Home / Mojave Preserve and Desert bikepacking trips / Fall 2010: Route 66 and Kelso Dunes Wilderness Bicycle Camping / Day 1: Route 66: Barstow to Ludlow 47
Today I pedal 56 miles from Barstow to Ludlow on old Route 66 to position myself for a bit of exploration in the area of Broadwell Dry Lake and the Kelso Dunes Wilderness. A strong tailwind today, and pleasant temperatures in the 60s, after the morning rain ended, which I managed to avoid.
I haven't visited this stretch of old Route 66 before, so I'm looking forward to it. Ludlow was once a budding small town and boasts a few crumbling old buildings to prove it, but today it is little more than a freeway truck stop.
Yesterday, I took the Amtrak San Joaquin train with my bicycle down California's Central Valley
The Amtrak bus deposited me yesterday at Barstow Station, just before sunset
Route 66 Motel, Barstow, California
My cabin room at the Route 66 Motel is small and a bit run-down, but the round bed adds unique character
Several old cars and other antique Route 66 paraphenalia decorate the grounds of Barstow's Route 66 Motel
Another old car in the courtyard of Barstow's Route 66 Motel
Among the many antiques on the Route 66 Motel property is this cigarette machine
Barstow's downtown area has many older, modest dwellings built along desert hillsides
A 24-hour donut shop on Barstow's Route 66 is closed due to the water contamination
El Rancho Barstow is one of many older motels along Route 66 in central Barstow
I grab some breakfast at Barstow's Village Café, which is probably cooking with the bad city water, since they're still open
Bummer, no Chinese breakfast on the menu (who would order such "weird stuff"?), so I order scrambled eggs and bacon
The rain stopped, the sun shining, I leave Route 66 Motel and detour a mile up Barstow Rd to the Mojave River Museum
Outside the Mojave River Museum in Barstow is an old exterior cage-style jail cell
I stop in at Barstow's Mojave River Museum for a quick visit before riding on toward Ludlow
Before leaving Barstow, I make a quick stop at Food For Less to buy a couple of propane bottles
I ride back to Barstow's Route 66 through residential areas and coast down a nice hill on my way out of town
On the outskirts of Barstow, the road dead-ends at a Marine Corps base, so I turn back and get on the freeway for a few miles
I enter Interstate 40 eastbound, riding on the shoulder of course
After approximately 2.5 miles on the freeway, I reach Nebo Street and one of those "bicycles must exit" signs
As I approach the Daggett area, I notice this crumbling concrete structure not far from old Route 66
Route 66 reaches a stop sign as it passes through the little town of Daggett, California
Mugwumps? I pass a former old gas station labeled "Mugwumps," near Daggett's stop sign
While riding through Daggett, I stop to check out the old sign for the now-defunct Sportsmans Club
Although it's mostly sunny, some dark clouds are still floating around and mistly lightly upon me from time to time
Also on Route 66 near Daggett is an old California Agricultural Inspection Station, long abandoned
Riding east on Route 66 away from Daggett, one of many long freight trains passes by
After several long, straight miles, old Route 66 curves and ducks under the freeway as it enters Newberry Springs
I take advantage of the gas-station store at Newberry Springs for welcome a caffeine boost: a can of Mountain Dew
Route 66 in Newberry Springs sports a number of old buildings, some abandoned, some not: welcome to "The Barn"
Riding down Route 66 through Newberry Springs, a tour bus that just passed me has pulled over on the side of the road
As I pass the little crowd of people by the tour bus, I realize that the thing they are photographing is me
Next to the Bagdad Café in Newberry Springs is the abandoned Henning Motel
I stop to take a quick look at an abandoned gas station in Newberry Springs, which also once housed a restaurant
Newberry Springs has a lot of abandoned houses, but the presence of many newer houses shows that the town is not dead
Just east of Newberry Springs are several dry lakes with white minerals coming up to the surface
Route 66's road surface gets really rough east of Newberry Springs; I'm glad I'm riding a mountain bike with suspension!
It looks like these two abandoned and semi-demolished trailers near Route 66 east of Newberry Springs have been visited often
Route 66 closely parallels the I-40 freeway the rest of the way to Ludlow, my destination today
The clouds to my right and behind me are picking up some nice lighting as the sun starts to set on Route 66
The sun fades away as old Route 66 crosses the train tracks at-grade near Pisgah siding
Well, I can't deny any longer that it's about to get dark here on Route 66
I pedal the final 10 miles to Ludlow in darkness, quite enjoyable with the almost-full moon peering through the clouds
I check in at the Ludlow Motel: bland, but cleaner and more spacious than last night's accommodations in Barstow (and $10 more)
The water-stained menu in my room at the Ludlow Motel advertises the offerings of the Ludlow Café next door
Barstow to Ludlow bicycle route on old Route 66
Barstow to Ludlow bicycle route elevation and speed profile