr. D’z diner is decked out with everything you can imagine to make you feel like it’s been around since the 50’s including recreated concert posters for Buddy Holly.  It’s also packed with all things 1950s kitsch including an Elvis Presely mannequin and bathroom doors with airbrushed  Elvis and Marilyn faces to indicate boys and girls.  Mr. D’z was everything you could want in a 50’s diner even if it was established in the 90’s.  

After gorging ourselves on cheese burgers and chili dogs, we headed to the Grand Canyon.  Admittedly, we took the interstate for most of the journey primarily in the interest of time.  We debated whether or not we should bypass Williams, Arizona whose claim to fame is that it was the last town on Route 66 to be bypassed by I-40.  The town went so far as to file lawsuits to prevent the interstate from passing it. They held off until 1983, but eventually gave in.  In the end this really wasn’t a debate, because Williams’ other claim to fame is its the “Gateway to the Grand Canyon”. We didn’t stop to take pictures; though we did add to their commerce by getting gas!

The Grand Canyon isn’t really on Route 66.  In fact, it’s about an hour from Williams to the Canyon entrance, and we lucked out that there wasn’t a line to get in.  I just didn’t feel that we could be that close to it, and not at least make a point to stop and see it, especially considering that neither Caroline nor Alex had been.  We drove in and walked the very short trip out to Mather Point. It was a little crowded, but it was nearing the end of the day and there was space for Caroline and Alex to lean way too far out for my comfort over the rail and enjoy the gorgeous views.  If the timing of our trip had been different, we would have enjoyed at least doing some hikes like Hopi Point.  Unfortunately, the timing wasn’t with us.  Heading back is definitely on our to do list.

From the moment we left the Grand Canyon we really were racing against time or at least the sun to finish the days hoped-for stops.  Our first stop on the final stretch of day 2 was Standing on the Corner Park in Winslow, Arizona.  This is definitely one of the newer stops along the list, and was definitely a tourist favorite.  Winslow, Arizona survived the I- 40 hit because it was the base of operation for railroad workers, but it did take a major financial hit.  20 years after the construction of I-40 the locals made a push to bring tourism back.  The Standing on the Corner Park was a major part of that effort.  The Standing on the Corner Park opened in 1999, and was built as a tribute to the Eagles song “Take it Easy, “ and recognizes that this song may be what the town’s most famous for.  Downtown Winslow looked to be closing up by the time we rolled into town, but the corner park was a flurry with people trying to take pictures from every angle.  Getting a picture without someone else’s friend or family member proved to be tricky.  And once you got the chance you had to take it quickly because there was another group of people standing on the corner impatiently waiting for their turn. The Standing on the Corner park is well worth the quick stop.  If nothing else, I have to really give Winslow credit for finding a creative way to bring tourism back to their little town.  

Our next stop was the Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, Arizona.  This was one of the few “must sees” that were recommended by friends (Thanks, Katherine!).  The Trading Post is probably the most famous for its “Here It Is” sign boasting a black jack rabbit.  There are yellow signs with the jack rabbit and the mileage distance between the signs location and the trading post all over Route 66.  We saw several prominently featured at the Cozy Dog, Gay Parita Sinclair station, and the Midpoint Cafe.  According to their website, the original owners of the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, bought the building and the land in 1949, and made their journey to their new home with a jack rabbit statue in the back of their convertible.  In what seems like a very 2021 sort of thing to do, people stopped and asked if they could take a picture with the statue. When they got to their new business, the Taylors plopped the statue down and let visitors take pictures with it.  The statue also served as a model for the famous yellow signs.

The store has been sold a couple of times but remains a family business.  Their hours aren’t particularly conducive to road warriors trying to get in a 15 plus hour day (just 9 to 5), so they were closed when we got there. But, they do have a cute jack rabbit statue out front. It’s not the original black one,  but it is good for a picture or two.  They also have an online store where you can buy Jack Rabbit merchandise from t-shirts to custom signage.  

Our final site for the day was the Wigwam Village Motel #6 in Holbrook, Arizona.  We hit the Wigwam Village just as the sun was setting across the Arizona desert, which admittedly gave the motel a beautiful glow that the San Bernardino Village definitely lacked.  Even taking nature out of the equation, Village Number 6 definitely retained more charm.  For one thing, it avoided getting a reputation as a “No Tell Motel”.  Wigwam #6 was built in 1950 by Chester Lewis and is still owned by the Lewis family. Lewis bought the plans and the rights to use the name Wigwam Village from Frank Redford in a rather novel way.  Each Wigwam in the village would contain a coin operated radio.  Guests would pay 10 cents for half an hour of radio entertainment, and that money would go to Frank Redford. I have to wonder if the contract for this agreement was also written on a napkin in a diner.     

Despite staying in the family, the motel actually closed in 1982, but was opened again by Lewis’ family in 1988. The Lewises have worked to retain the 1950’s charm of the Wigwam Village, going so far as to seed the parking lot with classic cars.  While, Wigwam #7 had placed old cars as decoration in the back of the village, these are parked along the parking lot as if they were the guests’ cars.  Giving it a much cleaner and more authentic feel.  The owners have updated the motel by adding cable televisions, and air conditioning to each unit.  But, they haven’t marred the outside with giant electronic locks (in all fairness Holbrook, Arizona seems a lot more peaceful and safe than San Bernardino, California).  

We made our way from Holbrook, Arizona to Gallup, New Mexico where we called it a night.