We left White Tank Campground (Joshua Tree National Park) at 12:30 pm on April 24 and drove east through Twentynine Palms, then north to Amboy Road. It was over 100°F, but the Roadtrek’s A/C kept the three of us cool during the miles of desolate desert.
Amboy Road. Photo by Virginia.
Margaret had learned of our next stop, the entrance of which is off of the National Trails Highway (Route 66), Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark, from the eBook, California Boondocking: The Desert and Eastern Sierra—A Frugal Shunpiker’s Guide by Marianne Edwards. Even though it was on BLM land and available for boondocking, it was just way too hot to stay there. So our visit was short. The pristine asphalt road looked recently re-covered, and I felt like my flip-flops were going to melt and stick to it when I got out (but they didn't). We walked up to the covered overlook to take advantage of the lovely 360° view of the crater and surrounding area.
Amboy Crater National Natural Landmark sign. Photo by Virginia.
On the way to the crater. Photo by Virginia.
A panoramic view of Amboy Crater. Video by Virginia. [If you have trouble viewing this embedded movie,
We backtracked east to visit the town of Amboy, specifically Roy’s Café ("an icon that has appeared in many movies"), which was built in 1938 and served as a gas and service station for the postwar travelers along the main east-west highway of Route 66. In the 1940s, it was expanded to include small cabins for overnight travelers. We hadn’t realized it no longer had a working kitchen, but the ambiance definitely had that blast from the past feel. We got a couple of snacks, a couple of souvenirs, and took some photos. My daughter is in college in Virginia, and I enjoy sending her postcards from places I visit. I was able to walk right across the street to the small post office to mail her the card I got for her at Roy’s. I expect she’ll be receiving a lot of them while I’m on this adventure!
Roy's Café sign and unused cabins. Photo by Virginia.
Roy's Café on Route 66. Photo by Virginia.
Amboy Post Office. Photo by Virginia.
We left Amboy with the intention of staying overnight in Barstow, CA. I found a restaurant that allowed overnight parking using the FreeCampsites.net site, while Margaret found it on the OvernightRVParking app on her iPhone. The Idle Spurs Steakhouse & Lounge has a very large, flat, well-lit, and graveled area adjacent to their restaurant. Margaret was able to find a shady spot (yay!), and we ended up being the only RVers there that night. I haven’t been inside a steak and seafood restaurant for about twenty years, and Margaret probably for that long as well, but we managed to find an appetizer and two sides to eat. The staff was friendly, our food was delicious, and the restaurant was comfortably and interestingly rustic.
Beer battered onion rings, steak fries, and roasted vegetables. Photo by Virginia.
The next morning it was time to continue on our BIG adventure….
NOTE: Clicking on the photos in the post will open them in a larger view (recommended!). If you want to see more photos of the beautiful places we've shared, we have them in this Flickr Collection: Over the Hill Sisters Photo Collection.
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