Road Trippin’! – Page 3 – The Desert Way with Jaylyn and John

Peggy Sue’s 50’s Diner: A Desert Delight

Jaylyn and John7 years ago2 years ago19 mins

Originally built in 1947, the diner was your typical 1950s style eatery, catering to motorists making their way through the desert.

It was small— 3 booths and 9 counter stools— but managed to stick around for a while, despite being in one of the hottest places in the United States.

Peggy Sue and her husband Champ reopened the diner in 1987 and attempted to restore and preserve it in its original state. Before moving to the desert in 1981, Champ worked for Knott’s Berry Farm and Peggy Sue worked in the movies.

The diner was the perfect place to display their extensive collection of movie and TV memorabilia…

Eddie World: Yermo’s Mega Gas with Class

Jaylyn and John7 years ago2 years ago510 mins

Eddie World’s ginormous ice cream sundae cleverly disguises its water tower. The lighted sundae draws weary, curious and hungry motorists on the 15 Freeway like a beacon to a desert oasis. But this, boys and girls, is no mirage…

Calico Ghost Town Campground: Spirited Glamping

Jaylyn and John7 years ago6 months ago523 mins

Calico’s reputation as a ghost town is well deserved as there are numerous reports of actual ghosts being sighted. Lucy Bell King Lane, a longtime resident who ran Lucy Lane’s General Store has often been seen in her store.

Margaret Olivier, the last schoolteacher, has been seen teaching in her classroom. Tourists who have talked with Margaret thought she was part of the staff dressed in period costumes, only to find out she has been dead since 1932. There is even the ghost story of Dorsey, the shepherd dog that carried the US Mail between various mines.

Was that really the howling wind that woke us up at 3 a.m. at our Calico campsite, or was it Lucy Lane?

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch: Kaleidoscope on Route 66

Jaylyn and John7 years ago2 years ago615 mins

Visiting Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is an experience for the senses. Not only are you mesmerized by the colorful bottles combined with antiques in creative ways, but there are soul-pleasing sounds to accompany it too.

Elmer told us his most beloved pieces are the ones he found with his Dad during his youth. One of his favorites is a handmade pitch fork Elmer found in 1959 or 1960 in a fallen down homestead near Edwards AFB, now at the top of one of his colorful displays.

Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch is not just another roadside attraction on Route 66. It has rightfully earned it’s designation as a destination in and of itself. Come see why this quirky slice of Americana and the humble artist who created it attracts people from all over the world…

Harper Dry Lake: A Marsh Most Mellow

Jaylyn and John8 years ago2 years ago313 mins

Harper Dry Lake bed in the Mojave Desert was the site of secret flight test programs conducted by the Hughes & Northrop aircraft companies during the 1940s, including the first flight by an American rocket-propelled aircraft. Howard Hughes tested aircraft and built a hangar here. Years later, it was decided Harper Dry Lake was the best place to launch the space shuttle’s heir apparent, the Lockheed Martin Venture Star…

HOW A CHAINSAW BOUGHT A BRIDGE

Jaylyn and John8 years ago2 years ago915 mins

By 1963, Robert McCulloch moved his businesses to Arizona and bought 26 acres of land right next to Lake Havasu. He paid a little over a million dollars for the place, and Lake Havasu City was born. He even opened a chainsaw factory that employed several hundred workers. After all, every city needs a population. So then, when you’re at the top of your game, and you own your own city, what do you do next? A multi-million ton antique to decorate the place might be nice…

Barstow-Daggett Airport: A Life of Highs and Lows

Jaylyn and John9 years ago2 years ago1520 mins

It’s hard to see at first. The old airport sitting out by itself, between Newberry Springs and Daggett. Like many places in our desert, it’s too tough to disappear, and has a story to tell. Explore its fascinating history and find out what’s happened since the county mandated evictions in 2012…

Chasing Big Boy No. 4014 Through the Mojave

Jaylyn and John9 years ago2 years ago614 mins

We were lucky enough to follow along some of Union Pacific steam locomotive Big Boy 4014’s historic journey as it passed through the Mojave Desert from Colton, California to Cheyenne, Wyoming for restoration. Much to the delight of railfans like us, Big Boy’s first scheduled stop was at scenic Mormon Rocks in the Cajon Pass.

Big Boy’s next stop was The Harvey House Railroad Depot in Barstow, originally known as the Casa del Desierto. It was Big Boy’s first visit in 50 years. Would the bittersweet reunion be its last?

Black Mountain Rock Art District: Where Rocks Talk

Jaylyn and John9 years ago9 years ago34 mins

The first peoples of the Mojave Desert used a rich language of symbolism that could be interpreted by others. Petroglyphs dot rocky landscape throughout the desert and are a remnant of the past. They can be hundreds to thousands of years old.

Do Strange Things with Weird People

Jaylyn and John9 years ago7 years ago01 mins

Things can get bizarre in the desert but it usually just adds to our fun. Man, do we have some tales to tell. Thanks for tagging along with us as we explore the mystery and majesty of the Mojave Desert, one exciting road trip at a time. There’s beauty in the subtle, stark and sublime….