In April 2022, We were given the opportunity to visit Marine Corps Logistics Base Barstow along with a small group from the California Historic Route 66 Association. MCLB Barstow has long been off-limits to the general public, but it is accessible by special arrangement. The base is home to a small section of Route 66 now known as Joseph
L. Boll Avenue, and in 2021 the road's Route 66
history was highlighted with unique signage and Route 66/Marine Corps road stencils, and a wonderful
new monument.
The entrance sign at MCLB Barstow, with new Route 66 USMC logo and historical plaque.
Our host and escort for the day was Rob Jackson of the Public Affairs office, who was extremely gracious and patient with our car caravan of Route 66 enthusiasts, showing us around to several sites within the base, and leading a cruise off the main road through some other areas, including base housing.
Rob Jackson of the Public Affairs office explains the itinerary to our group.
The grave of Walter Ross, who owned some of the land that became MCLB Barstow.
Our group visits some historic amphibious vehicles on display at the base.
One highlight of this trip was a stop at the new Marine Corps/Route 66 monument, where we were greeted by the base commander Col. Pace, and some of his staff. He gave us a great overview of what they do at MCLB Barstow, and graciously answered questions. We spent some time with Col. Pace and military staff members discussing both MCLB Barstow and Route 66 history at the new monument and getting some photos of the monument and one of the new road stencils.
The new USMC Route 66 monument is fantastic!
These road stencils are unique to the segment of Route 66 inside the base.
Col. Pace (back row, left) and staff pose with the former military members of our group.
Col. Pace and staff spent some time with us at the USMC Route 66 monument.
After a stop at the public affairs office, and a visit to their museum displays which were still in the process of being organized, we headed to lunch at the Route 66 Cafe on base. Afterwards we continued our caravan back on to Route 66, where we headed out the east gate and off of the main section of the base. We drove past the Route 66 town of Daggett, headed towards the MCLB Yermo Annex for a visit to the USMC Mounted Color Guard.
Unique signage is another component of Route 66 inside the base.
The Mounted Color Guard is the only remaining mounted unit in the US Marine Corps, utilizing horses supplied by the Bureau of Land Management through their Adopt A Horse and Burro Program. The Mounted Color Guard's unique duties include representation of the Marine Corps at parades and other ceremonial events all over the country. A civilian trainer, Terry Holliday, cares for the animals and educates young Marines for their duties with the Mounted Color Guard; he was very generous with his time and knowledge, showing us around the facility and relating its operations to us.
The USMC Mounted Color Guard is located on the south side of the Yermo Annex.
Terry Holliday, trainer for the Mounted Color Guard, hosted and educated us at their facilities.
Some of the equipment used by the Mounted Color Guard.
We were able to meet some of the residents of the stable, up close.
Immense thanks go out to Col. Pace, Rob Jackson, Terry Holliday, and everyone who was involved in organizing and supporting this wonderful visit to MCLB Barstow. Their hard work and dedication is inspiring!
Now it's time to share our latest Electric Route 66 Dashcam. This one takes us inside MCLB Barstow from the west gate to the east gate, and then continues outside the base on Route 66 to the town of Daggett. You can watch it embedded below, or follow this link to view it directly on YouTube.
As many Route 66 travelers will know, there has been a long-term closure of a section of Route 66 in the eastern Mojave Desert in California. Due to the abundance of questions about this area on Route 66 Facebook groups, I decided to write up a summary of what is signed for travelers on the affected roads. Our October trip to the Road Runner's Retreat provided the opportunity to photograph all of the road signs that have been placed to deter travelers from the closed area. Two segments of Route 66 between Needles and Amboy have been closed for a couple of years, and there is no timetable for reopening. Many bridges were washed out in flood conditions and San Bernardino County has not finished repairing them all, as they are an enormous county without a lot of funds. After having a chance to photograph all of the signs, the source of travelers' confusion becomes clear: the signs are a jumble of contradictory and often wrong information. I will try to lay it all out here,
With the Christmas season upon us, and so many businesses clamoring for our gifting dollars, I would like to shout out for all the Route 66 businesses who deserve to be supported with our Christmas shopping. Winter is the off-season for Route 66, so for many small businesses on the Route, getting a sales boost in December is a great help to get through this down period for visitors. If you live near Route 66, I encourage you to head down to one of your local Route 66 businesses to see what they have on offer for your gift-giving. And if you don't live near Route 66, there is still a way you can help! Listed below are many Route 66 businesses and attractions that you can support through their online stores. Spread that Christmas cheer around and get some cool & unique Route 66 gifts for your loved ones! If you know of another Route 66 store with online shopping that you think should be included, email me and I will add it to the list! The Jack Rabbit Trading Post is a world
In an effort to get out of the Vegas heat once more, we took another short weekend trip at the end of August. We did our best to avoid the interstate and did a short loop around the back roads of southwestern Utah. I hope you enjoy our photos of some of the sights. Amazing views abound in southwest Utah Day 1: Las Vegas to Cedar City Our two-lane route on Day 1: from I-15 exit 112 to Cedar City For the first 75 miles of our journey from home in Las Vegas, using Interstate 15 is unavoidable as there is no other through road. We left home in The Blue Spirit with a full charge, which showed as 284 miles on our car. (This is just an estimate. I'm working on resetting the estimate back closer to the car's original EPA range of 310 miles, but this process of recalibration can take a long time in a Model 3.) We exited I-15 at Exit 112 onto Nevada State Highway 170. This two-lane route mostly follows the alignment of old US 91 through Bunkerville and into Mesquite, then takes several
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