We caravanned
from Stetson Winery in Kingman Arizona to just across the California border
into Needles. Thanks Don, for your hospitality! I still don't know how you grow grapes in the middle of a desert! But, the wine is delicious!
As we drove out to Route 66, we passed some unique fences. I really can't describe them, so here are the pictures. I'll let you decide, is it functional or art?
Welcome to California. Southern California looks very different than the Northern California that we saw a few years ago!
We are spending two nights in Needles. It is hot, hot, hot! Highs
are in the triple digits! Lows at night are scheduled to be not much cooler
than that!
The half way
point Needles, CA and Barstow, CA on Route 66 is Bagdad, California which is
about 10 miles from the exact midpoint. The National Old Trails Highway, one of
the many monikers Route 66 has carried over the years, on a 75-mile loop along
the old road. Heading west, the loop leaves I-40 about 25 miles beyond Needles
and rejoins 50 miles east of Barstow. The town is called Ludow, where two gas
stations, a coffee shop, and a motel represent a major outpost of civilization.
A portion of this road is currently impassable, so we had to shorten our drive
time and stay on I-40.Needles was named
for the group of sharp stone spires that stand near where I-40 crosses the
Colorado River from Arizona. Founded soon after the Santa Fe Railroad came
through in 1883. Needles is one of the hottest places in the country, with summertime
highs hovering between 100°F and 120°F for months on end. Though often
unbearable in summer, Needles is a popular place with winter snowbirds escaping
colder climates; it also has a very rich Route 66 heritage. The stretch of old
Route 66 through Needles runs along Broadway, alternating along either side of
the freeway.
We arrived at
Needles Marina and RV Resort, which is 33 acres of pure awesomeness during the
day and heaven by night. The new resort owner takes pride in the facility and
his love for this park comes through with the way he meticulously maintains the
facilities. We pulled into our RV Resort and cranked up our A/C. We were lucky
and had a little shade from a tree. The sites are along the beautiful Colorado
River! We have spacious, pull-through sites for all of our caravanners.
We had heard
that the best place to stop and soak some Route 66 personality is the Wagon
Wheel Restaurant, so we are headed there for dinner. The Wagon Wheel is a diner
and gift shop located on Historic Route 66. Local favorites include hand cut
chicken fried steak, homemade country gravy and slow roasted pot roast. It has
been a local favorite since 1978. We had almost 30 caravanners join us and
everyone really enjoyed their meals.
While we were eating, I saw this truck backing out and I was amazed. This is the third Quest Trucking, "trailers with a purpose" we have seen on this trip! It's called "Real Heroes" and it is their first of six trailer designs. It is an homage to many of America's most iconic symbols including the inaugural words of the Declaration of Independence, the Bald Eagle, the Statue of Liberty, the Marine Corps War Memorial and representations from all branches of the military.
Along old US
Route 66, the once-kitschy Overland Motel is crumbling, vacant lots pock
downtown and, as if this remote desert outpost weren't suffering enough, the
last car dealership folded up and left behind a blanket of empty asphalt. Not a
pretty picture for travelers who might pull off the highway for a burger or to
spend the night.
Then a man
with a sun-stained face and paint-crusted fingernails drifted in, and the tiny
old railroad town of Needles started looking a little brighter.
The first mural popped up on a bare cinder-block wall at the Wagon Wheel Restaurant: A giant Santa Fe locomotive chugging by a roadside sign for the "Route 66 Original Diner." Louden did odd jobs for her and others around town, but they didn't know he was a master with a few cans of paint. The owner of the Wagon Wheel Café had wanted to paint the restaurant's side wall ever since noticing how ugly the bank of cinder blocks looked on Google Maps' street view. We just wanted to bring some nostalgia to the building. We have so much history here, but the town did not reflect it.
Thanks to the
murals done by Dan Louden, 52, along Needles main drag, bright, colorful murals
have Betty Boop, space aliens and leathered up bikers all paying homage to road of
roads, Route 66.
All pay
homage to U.S. Route 66, the Mother Road, which ran from Chicago to Los Angeles
and right through the heart of Needles before it was retired from the federal
highway system in 1985.
The man
behind the brush, Dan Louden, spent 30 years bouncing around truck stops in the
West, hand-painting any long-hauler's piece de resistance on the cabs or
trailers. He painted Harleys for the Hells Angels in San Bernardino — until
that got a little too dicey for him — and hand-lettered signs for fish markets,
high schools and auto parts stores all the way up to Seattle. He's pinstriped
more hot rods than he can remember.
We will do
more exploring in Needles tomorrow!
No comments:
Post a Comment