TWENTYNINE PALMS-CA

Morongo Basin:

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Morongo_Basin#:~:text=The%20Morongo%20Basin%20is%20located,Park%20are%20within%20the%20basin.)

March 31st, 2024: We had nipped into the Skyline RV Park, in Barstow-CA, Friday evening to find refuge from a strong wind/heavy rain storm. The RV Park is a small affordable sandy lot on a back road … but it's also clean, will fit Independence with ease; and the Host named Ed, who proudly wears a 'Vietnam Vet' baseball hat, is friendly and helpful.

The winds and rain kept us here a little longer, but we didn't mind ;-)

Betsy & Independence.

Skyline RV Park; #30384 Old Hwy 58, Barstow, CA

This morning, we pulled stakes in Barstow, and pointed Betsy's nose towards Twentynine Palms-CA. Holland is meticulously planning a route through CA that will make our last visit here memorable: the Joshua Tree National Park, located somewhere near Twentynine Palms is a place that neither of us have ever visited.

It sounds interesting :-)

Holland planning the best route …

Today's Goal ;-)

The Barstow Train Depot is a beautiful building that catches the eye when crossing the bridge from main street to- & from- the Skyline RV Park, on Old Highway #58.

Barstow Train Station/Hotel~internet pic: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstow,_California & https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barstow_Harvey_House)

North First Avenue Bridge in Barstow, CA

Barstow Rail Project:

 (https://www.barstowca.org/Home/Components/News/News/3757/18)

New structure being built.

Holland has been through Barstow and Ludlow many times in his childhood, young adulthood (Route 66 2-lane, then when the freeway was put in, in the 1970's) - and now, with me.

Route #66 from Barstow-CA to Ludlow-CA

Main street Barstow-CA

The desert is not flat land …

Ludlow-CA is about a hour East of Barstow-CA. In Ludlow, Holland called my attention to the mining carts … Holland's family had shares in a gold mine in Winnemucca-NV, so he knows mine carts when he sees them ;-)

Ludlow-CA

Ludlow-CA:

 (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow,_California & https://www.vvdailypress.com/story/lifestyle/travel/2021/05/21/beyers-byways-ludlow-mojave-desert-worth-your-spare-time-and-more/5197109001/)

Mining carts; Ludlow-CA

Route #66 has been on my Bucket List for decades, so I was very happy Holland planned this little sideroad treat for me :-)

A train still runs in the background of these abandoned buildings.

California’s Ludlow & Southern:

 (https://www.trains.com/trn/railroads/locomotives/the-oddest-of-oddball-locomotives/)

Old Hwy. route 66, in Ludlow-CA.

Tracy Byrd - 'Somebody's Dream' song: 

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fR36bc5piYo)

Ludlow Massacre: 

(https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ludlow_Massacre)

Leaving the Ludlow route #66 backroad, we were both pleasantly surprised to find ourselves traveling the 'Amboy Crater and Lava Fields' that were on Holland's Bucket List earlier this year, and we thought our opportunity to visit them had passed us by - I was happy for Holland that Elohim favored us with a viewing: all the way around the perimeter, on every side - for miles - was lava fields being pushed up out of the ground.

Lava fields.

Amboy Crater-CA (internet pic).

Amboy Crater National Park-CA: 

(https://www.blm.gov/visit/amboy-crater-national-natural-landmark)

Amboy Crater - 250' high; side view. #16700 Crater Road, Amboy-CA

Heart-shaped cloud barely visible …

Large lava hills pushed up out of the Earth's crust; not volcanoes - just lava hills.

As we traveled a bit further up the highway, we saw where the landscape had been dug up, and a crisscrossing of water canals were scarring the land; so, I made a note of it, and researched it later. 

There were large areas, in every direction that had been scraped flat, near a labeled chloride plant.

This is what I found out …

Amboy Salt Flats: https://californiawithyou.com/2021/01/10/amboy-salt-flats-amboy-california/

Amboy is probably the most famous of the Route #66 ghost towns in the Mojave Desert, thanks to its appearances in various movies and fashion magazines. Now, it's more or less just a set – a filming location for hire – with a very low population ct.

This road route that is new to both of us looped around, and tied into Newberry Springs, CA - where we passed 'The Barn' Roadhouse we boondocked at, earlier this year.

BIKER BAR & BRENDA~Quartzsite-AZ to Visalia-CA: (https://roadgypsiesvalandholland.blogspot.com/2024/02/biker-bar-brendaquartzsite-az-to.html)

We continued forward towards Twentynine Palms-CA, on a backroad highway that Holland had never traveled before, and saw what looked like a lake, in the distance … and there is a lake named 'Wonder Lake', but our hilltop view of it was the only kinda-sorta view of it when we breezed through Wonder Valley, on our way to Twentynine Palms.

The landscape was pretty desolate … scrub brush, endless sand, and were the majority of paint-tagged dwellings (which had no door, no windows), were scabbed together 1 -room things with peeling outer layers: the whole place looked deserted.

On occasion, we passed homes that were lived in by people who were trying to keep it all together.

At one point, we drove past a homestead where the buildings (main house and outbuildings) were painted bright colors, and Holland said, "Who on earth would do that?" I laughingly quipped, "Me - I would do that … in fact, I did do that with the house Bob and I bought at the end of Nevada Drive; every single room in the house was painted a bright color (K = buttercream yellow; LV = Aquamarine; Bathroom = Aspen Green; spare Bedroom = Seahawk Green - that was what Alyna chose) - except the hallway which was a neutral Beige to lighten it up because it was shadowed, & the main bedroom, which was a very dark blue because Bob worked nights and had to sleep during the early daylight hours. My craft/computer room was flamingo pink: all the wood trimming was White - there were windows in every room, the kitchen and livingroom was literally all windows, so the house was well lit by natural light, which made the bright colors pop: the artist in me, Iikes that." He gave me the raised eyebrow look, and I laughed harder ;-)

Most of the roadways were relatively easy going … but turning off the Wonder Valley road towards Twentynine Palms was pretty rough, until we got to downtown Twentynine Palms-CA: thankfully, it was a short length of roughness.

A bit past the city limit marker, we pulled over and researched local RV Parks … and was quickly able to find one that could handle our length: so, Holland called and secured a space. The host was easy to work with, and the Park was only 17 minutes away :-)

Hilltop view of Wonder Lake-CA

Hilltop view of Wonder Lake-CA

Wonder Valley-CA from Ludlow-CA; 1 hr 3 min (65.0 mi) via National Trails Hwy and N Amboy Rd

Colorful homestead in Wonder Valley; all the houses had water tanks.

Exiting Wonder Valley …and it really felt like this place was the end of the world - it was so desolate.

Exiting Wonder Valley, and passing thru Joshua Tree City Limits …

A new adventure for both of us ;-)

Booked a space for the night …

Twentynine Palms-CA

More colorful dwellings; small, so probably holiday cabins.

Wall murals.

Joshua Tree RV Park-CA from Wonder Valley-CA; 32 min (27.7 mi) via Amboy Rd and CA-62 W

Joshua Tree RV Park-CA; 6225 Sunburst St, Joshua Tree, CA

Clean, spacious, welcoming; registered and ready to unhook & relax.