What Price Progress?

I'm about a third of the way through my "Route 66 Ghost Towns" posts. It's time for me to start mixing in some written stuff and photos from other places we've been visiting.  My post today includes a few things relating to Route 66, but without photos.  Just about the time this post is up, we'll be on our way to our favorite mountain ridge for a couple of weeks. There is a fire in the area though and I hope we can get through. They gave it a name (The Chariot Fire), so it must be sizable.

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Route 66

The story was the same for many towns in the south west 

The railroads needed water stops across the desert and built them

Route 66 and the National Trails Highway breathed life into them

John Steinbeck's Joad family memorialized them

Interstate 40 ripped the hearts out of them

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What Price Progress?

It's one thing to see

An old mining town

Fall into decay

After giving up

Her treasure

It's quite another

To see a place die

For no other reason

Than progress

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Vapor Lock

I remember sitting in the back seat

of various old cars

the only air conditioning

was four windows down

at sixty mph

burlap desert bags

full of water

hanging in front of the radiator

hood slightly open for air

blistering heat 

threatening us

with vapor lock

and overheating

cactus, yucca, Joshua trees and rocks

mostly nothing though

except for the silence and solitude

of the desert

one arm out the window

flying my hand

like a plane in the hot wind

the only real relief

to be had

resided in the little towns 

and even smaller places

like Amboy

Cadiz

Chambless

Danby

Essex

Fenner

Goffs

and Needles

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Danby California - Route 66 Ghost Towns

Like many other towns in the Mojave desert, Danby was originally a water stop for steam locomotives owned by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway Company.  Route 66 was built many years later and like many of the other towns you've seen here, it was soon followed by a gas station, cafe and garage.  Also, like many other towns along Route 66, it died when the new Interstate Highway (I-40) bypassed the area. 

Other than the building below, there is really nothing left of the original town of Danby. I've been told that the old town dump is close by, so maybe next time we'll look for it.

 The long and lonesome Route 66 cutting across the mighty Mojave Desert.

The remaining building looks like an auto repair garage. At some point in this building's history, some wise person decided that it was worth saving. At first glance, a passerby would wonder why. If you enlarge the photo, you can see a train crossing the desert in the  right background.

Here is the reason! This mural was supposedly painted on the building in about 1915. It is easy to see what it is, but I can't find a single clue as to who painted it and why.  I was also unable to find any vintage photos of Danby. 

 There was so little to look at, that my wife decided to stay in the jeep and enjoy the A/C. 

There aren't many structures for graffiti out here, so people have taken to leaving messages made of rocks along the roads.   During World War II, there was an Army training airfield very near Danby. It was called Camp Danby and was one of the nine airfields that made up the sprawling Desert Warfare Training Center under the command of General George Patton. To this day, it still holds the record of the largest military base ever. One of these days, I'll do a post on it. It is pretty interesting.

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I still have many posts to do on these ghost towns and other desert oddities.  I also have MANY other photo and written posts piling up and I really should start working them in again. 

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Chambless California - Route 66 Ghost Towns

Chambless, California is yet another small desert oasis along Route 66. It died after the new interstate highway (I-40) bypassed it and the flow of customers dried up.  Chambless, like most of the other Rt. 66 ghost towns I've posted here, mainly consisted of the obligatory (or so it seems) cafe, gas station, cabins and auto repair shop.  Chambless also had something that most of the others didn't. It had trees, porches and lots of shade. Through the years the original buildings went through many changes, but they still stand. 

 Chambless, circa 1928 (source Google, owner unknown)

Chambless, 2013

Please note the pattern of two windows on each side of the door and the original adobe blocks surrounding them.

 Chambless post card (owner unknown)

 In this photo and the next, you can see the same cabins shown in the post card.

Those gray posts with metal boxes on top of them are electrical hookups for RVs. I have no idea when they were used, but they don't look that old to me.

Chambless, circa 1933 (source Google, owner unknown) 

A better view of the original adobe building surrounded by later expansions. 

This is the view on the other side of Route 66. I love the colors in the mountain.

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I sincerely appreciate all of you who follow and comment on our travels, my stories, poems, photos, rants and the other general nonsense I post here.  Thanks!

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Goldroad Arizona - Route 66 Ghost Towns

Although Goldroad is a Route 66 ghost town, its demise had little to do with the establishment of the new Interstate Highway that bypassed it. Gold was discovered here in the late 1890's and the town of Goldroad was officially established in 1902. After the gold strike the population of Goldroad grew to between 400-500 people. The area thrived until more substantial silver and gold strikes occurred in other areas. These days, there is nothing in the area but building foundations and many abandoned mines.

The town sprouted up on Route 66 between Oatman and Kingman Arizona. The next photo picks up where the road disappears in this one.

I believe this photo was taken in the 1920's. You can clearly see how Route 66 hair pinned up the mountains with no guard rails and barely enough room for one lane in each direction.  Through the years, many cars have gone off the edge. In the near future I'll do a post on the high-point pass through these mountains. 

I took this photo a couple of months ago from almost the exact vantage point as the photo above.  The curve in the road is the curve on the right side of the previous photo. Of course, it is about 100 years later. There is one mining operation still at work here and until recently, they gave tours. I "heard" that the tours stopped because they didn't want anyone to know how much gold they were finding. You can see the huge pile of mine tailings that completely cross the photo.  Mine tailings are materials left over after the extraction of valuable minerals from the ore. 

There are many vertical and horizontal mine entrances in the area. 

Some foundations from the former town.

Here is a huge vertical entrance. All of the related structure is long gone and only a deep mine shaft remains..

Others mines are both horizontal and vertical.  This one was only off the road by about 10 feet. I couldn't hear the rocks I threw into it, hit bottom.

I took this photo without even getting out of the jeep. Mines are everywhere!

Back roads like this one are covered with mines, pits and tailings.

Here (and in the next few photos) are more old building foundations made from local stone.

Places like this had to endure a double whammy. The gold dried up and Route 66 was bypassed by the interstate. They didn't stand a chance.



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Golf Ball House or Arizona Death Star - Desert Oddity

Not too long ago I posted some photos and information about the ghost town of Yucca, Arizona. There is one other very unique thing about Yucca. We spotted it on the opposite side of the highway from the ghost town. After doing some research (I love the Internet) I found out that this desert oddity is called the Yucca Golf Ball House (among other things).  It was built in the mid-1970's and it doesn't really look that much like a golf ball to me.  I was told that it was originally known as The Dinesphere, Space Station Restaurant. 

Apparently, The Dinesphere was yet another rip-off scheme enticing people to buy worthless land in the middle of the desert. Remember my post about Santa Claus, Arizona?

After the unsuccessful real estate ripoff, the the Dinesphere sat unused for several years.. In the early 1980's somebody bought the structure as a present for his wife and remodeled it into "The Golf Ball House," containing over 3000 square feet of living space. He also built a few other "space age" structures to the property. Although some people called it the Golf Ball House, many others referred to it as The Arizona Death Star.

Currently, there is a new owner who calls it Area 66 and sells UFO related items. Judging by the banners, we could have stopped there for a cold beer. However, we had many miles of desert driving to do before dark. Maybe we'll stop next time, but only if the owner doesn't try to gouge us.

Dinesphere Space Station Restaurant, Golf Ball House, Arizona Death Star, or Area 66? I think I prefer the Arizona Death Star, but no matter which name you prefer, it is a desert oddity of the first order. 

 Maybe if it wasn't surrounded by all the other stuff, it would look like a golf ball.

Even if was an awesome house on the inside, I'd still be wondering, "why did they build it here?" There isn't anything else here...

One of several spacey looking things around the property.  As the crow flies, this place is really close the Semi-on-a-Stick from the Yucca Arizona post.


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Desert Oddity - Shaffer Fish Bowl - Route 66

I've run across a lot of odd things in the desert, right? Today's installment isn't just one of the oddest, it is one of my all time favorites as well.  It's called "The Shaffer Fish Bowl." I've spoken to many people who know a great deal about Route 66 and not a single one had actually seen it. I found the directions to it on the internet.  We went there in late March. I knew that photos wouldn't reflect just how isolated this place is. So, If you don't mind, please watch this very short video. I apologize in advance for my nasal sounding and spontaneous narration. 

I hope the feeling of pure solitude comes through in this video.

Route 66

Nothing as far as the eye can see. It's that way in the other direction as well.  Kingman Arizona is on the other side of the far mountain range. 

Shaffer Fish Bowl

The Shaffer Fish Bowl

Moss grows in the tank, the fish eat the moss and the spring keeps the tank full.  Add to that the fact that goldfish can live for up to and beyond 20 years under the right conditions. The can even survive under ice. I'm still thinking that somebody replaces the fish if they die.

The hike up to the spring is short, but kind of steep.  After checking out the fish bowl, I noticed that there was another trail leading around the rocks.

I'm no geologist, but I'm pretty sure that there aren't any square caves in nature.  I'm thinking that maybe this was going to be a mine shaft and was carved out by the same person who created the tank to catch water from the natural spring. It might have been Shaffer, or maybe he came along later. It's a mystery to me (for the time being anyway).

I always have to do this to show you how steep a drop off is.

The trail abruptly ends at that large rock. Another mystery.

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Road Runner Retreat - Route 66 Ghost Towns

The Road Runner Retreat was another little desert oasis along Route 66 in the Mojave Desert.  It may not have been an actual town, but it was still an important dot on the map for travelers.  The official Postal address of this place has it in the ghost town of Amboy, but it really isn't that close to it. This place suffered the same fate as many others when the new Interstate Highway (I-40) bypassed it in the early 1970's. Although it doesn't get the same notoriety as Roy's in Amboy, it is just as much of a treasure.

photo circa 1962

Like most of these little outposts, the Road Runner Retreat consisted of a gas station, auto repair shop, cafe and some cabins. I have no idea exactly when this photo was taken, but judging by the cars in the lot, I'd say it was in the early 1960's.  I'd love to give the original owner of this photo some credit, but I have no idea who it was. I also can't find out when this place originally opened. 

I took this photo and the rest of them in March of 2013. Not much left of the place, but it is still recognizable when compared to the photo above.

It is pretty cool that some of the coloring remains in the sign.  It was also pretty cool that some clouds showed up to make the photos better.

Lots of nothing for many miles. 

Here is the gas station.  I wonder what the sign was that hung just to the left of it? 

This was taken across the street from the Road Runner. Once again, I REALLY would like to know what this sign said.  Oh well, it still made for a nice photo.
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This week and next we are on our favorite mountain ridge. For the first time ever here, we have a decent phone signal (that makes this post possible). Unfortunately, there has been a high wind alert for just about the entire week and we've pretty much been glued to our RV. I'm not complaining though, this is the view out the door and I'm catching up some much needed relaxation.  Today was much better and tomorrow we're going to get out and do some hiking and exploring around Lake Cuyamaca. 

My wife took this with her phone (Geez, I may switch). The valley floor is part of the Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. The Salton Sea is also barely visible on the horizon, about halfway down that brown mountain to the right. 

Just about the same photo, taken with my camera at sunrise.  It was also taken out of the door of our RV. You can see the huge Salton Sea a lot better in this one. 


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Yucca Arizona - Route 66 Ghost Towns

A short time ago I did a blog post relating to Cool Springs Arizona. I told you that the demise of Cool Springs was caused when a new alignment of Route 66 bypassed it.  Although the "new" alignment was a death sentence for Cool Springs, the small town of Yucca greatly benefited from the increased traffic. Yucca was created to be a water stop for the Atlantic & Pacific RR. In 1952, the new alignment of Route 66 changed everything. All of a sudden there was a truck stop, a store or two, a couple of cafes, two motels and a church. I'm sure the people in Yucca were feeling pretty good about things. The good feelings ended in the  early 1970's, when the new Interstate Highway (I-40) bypassed them by several miles.

As a result, every retail business in town, eventually had to close their doors. Most of the old places are gone, but there are a few still standing, mixed in with newer houses (I said "newer" not new!) and a few other places unrelated to the highway.

I have no idea what it once was, but it's very old.

This is my favorite thing about Yucca. This semi-on-a-stick stood in front of a truck stop/repair place. It went out of business and all that now remains is the truck! Only in the desert my friends, only in the desert...

One of the original residences.

The sign says Yucca Mission, but I couldn't find out anything at all about the place.

Yet another great desert find!  I'm pretty sure it was a jeep at one time. I have no idea about that rear end though. Of course like most things left sitting around in the desert for any amount of time, it has been used for target practice.

This is an odd town because in the midst of all these things, there are still people living here.  I'm not sure how though, because it is brutally hot there. The average daily temperature in Yucca from May through September is over 100 degrees. 
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We are hitting the road again in the morning. This time we're going to the mountains as it's getting darn hot in the desert. The good news is, I should have a phone signal (unlike our last trip). 

Happy Mother's Day! 


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