Getting Our Kicks On California Route 66: March 10, 2014 Ludlow to Essex Day 2

Blogger's Note: I am finishing up this entry on a warm July night in Ontario, Canada, while a thunderstorm rages outside.This isn't a very polished presentation. But months have passed and I didn't want to let this project linger any longer. Some of the photos are laying on their sides. Can't figure out how to rotate them without going back to first base. I trust you'll understand and just relax and enjoy Day 2 of our cycling adventure.

Morning breaks the sky and Day 2 of our ride from Ludlow begins as I eat my breakfast from the Chevron station convenience store consisting of a egg sausage sandwich and a Dr Pepper. 

The young man operating the store both Sunday night and this Monday morning encouraged us to "drink all the fountain beverages you want; that's all part of your motel room package." I was so tempted to sit around and just drink Dr Pepper until 11 AM check out time, but the road was calling us. It said something like, "You better start pedaling you stupid crazies!" 

Cool, but not cold temps are ours to enjoy as we pedal east into the sunrise. 

In terms of actual human activity, present day Ludlow is defined by a Dairy Queen restaurant (Which unfortunately was not yet open for breakfast at our departure time), the Chevron gas station / convenience store, and the No-Name No Tell Motel (apparently operated, if not owned by, the above identified gas station / convenience store). 

There are other buildings in Ludlow, as the one pictured above, now hollow reminders of a once vibrant community.  

I figure our presence in the community represents about a temporary 30% increase in the total population.

Another Once Was Business Establishment.

Old Ludlow

Old Ludlow

More of Old Ludlow

Old Ludlow 

I think Someone might still live here. 

On the east edge of Ludlow looking back through time on Route 66. 

We know from doing our homework that we are about to pedal one of, if not the most, remote and desolate sections of Historic Route 66. This signs confirms such. Amboy, as we will discover in a few hours is not exactly a booming cultural epicenter of the universe, or the planet, or the USA, or California, or even San Bernardino County. But it does get its name on a sign. Impressive. And it deserves such. It will be only one of three locations where we can re-supply (Using the term "re-supply" in the most generous sense possible). Two days from now we will be able to confirm that there is no place to sleep but on the ground between Ludlow and Needles. (Note for Non-American readers: distances on sign in miles not kilometers. Amboy is 45 km. Needles is 165 km.)

My shadow says, "Are you sure you want to do this?"

Nice Desert. 

And Nice Road. Really. For some reason this segment of Route 66 pavement receives reasonable maintenance. We are grateful.
(We are still swearing occasionally and recovering from our traumatic ride on yesterday's Highway From Hell. It was bad. Even with my training in traumatic crisis intervention, we struggle for normality. What? No way. That will never happen, for we weren't normal before that ride!)

A "new" bridge on Route 66. Built in 1952. 

Starting to resemble a lunar landscape out there. 

"Major Tom to ground control....."

Just before taking this photo we enjoyed about 10-15 minutes of fun downhill-no-pedaling. I purposely slowed down a bit so as not to travel too far ahead of Bro Mark. His Extra Wheel Trailer has the wobbles. Probably has to do with his system of bungeeing gear packed in several equipment bags to his trailer frame. This is an acceptable mounting scheme. But it seems to make creating equal weight on both sides of the trailer a bit tricky. If the trailer gets extreme wobbles it will wobble right off the rear bike axle. The trailer is not bolted into the rear bike axle. It merely steel spring squeezed onto the axle. (I didn't have the wobbles, at least my trailer didn't, because I used "panniers," pr "saddle bags" on my trailer. Saddle bags are recommended for these trailers in the book "Hauling Bicycle Trailers For Dummies.") So I didn't want to get so far ahead of Bro Mark that I couldn't hear him scream in agony when his trailer fell off and he cry like a little girl. Fortunately he didn't. Do either, that is. 

Amazing how every twist in the road starts to look the same, eh?

Another extinct volcano. 

You can identify this, right?

Sign reads, "Heart of the Mohave."

One gets the impression the Mohave Desert possesses a large heart.

Back in the 1930's this was a must stop for Route 66 Trekkers. Today there is a paved road leading to the base of the volcano core / mountain. A walkway helps you climb up 200 feet to the top edge of the Crater Rim. From there you can look down 700 feet to the crater bottom. We skipped this attraction, knowing we would need the time and energy to reach our destination this evening. 

Captain Canada with Amboy Crater. 

Bro Mark resting. "Why?" you ask. I'll tell you. He had to back track a total of 2.5 miles because he dropped his phone back by the side of the road when he was shedding his jacket and long sleeves. Glad he discovered this oversight now and not 80 km (50 miles) down the road at 9 pm tonight. 

Not Captain America, 

but Admiral Arizona. 

Amboy community water tower. Amboy has no natural drinkable water. Water can be found deep in the ground, but it is salty water. All  water drinking water must be hauled into this community. A damper on and challenge to its development, no doubt. 

Approaching the Iconic Route 66 landmark of  downtown Amboy -- "Roy's."
A fixture on and of Route 66 since 1938.
Treat yourself to a five minute adventure.
Check out Roy's on Wikipedia.
This place had a fascinating past, has a unique present, and maybe an amazing future.
Hard to tell. The story is still being written.

At its peak, Amboy had a population of about 700. 

Business was so brisk post WW 2 years the gas station and cafe 

and motel were open 24 hours, 7 days a week.

Brad Pitt filmed a movie here in the 1990's.

Harrison Ford used to fly his plane in here for visits. (One of the oldest runways in Calfornia.)

(I'm glad you can see, but not smell me in this photo.) 

This is easier to read if you tilt your head far to the left. But if you are a Conservative and don't want to be tainted by Leftist Leanings, then you might want to just lay down on your side so as not to be implicated or made suspect.

Bro Mark working his new temp job as operator of Roy's. No joke. The guy working behind the counter stepped out of the store to help a magazine photo shoot crew get set up in a building next door. So he says to Bro Mark, "Hey, buddy. Will you watch the shop for a bit while I get this film crew set up?" Mark says "Sure." So there sits Bro Mark in this position of substantial power. So I suggest to Bro Mark, since he is now the boss of the store, that I go in and select a large amount of bottled water and pretzels, and that he offer me a huge discount for my sizable volume purchase. 

But Bro Mark stares at me and mumbles something about "...going to jail..." About this time the previous boss returns and relieves Bro Mark of his new job, without pay. (Guess you have to work more than 15 minutes in the state of California to quality for a paycheck.) But Bro Mark is happy with it all and says something about "this will look great on my resume."

Inside pic of Roy's and the real boss. 

The "cafe" has been nicely maintained and preserved. Great photos of the Glory Days cover the walls. Food and fountain drinks no longer served here. Behind me from where I take this photo stands the little cooler with water bottles and the single shelf of chips and candy bars. Kind of sad. But here's a happy rumor: According to the Internet (So you know it must be true) the food chain El Pollo Loco has purchased Roy's and is going to revitalize the place with a respect for its historic roots. Could be interesting, eh? If this is true, and if it actually happens, this will make Roy's one of three places on this 100+ km (62 mi) stretch of 66 where you can get something to eat and drink. 

Roy's iconic sign speaks of exciting days gone by. The small white buildings in the background are little concrete two room bungalows build for travelers back in the 1940's. They are empty now, mostly no glass in windows, but very clean. When we were here in the car last March a different boss said we could camp out in one of them for the night if we wanted to when we rode our bikes through. 

Behind the small white buildings is a larger two story motel complex. I think a few people live there. But I have a feeling the building and services provided do not meet code and regulations for a functional motel.
(I have since confirmed that the town is not up to code. This town has essentially been privately owned for like forever. The original Roy apparently did most of the wiring and plumbing, and did not do it to code, as if there was a code back then!)

Bro Mark is here, too. Photo proof. 

Back in the 1930's travelers heading west would see this side of Roy's. 

(That's the awning we were resting under.)

A very interesting building located between the cafe/gas station and the small white buildings/big Roy's sign. 

I suspect it was the office for the motel complex that once thrived here before Interstate 40 reduced Amboy and Roy's to a not so fictionalized version of Radiator Springs (as in the awesome movie "Cars"). This building has either been kept as was, or restored to (I suspect the former) a late 1940's / early 1950's venue. Kind of like looking into that ever present Route 66 Time Machine. The magazine crew is setting up for a shoot in there. 

You could sleep on the floor of one of these clean but gutted "cabins" if you wanted to. 

Amboy Post office. Still enough people here abouts to keep it in business. 

Amboy School. Obviously once full of kids. 

Just east of downtown Amboy we find the once and still now famous Route 66 Shoe Tree. A place for you to take off your shoes in the middle of one of North America's largest and hottest deserts and throw them hopelessly tangled into this rotted dead tree to prove, er, ummm, well, I don't really know what. 

A closer look at this unique place. 

It is now getting rather warm. This nicely paved long and inclined road invites the expenditure of our energies. 

If you look closely at the previous photo and compare it with this one, you will see that we are in fact making progress in our trek across the Mohave Desert. 

Desert

More Desert

More local art. Along the side of this old abandoned railroad line. Apparently this is a form of regional recreation and progressive communication technology. 

As Dori would sing, "Pedaling, pedaling, just keep pedaling."

The Yet to be famous Route 66 Bra Bush.

 Looks like this idea really hasn't taken off enough yet. 

The Lion of the Desert marking the boundary of some unique real estate. 

The historic Road Runner Restaurant 

What's left of the motel. 

Impressive entry lane to the one and only visible ranch in the almost ghost town of Chambless.

A surprising oasis in the desert.

A biker bar in Chambless, the only commercial establishment in or near Chambless, where we were able to get very expensive and reasonably good cheeseburgers.

This is the last remotely real food we will see until almost noon tomorrow. 

Boarded up Chambless Community Center

Route 66 out of Chambless and up the Pass. 

I'm finally catching up to Bro Mark near the summit pass.

Quite the stretch of road behind us, eh?

Temperature is pushing 90 F (30 C).

Bro Mark catching his breath at the Pass.

There is a Route 66 story that says many of the Depression Era Travelers gave up when they saw this view of the desert. It is said that many of them simply walked away from the cars and families and disappeared into the desert. I can believe it. These travelers had seen most desert like wilderness since they entered New Mexico so many miles behind them. They had just ran out of imagination and hope for a future. 

Once upon a time a small settlement perched here atop Cadiz Pass. 

Vehicles would stop to cool their engines.

Emigrants would stretch their legs, get a drink and a meal.

Nothing left of it now except old walls, a few old stairs, and graffiti. 

Abandoned building on Cadiz Pass.

In the 1940's General George Patton trained his tanks and troops in this very place.

It was in his opinion an even harsher environment than the sands of North Africa.

He attributed much of his victory in Africa to the training his troops received here.

We finally reach Essex.

Not much here.

We saw evidence of a human population.

But saw no one. 

Essex

Essex

Essex

Essex

Essex

Essex

We considered camping out behind this building.

But it was a bit too creepy.

The building is full of old mattresses and broken booze bottles.

One gets the impression that this is a place of unbecoming behaviours.

We opted for a camp about 75 yards away from Route 66.

The train tracks are very close.

And the trains run by about every 20 minutes.

But it is a neat sound.

After a few minutes we have our tents up.

Here we are all cleaned up.

We each carried a large bottle of water which we sparingly utilized to wash and rinse ourselves.

The water in my bottle was incredibly hot.

Does not our health and vitality attract you to the adventure of road biking?

Bro Mark displays his Spam can meal.

Cut us some slack.

After pedaling 102 km (65 miles) in 11 hours through a rather warm desert,

we have earned the right to look rather dazed and disoriented.

Our butts were on the bike seats for 7 hours.

We managed an average speed of 14.4 kph (9 mph).

Pretty good for a couple of not so young anymore guys.

We both slept well.

And a good thing.

Wait until you hear about what happens to us on tomorrow's ride.