Barstow

We finally reached Barstow and found Route 66.

Barstow is known for its murals. You'll find them all over town.

Here's one with a joshua tree.

Another honoring the Southern Route of the Mormon Trail

Look for the bunny in this mural.

Proposed Railroad Route along the 35th Parallel

On Main Street you'll find a metal sculpture of an Indian on a horse

Next door is a market decorated with a Statue of Liberty

Follow N. 1st Ave on the iron bridge over the railroad tracks to reach the Route 66 Museum.

The Route 66 Mother Road Museum is located in the Casa del Desierto, a former Harvey House. Harvey House is a chain of restaurants, hotels and other hospitality businesses alongside railways in the Western US.

Tom's Certified Welding & Machine Shop. A little out of the way but worth a stop.

The first Del Taco is found in Barstow. 

Main Street becomes the National Trails Highway. Look for the Route 66 sign on the road.

2020 06 21

Boron, California

At Mojave Air & Space Port, near the Edwards Air Force base, you'll find an "airplane boneyard." This is where old commercial planes are stored once they have reached the end of their useful life. See if you can identify the airlines

A little further on Hwy 58 in the Mojave Desert, you'll find one of the biggest deposits of borax on earth. There is a Visitor Center but it is currently closed due to Covid. It's usually open 7 days a week and is free to visit.

US Borax produces 1/3 of the world's demand for borates. I was surprised at how many products use it--it's found in adhesives, batteries, cleaners, fire retardants, as well as a micronutrient for agriculture,  

Obey the Speed Limit when you visit.

Nearby is the town of Boron, which was built to accommodate the miners. It has a population of 2200, as of 2010. It was the filming location for "Erin Brockovich."

Boron is a one-street town and on the main street, you'll find the Boron AeroSpace Museum. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. It's run by volunteers who really have a passion for their town. We were walking around the town when a woman asked if we wanted to see the museum. She had just left church and would grab the keys to show us. How could we turn her down? She talked non-stop about the history of Boron and about Pancho Barnes, a female aviator who broke Amelia Earhart's air speed record and established the first movie stunt pilots' union. Pancho lived and died in Boron.

Next door is the 20 Mule Team Museum.

20 Mule Teams were teams of 18 mules and 2 horses attached to large wagons that transported borax from Death Valley to Mojave from 1883-1889.

20 Mule Cafe is located across the street.

Pancho Barnes' house. Hard to believe she was born with a silver spoon and died in a dilapidated stone house.

2020 06 21

Caesar Chavez National Monument

Just 30 miles outside of Bakersfield on Hwy 58, we came across the Caesar Chavez National Monument in Keene.

Caesar Chavez established the National Farm Workers Association, the first permanent agricultural union. It evolved into the UFW (United Farm Workers), which was headquartered here. The site was established as a National Monument by President Obama in 2012.

Entry to the National Monument is so inviting, especially on a hot day.

The courtyard next to the Visitors' Center.

The Memorial Garden is next to the courtyard.

It is a peaceful, cool area where Caesar Chavez and his wife are buried.

The park has several buildings, some of which served as a tuberculosis sanitarium in the early 1900s. 

Houses for workers are also on the grounds.

The headquarters with views of the Tehachapi Mountains.

Si Se Puede (Yes, We Can) as you exit the park.

Nearby is the Keene Deli, if you need to grab a bite to eat.

2020 06 21

Smith's Bakery

Smith's Bakeries was founded in Bakersfield in 1945. They have several locations.

They are famous for their smiley face cookies. They have this rendition during COVID.

2020 06 20

Ichiban Sushi, Bakersfield

Before we started on Route 66, we stopped in Bakersfield to see my in-laws and shared dinner from 6-feet apart. We picked up dinner from Ichiban Sushi. They have 2 locations and we picked up from 2641 Oswell St.

Tuna Sashimi--$14.95, Salmon Delight Roll (spicy salmon inside/salmon and avocado outside)--$10.99, Bacardi Roll (California roll inside/baked salmon outside)--$11.99, Salmon Sashimi--$12.95.

Alaskan Roll (spicy tuna inside/salmon outside)--$9.99, Dragon Balls (deep fried shrimp and crab with sauces)--$6.99, Salmon Skin Roll--$7, Spider Roll (soft shell crab inside/masago outside)--$10.99, Baked Mussels--$6.99

We also got miso soup--$2. Best thing about the miso soup is no green onions!



2020 06 20

Route 66

We took our RV on Route 66 since most sites were outdoors. Route 66 was established in 1926 and was the first transcontinental highway, covering 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. In the 1930s, it was the route for those who traveled west to rebuild during the Dust Bowl. We started in Barstow, CA and only made it to Conway, TX.

Route 66 is not easy to find and you'll need a guidebook to help you find the original road.

Most guidebooks are written for traveling westbound. Jerry McClanahan's EZ66 was written for travel in both directions.

I liked the spiral-bound format--it made it easier to keep the book open to the right page. The directions for westbound are at the top of the page and for eastbound at the bottom of the page.

The Historic Route 66 website also had good information: https://www.historic66.com

And, AAA has a good map which lists highlights along the way.

2020 06 20

RV Road Trip

We love to travel and we've had to cancel several trips since COVID started. We thought it was safest to take a road trip and rented an RV from Cruise America. We got our RV, sprayed it down and had minimal contact with the outside world.

Cruise America has locations all over the US and Canada.

Be sure to call ahead to reserve your pick-up time.

We chose the compact RV, a 19-foot Class C Motorhome, perfect for 2 people. You may be able to add a small child but not many more. The compact RV is not available at all Cruise America locations.

Cruise America also rents a Standard RV (25-foot, 5 people), Large RV (30-foot, 7 people) and a Truck Camper (3 people).

The door has a screen and you get a picture of a dog in the window. 

There is a small outside storage bin, which holds the hose. You can probably squeeze in a small grill.

We put a cooler in the space between the seats. The cooler measured 14 x 19 inches.

There was plenty of storage in the console but no USB ports. The AC worked great and I loved being able to close the vents so you didn't have air blowing in your face. Unfortunately, our CD player did not work.

The bed was pretty comfortable but there was a seam. It was smaller than a queen. You have to climb up into bed so if you have mobility issues, this may not work for you. If you have the AC on at night, it blows in your face. There were 2 small windows with screens and an overhead window.

Extra seat behind the passenger seat with storage bin underneath. It was perfect for shoes.

There was plenty of storage.

Additional storage over the dining area. I was surprised I never took a picture of the dining area. Large window with screen. With the door open, there was good cross ventilation.

Small kitchen in the back of the camper. The sink was huge and there was space to the left of the sink where I placed a towel to hold the dishes after washing them. There is a 2-burner stove that runs on propane.

Storage cabinets over the sink with built in partitions so dishes didn't move. There was also storage under the sink and 3 more spaces to the right of the sink.

Additional storage cabinets in the kitchen.

Closet area next to the sink. Two drawers underneath. 

Powerful microwave and good-sized fridge.

The refrigerator did keep things pretty cold, despite some reviews I saw. The small freezer ices up but it wasn't too bad after 12 days. 

Bathroom with toilet, shower head and tiny sink. Be sure to pull the shower curtain in front of the door or you'll get water in the cabin. I was glad I brought a shop towel to dry off the bathroom after showers. A squeegee might be better.

No storage under the sink.

Medicine cabinet. I had to tape the medicine cabinet closed because it would fly open while driving.

Packing List:

• Extension cord
• Rubber gloves (for use with connecting sewage hose)
• Camplight
• Portable BBQ
• Picnic tablecloth (weighted if you can find it; otherwise, bring clips)
• Lawn chairs
• Trash bags (I like plastic grocery bags—easier to tie to door handle)
• Electric tea kettle/coffee maker
• Pots, pans
• Wooden spoon, ladle, spatula, tongs
• Cutting board
• Serrated knife/chef’s knife
• Potato peeler
• Sieve/colander
• Dish towels, dish soap, sponge, hand soap
• Pot holder
• Paper plates, glass bowls (usable in microwave)
• Mixing bowl
• Storage containers
• Storage bags
• Plastic wrap/foil
• Can opener, bottle opener, corkscrew
• Lighter (to light burners)
• Knives, forks, spoons
• Mugs, cups, wine glasses
• Paper towels, napkins
• Oil, salad dressing, ketchup/mustard/steak sauce
• Salt & pepper
• Drinking water
• Sheets, blankets, pillows
• Towels, hand towel, face cloth
• Toothbrush/toothpaste
• Shampoo, soap
• Toilet paper (RV safe)
• Bath mat
• Squeegee
• RV toilet treatment drop-ins (drop one in toilet after emptying toilet waste)
• Doormat & Command strips to hold it in place
• Shop towels
• Broom
• Sunscreen
• Mosquito repellant
• Hand sanitizer
• Duct tape (for emergency repairs)
• Slippers
• Hangers

We froze our drinking water and they stayed cold for 5 days in our cooler.



2020 06 20