Miscellaneous Thoughts - 2

 I forgot to mention the other day that both Rich and I are impressed how courteous the California drivers are to bikers.  The best of any place I have ridden. 

Route 66, why the mystique.  It is long and straight and hot.  I hate driving car when you can see for ever, imagine what it feels like on a bike when you wonder if you will ever get to the next bend or even if there is a next bend.

Electronics.  Have you ever thought about how few electrical outlets there are in a hotel room.  When you have to charge your Garmin, phone, front and rear lights, the battery for your bike's electronic shifter and the battery back up you do. 

Our lights sync with our Garmin so they go on and off with one touch.  Our first day, Rich and I were too close and as he was getting his lights set up, he took over control of my lights.  When he turned his Garmin on he turned off my lights.  Took us a day or two to work out all of those kinks. 

Many have asked us to take and post plenty of pictures,  Maybe Rich and I aren't creative enough, or maybe peddling the distance we do, our brains are drained of any creativity.  Maybe after you have seen one tumble weed you have seen them all.

So what does it say about the hotel you are staying at when there are new ear plugs next to the bed.

I know Rich has mentioned this but I have thought about the courage of travelling across this terrain in a covered wagon.  Slow tedious travel with no significant change in scenery for hundreds of miles.  Always on the look out for danger or something new and interesting.  

Spent my career working to revitalize cities.  As we travel through various communities I am always looking to see what they have done.  Barstow was an interesting case of good efforts but an economically challenging place.  Greeted to the community by good urban design and then ride down the historic main street of beautiful mid century retail buildings in devastating decline to the suburban sprawl near the interstate access.  Don't know anything about the economics of the city but on the surface seems like a case book example of the problem of development in America.

And now of few shoots of our Day 5 travels.

Something about the line of utility poles caught my attention.  About an hour outside of Barstow on Rt 66.

The road ahead.  We took a sharp right in the distance to head to Ludlow.  Route 66 is really busy.

My second attempt at a different kind of selfie.  On a bridge over I-40 on Rt 66.  We stopped to find a place to eat and when I searched restaurants google said the closest was 47 miles.

Other then the DQ under construction, the rest of Ludlow looked like this.

Our lunch spot.  A welcome stop after 50 miles.

This spot of green I found interesting.

Our shady rest spot. Rich checking his email. 

Where we came from!

Where we were going!

Not sure why this Buddha was in Amboy.  All the food and drink was either fresh or unopened when offered.

 Roy's in Amboy.  Motel,, store, small restaurant, gas, bathrooms and an airplane runaway.  Full service before you hit the long hot 28 miles to Ludlow.