It would be quicker to drive using larger roads such as CA to Barstow and then Interstate, but I was not necessarily looking for the fastest route. That way would not take me through the Preserve. Then again, I did not wish to be long delayed and there was a risk that driving through the Preserve we could be held up for as long as an hour by railway siding operations at the Kelso Depot. I opted to take the chance. Soon after leaving Twentynine Palms, it was as if civilization disappeared well, except we were on a nicely paved road.
There was desert, scrubs, hills, and sky. There was little else until we hit the junction of Amboy Road and I, and the teeny, tiny town of Amboy. A historic railway station settlement and later popular stopover on the historic Route 66 highway, Amboy is now just a shadow of its former self.
Online information says these businesses are run by the four people who still call Amboy home, though when I asked the guy behind the counter if he lived in town, he gave me a good long suspicious look, asked me if I were a journalist or something, then told me, no, he does not live there but he drives in from about an hour away.
I liked the nostalgic symbols of the s travel heydayβthe diner, the roadside motel signage, and the Route 66 signβbut I did not wish to linger; the place felt trapped in time. Most of the other towns that once existed in the area have been long deserted. We drove on taking Kelbaker Road through another wilderness area and into the Mojave National Preserve. For a long while the preserve looked little different from the other stark landscapes thus far that day. I know there was much more diversity in the terrain off the main road, but as our time was limited, I had to make do with the drive-through.
Once we crossed over the railroad tracks at Kelso, then safe from the potential cargo train delays, I took the opportunity to make a quick stop. The once thriving railroad worker town had long ago fallen into disrepair although there are still some workers living on the other side of the tracks and the National Park Service is preparing the building to house a visitor center. That day I met a National Park ranger and an intern with brochures, pins, and stickers on a table in front of the building; they were happy to answer questions.
