SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA

  • THEROADTOAMBOY beckons with the Route 66 shield painted on the pavement and the mountain range across the desert in the distance.
    THEROADTOAMBOY beckons with the Route 66 shield painted on the pavement and the mountain range across the desert in the distance.
  • ROY CROWL built a complex of tourist services along Route 66 in Amboy in the 1940s, but in 1972 the coming of I-40 a few miles to the north left his enterprises cut off. Today, gas (which must be pumped by an attendant during open hours) is going for $6.49 a gallon.
    ROY CROWL built a complex of tourist services along Route 66 in Amboy in the 1940s, but in 1972 the coming of I-40 a few miles to the north left his enterprises cut off. Today, gas (which must be pumped by an attendant during open hours) is going for $6.49 a gallon.
  • BUDDHAINTHEDESERT is one of the mysteries along this isolated stretch of the Mother Road.
    BUDDHAINTHEDESERT is one of the mysteries along this isolated stretch of the Mother Road.
  • WILMINGTON, NC 2,554 MI is the flip side of a similar green Interstate sign located near the eastbound terminus of I-40. Twenty-one years ago I traveled here from Wilmington, pulled off on the shoulder here and took one of my first selfies ever, underneath this very sign.
    WILMINGTON, NC 2,554 MI is the flip side of a similar green Interstate sign located near the eastbound terminus of I-40. Twenty-one years ago I traveled here from Wilmington, pulled off on the shoulder here and took one of my first selfies ever, underneath this very sign.
  • SUNSET OVER THE PACIFIC Thanks for riding along on our journey! For more (many, many more) photos, visit www.flickr. com/photos/barbarabrannon
    SUNSET OVER THE PACIFIC Thanks for riding along on our journey! For more (many, many more) photos, visit www.flickr. com/photos/barbarabrannon
  • IN NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA the local convenience store harks back to a much earlier mode of travel— while empowering newer ones. All along the Route, but especially in California, we spotted plenty of Tesla electric Cybertrucks.
    IN NEEDLES, CALIFORNIA the local convenience store harks back to a much earlier mode of travel— while empowering newer ones. All along the Route, but especially in California, we spotted plenty of Tesla electric Cybertrucks.
  • SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
    SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
  • MID-CENTURY MODERN and 'Googie'-style architecture are a treat all along Route 66, especially at cafes and gas stations. This one is in Hesperia, California.
    MID-CENTURY MODERN and 'Googie'-style architecture are a treat all along Route 66, especially at cafes and gas stations. This one is in Hesperia, California.
  • HOME OF THE SCORPIONS, reads the sign at the Hesperia (California) High School. We don't want to tangle with their mascot!
    HOME OF THE SCORPIONS, reads the sign at the Hesperia (California) High School. We don't want to tangle with their mascot!
  • SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
    SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
  • SLEEP IN A TEEPEE — it's still possible at the clean, wellrun Wigwam Motel in Rialto (San Berdardino), California, where generations of travelers have delighted in the kitschy, if inaccurately named, design.
    SLEEP IN A TEEPEE — it's still possible at the clean, wellrun Wigwam Motel in Rialto (San Berdardino), California, where generations of travelers have delighted in the kitschy, if inaccurately named, design.
  • SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
    SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
  • SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
    SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
  • SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
    SPOTLIGHT ON ROUTE 66 RAMBLE, PART 9, CALIFORNIA
  • From Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard to Santa Monica, familiar icons abound. At the End of the Trail on the Santa Monica Pier, merchant and artist Ian Bowen presented us our Route 66 Certificates of Completion.
    From Hollywood's Sunset Boulevard to Santa Monica, familiar icons abound. At the End of the Trail on the Santa Monica Pier, merchant and artist Ian Bowen presented us our Route 66 Certificates of Completion.

    ROAD CLOSED In the Southern California deserts, many two-lane roads—including surviving stretches of Route 66—were badly damagedbytropicalstormwashoutsinrecent decades and have remained unrepaired.