And 111 degrees F!
Knowing that we had an easy day of driving on Interstate 40, we left Williams at about 10 am. On the freeway in a flash, heading west. The highlight of the days journey was an hour stop for lunch at a rest stop near Yucca, AZ. Near Yucca and the Chrysler Arizona Proving Grounds, this rest stop has been newly expanded and can now accommodate dozens of trucks and scores of cars. Short overnight stays are apparently allowed at rest stops in Arizona. We wanted to get a photo of the Proving Grounds, but of course that was impossible. Only a glimpse of the oval track, the slaloms and chicanes are visible if you hold your mouth right. Doggone it, I wanted to get a look at a 2023 pickup!
We stopped for fuel at a Pilot station at exit 9 off the Interstate in Lake Havasu City. Lake Havasu is miles away, but that's the address they listed! There's also a Loves Truck stop and an independent station at this exit. I expected the station to be very busy as it's the nearest to the California border. We got fuel for 2.39 a gallon and saw that as soon as we crossed the Colorado into California the price jumped to 4.19 a gallon!
Speaking of California, it was kinda nice to be back in the state after a two month trip!
We rolled into Desert View RV Resort just after 2 in the afternoon. This park is pretty empty this time of the summer but is probably very, very busy in the winter months! We had been promised a site that was very easy to get into and out of, but we were escorted to a site that, while long enough, is a bit narrow. Nicely landscaped, however, with Oleanders and trees on either side. It was 108 when we arrived, so setup was minimal....electricity first for the a/c of course!
When cooler temps arrived late in the evening, we ventured out for a walk around the park. I can see why this is a popular place. Looking off to the west from behind our motorhome was breathtaking.
This morning, Saturday the 8th, we decided to explore beautiful, downtown Needles. Blink.
Needles was on the fringes of the Borax mining industry back in the 19th century, and welcomes visitors to town with a wagon originally used to haul Borax out of the desert. Remember "Twenty Mule Team?".
Route 66 rolls right through the middle of town, as it did in Williams when we were there, and the city makes the most of it. Markers painted on the road verify it's origins and signs everywhere proclaim the origins of the city in 1883 during the construction of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway. It's name was taken from the Needles, a group of painted mountain peaks at the south end of the Mohave Valley, a subsection of the Mojave Desert. The town was originally a tent town for construction crews but grew to have a hotel, laundry, shops and general stores. And of course, 10 saloons. Needles quickly became the largest "port" on the Colorado River north of Yuma and the Fred Harvey Company built the El Garces Hotel and Santa Fe station in 1908. It has been restored, but was considered the "crown jewel" of the entire Fred Harvey chain of railroad hotels.
Needles was a major stop on the historic Route 66 from the 1920's to the 1960's. Immigrants from the Midwest saw it as the first town that marked their arrival in the "Land of Milk and Honey", California. Broadway Avenue is lined with motels and shops from that era, mostly abandoned today. In fact, the largest takeaway for us of the town of Needles is the huge number of boarded up and abandoned gas stations. Dozens of them. I suspect that if it weren't for the water sports on the adjacent Colorado River, the town would be gone in a generation. We saw a sign for, but missed, "Carty's Camp." In the famous Grapes of Wrath, the Joad family enters California and has a brief experience at this ghost tourist court.
West of town, on the original Route 66 before it joins Interstate 40, we discovered tributes to our country and Armed Forces. Several of these monuments have been created to honor Wounded Warriors, all branches of the Military, and several local heroes who gave their lives for our country. Scattered along the edges of the highway, in an out of the way corner of the world, someone has quietly shared their patriotism.
It's just over 114 deg F as I write this. We took a drive to Bullhead City after looking at downtown Needles, just to stay in a cool car! All three a/c units on the motorhome roof are operating at warp speed. It's comfortable in here, but we'll be anxious to get to our next stop....Bakersfield, CA, where it's expected to only reach 103 F! But it's a dry heat.....really.
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