From Needles to Cajon Pass
Mojave Desert, California

Founded soon after the Santa Fe Railroad came through in 1883, Needles was named for the group of sharp stone spires that stand near where I-40 crosses the Colorado River from Arizona to California. Needles is one of the hottest places in the country, with summertime highs between 100-120 degrees.

It was 102 degrees when we pulled into Needles in late afternoon and checked into our hotel. We left early the next morning with a full tank of gas and a big box of water bottles.

The 1.5 million acres between I-40 and I-15 is set aside as the Mojave National Preserve, a harsh desert landscape of volcanic cinder cones and sand dunes. From the demanding desert landscape, over mountains, through lush inland valleys, and ending at the beaches at the edge of the Pacific Ocean, Route 66 passes through every type of Southern California landscape. The old road, which remains intact nearly all the way across California, is well-marked by signs, declaring it Historic Route 66. Across the Mojave the road is also marked as the National Old Trails Highway, its title before the national highway numbering system was put into place.

Huge chunks of Mojave Desert had been used as military training grounds during WWII when General George Patton used this area to prepare his tank battalions for battle in the North African desert. As many as 90.000 troops were based here during the War years. Carol's father/Christine's grandfather was one of them. The troop presence was in the few next towns west of Goffs, including Essex, which served as an auxiliary airfield and staging area for General Patton's Mojave Desert War Games.

An example of one of these lost desert towns capturing the essence of Route 66 is Amboy. The town, with its history of salt mining, continues today as a location favored by a variety of international advertisers, including Chinese commercials for General Motors, Levi Strauss ads, Australian insurance companies, and German beer companies. In 2005, Albert Okura, the founder of the Juan Pollo Restaurant line, purchased the entire town and transformed it into a living capsule of life in the early 1960s. He is no stranger to preservation, as he purchased the original McDonald's in San Bernardino from Dick and Mac McDonald in 1998 because of foreclosure. He demolished the restaurant, moved his corporate headquarters to the site, and opened an unofficial McDonald's Museum on the property.

We passed by exit signs for Ludlow and Newberry Springs...they both owed their existence to the railroad and Route 66, and shared the same demise after the Interstate came. Newberry Springs is a typical desert oasis. Ancient volcanic rock formations, lava beds, sand dunes, mineral springs, and hidden mud baths are found in the area. Bagdad Café is a famous stop and was featured in the movie, Bagdad Café.

As we passed by Daggett we spotted acres of shining mirrors at Solar One and Solar Two power plants, experimental generator stations.

We drove into Barstow, a burley transportation center where trucks and trains are the main businesses in town. Along the main street some of the vintage cafés and motels were boarded up, empty and tarnished gems--their roadside signs no longer lighting the evening sky, but we did find that one important vestige of Route 66 remains: the restored circa-1911 Harvey House railroad depot, Casa del Desierto Hotel, which also houses city offices and a Route 66 museum as well an Amtrak stop.

We traveled northeast through Barstow to get to Calico, a ghost town and resurrected mining camp that boomed during the 1890s. Getting closer, we noticed the giant letters spelling CALICO atop the mountain.

Click Here to Read About the Ghost Town of Calico.

After driving down the mountain and back through Barstow, we continued toward Cajon Pass by taking the older two-lane option, Route 66, past the towns of Lenwood, Helendale, and Ora Grande. History permeates all along this highway, even though traces of that history is sporadic. Ora Grande is where Roy Rogers and Dale Evans established their Double D Bar Ranch.

We took I-15 to Victorville after leaving Ora Grande. The setting of this area, with its oftentimes snow-covered peaks, high desert floral and fauna, and twisted mountain spires made Victorville a miniature Hollywood and haven for the rich and famous from the 1930s to1950s.The drive today passes by some faded neighborhoods and empty lots where thriving businesses once stood, but we saw buildings in the process of being preserved. The outstanding California Route 66 Museum is located in Victorville.

The Cajon Pass for centuries has been the primary transportation corridor from the Desert to the Los Angeles basin between the San Gabriel and San Bernardino Mountains. Its summit is 4,259'.