Route 66! Part XIV: Chambless

Chambless was another one of the stops along Route 66 that travelers back in the day frequented.  I'm going to guess that we came across this one some six miles after Road Runner's Retreat.  Online research suggests that there are still residents of Chambless, but only six of them.  The town, like Amboy and Ludlow, refuses to to die.  Amboy is being restored by a wealthy owner; Ludlow gets some life from having I-40 next to it (and providing an opportunity for gas if you don't have enough to make Barstow and Needles), but Chambless has no such blood to keep it going.  The only visitors are those who journey this historic highway who stop and take pictures, maybe rearrange some rocks, and then move on.

All photos from this post were taken on 11/30/11.

This is a historical marker in Chambless.  If you click on the photo, you'll be able to read what's on the sign.

I'm not sure what this used to be.  All this does now is tell you where you are in case you don't see the historical marker.

This is looking east.  Nearby this spot some folks have stopped to re-arrange rocks to spell their names.

Looking towards the north.  Stop and think for a moment......many people passed by this spot, in the harsh Mojave Desert, escaping the ravages of the Dust Bowl in the 1930s.  They risked their lives in this journey.  How many people died not far from here; due to a breakdown, lack of water, and lack of help?  This road could tell you a lot of interesting stories if it could talk, but you might not want to hear some of them.

My last shot of this desolate place.  I'm now thinking that I could have taken more pictures, but there must not have been much there as that I didn't take any while I was with Sheila on the second trip.

Next up will be a series of photos further down the road.