MARQUETTE – Day 2

Meneelys, Langes and Kafers departed Bakersfield at 7 AM, in the cool cool morning air, 75 degrees, just right.  Climbed up to Tehachapi (4000 ft altitude) and had an apple turnover at the Apple Shed.  Took a little side trip to the Avenue of the Faces in Tehachapi, which is a park with a lot of carved trees.   Patti’s favorite was the frog.  I kinda liked the bear.

Cruised downhill to Barstow and this is where we picked up old route 66. Went to the Harley House Center, for the train museum and the first Route 66 Museum.  While we had lunch we looked up how many Route 66 museums there are on Rich’s I-phone.  Got tired of counting at 12.  We noticed that it was getting warm fast, temperature now up to about 100 degrees.

Stopped in Ludlow for that last gas-up before the old 66 loop to Amboy.  This is where we found real bargains on real estate.  This is Patti and Bob’s new desert vacation home.  Pat thinks we should start a new Model A chapter here called HTHMAC.  (Hotter than Hades Model A Club)

  Stopped at the famous Roy’s Motel and Cafe in Amboy and had a route 66 root beer.  Click here for Root Beer video Noticed that the temperature was now up to 104 on the Cafe thermometer. 

At this point, we hightailed it to Needles, and got in about 5:00.  When we came over that last pass and came down into the Colorado River Valley here at Needles you could feel it getting warmer even with the air on.  And the temperature in Needles was on the north side of 110 degrees, Whew, thank heavens for those Model A air conditioners.  We were really getting worried about Eldertons and Nicholsons as the sun started to set and the moon was coming up, but they finally  rolled in at 8:00.  Having started in Santa Monica, they really had a long day, but were still smiling and having fun.  Everybody still rolling along okay, Elderton had a glitch with his cooling fan, but he hotwired it, in typical SCVC fashion.