Home page›Route 66 ›California

Final target of Route 66 is wooden pier in California

We finally will be welcomed by sunny and warm weather in California. Convenient for strange creatures'... I mean snakes, especially rattlesnakes! Snakes live here maybe in larger numbers than people. California is most populous State on Mother Road - Route 66. It is paradox, because in California is probably most Ghost Towns along Mother Road - Route 66. Fragmentation and loneliness of Mother Road - Route 66 is forgotten and replaced by lots of smaller or larger cities. Finish in Los Angeles is hard, because we go through 365 traffic lights! Be prepared to painful journey through City of Angels, when you have to stop at least every third traffic lights.

Advance warning: “I hate smart guff, but sometimes needed! I think whether this advance warning give the first, but health foremost before your conviction. In this case only! I am persuaded that your trip should involve a spiritual and social dimension. Spiritual dimension of your path should be a result of your inner desires and expectations, thus what in life or way you want. If the result is the route itself, as it was in my case, then you are right on Mother Road - Route 66! Social dimension of your path subsist of right recognition of the current situation of people living next to Mother Road - Route 66. Their lives are linked with a thin but vital string of Route 66, so please share your money in such proportion to all business, where you stop. Thereby they will not be rich and you do not get the best offer, but in any case you share your money among the majority of traders, well actually allow them to alive. Ultimately, the result is that Mother Road - Route 66 could be conserved for future as identical condition as I can! It is fucked essential!”

Needles, CA is the city on Mother Road - Route 66, which you have to pass, when you returnee from Las Vegas, NV. There's not much to see, well we do not stop there just continue.

The reason why I mentioned the snakes will explain now! I step on a snake in Goffs, CA ghost town! It was Rattlesnake Diamondback. What the fuck happened? Near by Mother Road - Route 66 is crumbling building in the town of Goffs. It is interesting to observe the destruction process over time. Building calls Goffs General Store from 1947. Originally it was a cafe restaurant, which its owners left many years ago. They took as much thing as they can put in their car. They let the store its fate. So when you get inside you will find that in the fridge is full of authentic drinks, on tables you can see original cloths, unwashed dishes in the sink or dirty yash in flasket etc… I wanted to see and photograph it. Get inside, stare around myself and take pictures… go around the room and suddenly I step on something soft and slippery… it suddenly rattled, hissed and flung into the air! I got scared as much as I fell down on my ass! Fortunately on the opposite direction the snake runs! Snake hid behind a pile of rubbish and I dug him out, so I could photograph him... Snake was very handsome, but he stares darkly for a while and then he ran away as fast as he can. So watch out of snake! I did not expect this kind of varmints, but I should! Either wiser...

Journey on Mother Road - Route 66 between Goffs and Essex is quite monotonous, but magic for me. Route 66is flanked by stone legend as some kind of messages, slogans or nonsense’s. You can see internet domain too...

We stop at Cadiz Summit Service Station, where the most beautiful and best is probably preserved Route 66 sign on the road. Today there are only painted ruins and the boldest which you can see is Ducati brand... I would not expect this brand! I also had Ducati motorcycle... Make some road pictures with the Route 66 brand and go ahead to another ghost town.

One of the most famous Ghost Town is Amboy, CA. Ghosts live here, but one Man is obviously not afraid of them! It is he, who serves Roys Cafe. Gas station, Gift shop, small restaurants in one, which is still in operation. Motel from 1938 is unfortunately out of order. Bungalows and reception are empty, but in good condition. Beautiful decorations, lights and sofas you can see through reception glass… all the building looks like old rocket... really nice view! Great old eye-catcher is as well nice! City of Amboy is interesting that in 2005 it was bought by Albert Okura for US$ 425 000. Albert is the owner of Juan Pollo Restaurant. I visited his business in Barstow, CA. The best preserved building in the city of Amboy is post office and maybe sometimes in operation... Another interesting thing is that there are shooting the film The Hitcher in 1986 with Rutger Hauer in the lead role.

Despite the city of Ludlow, CA we get Newberry Springs, CA. There you can find another famous original restaurant along Mother Road - Route 66 calls Bagdad Cafe. Restaurant was renamed in 1995 on the basis eponymous shooting movie here in 1988, well Bagdad Cafe. Originally it was Sidewinder Cafe. Motel Henning near by was played one of main role in the Bagdad Cafe movie. It is abandoned and ramshackle now. I ordered soup and got a burger with fries. Finally it was tasty. Service was friendly and aspiring according to their age. The price was also adequate. Inside you can see plenty of assigned T-shirts hanging on the walls, but unfortunately no one of Czech Route 66 Association. I suggested that we would leave our T-shirt with Czech Route 66 Association, but Zdenek unapproved it... Once you are there, let yours T-shirt. Owners will appreciate for any of exotic decoration. We are even an attraction for local people, who came to offer old license plate for sale... nobody bought, me too.

We go through Daggett, CA, where you can find a few ramshackle barracks and nice gold trade center from 1908 called Desert Market. Well somebody handle with gold there a lot of years ago… nowadays imitation of gold I think…

We got Barstow, CA. This is another American city, which could be proud of its murals. There was shooting The Harvey Girls movie in 1946 with Judy Garland in lead role at local museum Casa del Desierto. The building was built in 1910. Today there is a railway museum and behind Route 66 Mother Road Museum 2000. As always, I went to ride around the city to get to know its citizens. My food stop was in Juan Pollo Restaurant. Exactly it is a business owned by that guy, who bought Amboy city, mentioned above. It is a stylish restaurant full of comfortable leather sofas in style of 50-ies. Food, service and atmosphere are great. Then I got another El Rancho Motel branch, which was built in 1947.

We just drive through Victorville, CA although there is a world-famous Emma Jean Bolland Burger Cafe from 1940. Why the fuck famous when I do not know it! You do, man! Have you seen Kill Bill movie directed by Quentin Tarantino with Uma Thurman and David Carradine? So it was just there! Another interesting place on Mother Road - Route 66 is Ca Route 66 Museum from 1995.

Despite San Bernardino and Pasadena we get to Los Angeles, CA. You can start to count each of traffic lights to drive through from here to the end of Mother Road - Route 66, so you counted finally 365 of them. It is still maneuvering in rush hour and still plays the same song: "brake, clutch, first and second gear and again…". Finally, you can see neon welcome gate of Santa Monica Yacht Harbor from 1939. Basically is a wooden pier with entertainment center known as Santa Monica Pier. Official western historic Mother Road - Route 66 marker indicated the start, in our case the end, you can find behind toll-bar. I am too hungry now, so at first I get pure American Hot Dog as an appetizer and then I hurry up to Bubba Gump Shrimps. My stomach is full of jock, well I lean on banisters and gape at American Girls playing beach volleyball on the Bikini Beach. Cops are interested by me, so after short conversation they concluded that the Czech Republic is actually Chechnya... so yeah American guys. See you than. If you still have a lot of “green papers” in your valet you can go to Barney's Beanery #1 restaurant from 1920. That is the chance for you to get the meal at the same pub as Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison and the other fashion freaks...

This was a swansong about Mother Road - Route 66, which ends by white marker on old creaky pier, but it was unforgettable! Definitively I can proudly shout: „I Got My Kicks on Route 66!”.

If you have enough time you can continue on Route 395 trip, which begins at the cross roads with the Mother Road - Route 66 in Victorville, CA. Or you can go towards Fresno, CA to finally get Sequoia National Park like me.