Route 66 – so famous and familiar to our American car culture and yes, the song made famous initially by Nat King Cole but check out this version by Depeche Mode.
“Get your kicks on Route 66.”
Southern California is fortunate to have this highway meander through the area. Unfortunately the highway has been decommissioned by the federal government but some states have made it a historical landmark. In California it is now called National Trails Highway but the road is still marked as Route 66. In San Bernadino County close to the Amboy Crater and the town of Amboy this highway is closed. While driving to Las Vegas through the Mojave (shorter than traveling west via freeway & then back east) you see the detour sign that diverts all traffic north to I-40.
Curiosity called …. why is it closed? How far can I drive to see why?
Here is why Route 66 is closed: There are 6 bridges in disrepair or washed out completely along the route. Each of them have dirt road bypasses from regular (local?) traffic and CalTran repair trucks. Some of these bypasses are deep and rocky with recent ravine cuts from rain.
So glad the shuttlecraft has AWD and higher suspension so the Daytripper can take the gullies and back road with ease.
My intention was to take the long and scenic route to AZ. A direct route to Lake Havasu is only about 3 hours and could technically be a day trip. Use the map below to plot your course. California and the IE are on the left (west) of the lake and AZ is to the right (east).
