Day 13 - The Finish Line

July 4th began early for me as I awoke at 4am to a temperature of 89 degrees as I prepared for my journey through the Mojave Desert. My Amarillo friend and mechanic Bo suggested soaking my shirt and covering it with a jacket so the evaporation would keep me cool. I took it one step further and not only soaked my clothes but put them in a bag and put that bag in the refrigerator!

I started at Needles and headed west on I-40 until the turnoff of US 95 towards Las Vegas. ZIt was tempting to just stay on 95, but I did want to finish what I had started, so I turned off on Goff Road and saw the painted logos on the road reminding me that I am on the original Route 66. It is an isolated ride through the desert as you hardly see another vehicle. Its like you own the road. I was concerned about whether or not I would have enough gas, but was reassured that the stations in Ludlow would be within the limit of my gas tank. The desert is beautiful and desolate at the same time. I saw remnants of former businesses that must have thrived during the existence of the mother road. I stopped at a roadside kiosk and learned that earlier travelers would take 2 days to traverse the Mojave desert. Their stops (and those of the railroads) were primarily for water. I also got to see the Amboy crater which is a lava outflow. Also along the road are "shoe trees". This is a scrub tree festooned with cast-off footwear.

Interestingly, there are dips in the road designed to accomodate floods passing through after storms. Also, sometimes there are bridges over these areas and they refer to them as "Washes" and even name them like Diablo Wash West.

I made it to Ludlow and had breakfast at a quaint diner. Filled my gas tank and then headed westward on the Route 66 frontage road. While the road through the desert was well maintained, this frontage road was like riding a washboard. I got off it about 15 miles later and returned to the super slab. I picked up Route 66 in Barstow where I-40 ends. It is part of the National Old Trails Highway and I took it to Victorville. The California Route 66 Museum is located in this community, but they were closed for the 4th of July. Shucks!

In Helendale, they have a sign for Polly brand gasoline with prices of 18.9 for regular and 21.9 for ethyl. Oh, for the good old days.

I missed a turn and ended up missing the final miles of Route 66 and ended up on an expressway headed for Santa Monica. I'm not sure if I missed not having to stop and go or deal with congested traffic on my way to the final destination.

After reaching Santa Monica pier, I was tempted to stop and dip my toe in the ocean, but it was an absolute madhouse and a sea of people celebrating their holiday at the beach. So, I found a the road for the Pacific coastal highway and headed up north towards Oxnard. It was 60 degrees on the coast, a sharp contrast to the 100+ temperatures in the desert. I ended up in Bakersfield heading north towards Carson City Nevada.