Leg 2: GS Season II - Leg Two

Victorville to Needles, California

“No one said this would be easy!”

Shaking the morning dew from the bike covers only increased our anticipation of what was to come. We knew this day could grow long, how long would be up to us. If you know us, we’ll take our road and ride it too! Why the excitement? Well, it is ALL original Mother Road today… we will only have to crisscross the I-15 or 40 that replaced her. First stop Victorville. Wonderful artifacts and recreations of the last century fill this museum. The kind curators, Roy and Melissa, smile and send us on our way with suggestions like The Bottletree Ranch. These are the locations we envisioned, left alone to patina in the relentless Mojave sun. Winding through the maze of glass, art, and signs was well worth the stop. Quick… Barstow calls!

Barstow is an old friend. Our first encounter with Route 66 was many years ago. In 2018 when we rode a small section just outside the city, we must have been inspired. The murals across town are a symbol of pride for this community. As we roll down the Main Street (66) John has his first of many GPS problems… “Geez Please Stop” he barks at his Garmin. Technology wants to help us back to the interstate highway as a way of whisking us to our next destination. It doesn’t understand we want the slow path. Now is where my preparation pays off, “Head to Daggett then South to Newberry Springs,” says I, with all the confidence I can muster! Well, even a broken clock is right twice a day. Lucky me.

After mailing our sons birthday card at the location of the Bagdad Café, we now race to Amboy, scouting boondocking sites along the way. At Amboy Crater we break for a much needed snack and hydration since it is now in the 90’s. Roy’s Motel is a roadside attraction here and the setting for some classic motion pictures, including 1986’s “The Hitcher” which has us looking over our shoulders. As with all adventures, when do you become satisfied, and when do you seek more? A quick calculation determines that if we head back now we have kickstands down and dinner on the grill by 6:00 P.M. If we continue on we can enjoy more old highway, a ghost town in Goffs, and a root beer float at the Wagon Wheel Café in Needles. The latter means the sun will be in our eyes for a period, followed by an hour of riding in the dark, and complete exhaustion when we arrive home 400 miles later. Any guess which one we chose? We recommend the root beer floats… delicious. No one said this would be easy. (But so worth it!)

Travel safe and we will see you out on The Mother Road!

Caroline (And John) 🍀