On the way back to the Pacific - Southwest USA 2018 - 14
Wednesday, 2018-05-09 - On the way back to the Pacific
As I have several destinations on my list for today I leave Las Vegas early. By the way: There is a Tattoo Studio in the Linq Casino between the lifts to the hotel rooms and the way to the parking. Whenever I passed, no matter if early in the morning or in the evening, some customers were inside. Seems to be big business nowadays.
At 7:30 I'm back to the "Seven Magic Mountains". But even at that time, a family with kids are using the installation as their playground. I take some photos and as I'm going to leave the next family is arriving. The chances to have good light and no one is disturbing seems to be as high as a jackpot in the casino.
Directly behind the border to California, you can find the “Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System". I thought to make a stop there, but you can see the system easily from the I-15, and taking a picture would end up in a very bright spot on a pole 🌝.
I will go halfway to the Pacific today and as I have enough time the plan is to drive through the Mojave National Preserve instead of taking the Interstate. The area is flat with some slight ups and downs and with forests of cactus-trees left and right.
The first intended stop is Cima. What should be a ghost town are one or two buildings with a small area that is not accessible. In the beginning, I thought I've missed it, but no, the address and coordinates both are pointing to exactly this place.
Ok, so let's go to Kelso where the old train station and the visitor center are. Unfortunately, they are closed today. I take a picture and leave again. The landscape is now boring with small bushes in a flat area. I pass the Kelso dunes and later some attractive rock formations. But you would need to be here at sunrise to make nice pictures. All in all, Mojave will not make it on my list of favorite parks.
I leave the preserve via the south exit, pass the Interstate and come to the National Trail Highway. I'm back to Route 66 now - first stop is Amboy. I take a picture of the famous motel but the tree covered with shoes is gone. Instead, you find a pole with plastic bottles - not really attractive.
Nearby is the Bristol Dry Lake, an area where salt is harvested. As it was to be expected the area is not accessible, just a small sewer is visible across the road. So, I turn around and go back to Route 66. But I can't find anything worthwhile to explore. In Ludlow I even stay on Route 66 instead of changing to the Interstate, but as it strictly follows the route of the I-40 this was quite useless.
With all these “nothing to see” attractions, I'm way ahead of my schedule. While driving I think about my plans for tomorrow. Originally, I wanted to go to the Joshua Tree NP and do some hikes. But it was around 100°F (38°C) already at 10 am this morning. Not the weather for hiking, especially in a park like Joshua Tree where you're so exposed to the sun.
Before I reach my destination in Victorville, I have one last stop on my agenda: Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch. This is really a weird place. Poles with bottles as branches and on top everything from a typewriter via guns to anything else you can imagine. The area is not huge, but you don't know where to look first. Definitely my highlight of the day.
I reach the hotel early, but luckily the room is ready. The pool is lying in the full sun, so I start to rearrange my belongings for the flight back already today.
