Route 66! Part IX: Whiting Brothers Gas Station, Newberry Springs

On the eastern edge of Newberry Springs along Route 66 was a Whiting Brothers gas station.  The Whiting Brothers had a chain of several filling stations in New Mexico and Arizona, and later on expanded into California.  The fortunes of this chain both rose and fell with 66.  In their prime they were no doubt a welcome sight to the Depression-era traveler who was in search of a better life in California as they were to those vacationers in the 50s who frequented the highway.

What's left of this station is behind a chain link fence.    Whoever owns this obviously doesn't want trespassers leaving behind graffiti and trash, and they can hardly be blamed for that.

All photos in this posting were taken 11/30/11.  We did stop on the 7/16/13 trip, but for some reason I didn't re-photograph this spot.  As a reminder, if you click on the pictures a slideshow (without captions) will emerge and you'll see them in greater detail.

 A close-up of one of the gas pumps.  It's hard to tell, but I think the price is 53 and 9/10 cents per gallon, which would have this current as of 1974.

A view of the whole station.  Years of sun have taken their toll on the painting.

Looking west.  Too bad some mogul with a lot of money doesn't buy this and restore it to its former glory.  Or is it too bad?  There's a bit of charm in this old relic in being the way it is now.

Route 66 going east parallels I-40 for the next several miles.  It is still driveable at this point, but beyond the next I-40 exit it's a frontage road which doesn't display very much evidence of being maintained.  I did see signs marking the frontage road as County Road 66 last July that I don't remember being there in 2011, so at least someone got paid to put them up.

There really isn't too much to see until the next stop, which is Ludlow.  We'll pick that up in the next post.

Route 66! Part VIII: Newberry Springs, Continued

Just a little down the road from the abandoned gas station featured in the previous post is an abandoned motel in Newberry Springs.  This structure, like that gas station, is not fenced off.  If you're going to go inside, be careful, as that when Sheila and I went inside there were some nails protruding upward from some wooden beams.  Also, you don't want to trip and fall down on something, which will become very clear once you see these pictures.

This series of pictures was taken on my 11/30/11 visit, unless specified otherwise.

Here is a shot of the old "MOTEL" sign.  I couldn't help but wonder what kinds of stories this place would tell me if it could only talk.

From the front, a view of this old relic.  It wasn't very large, and was likely a mom & pop establishment.

This is one of the rooms that I entered.  As I said, you have to be careful walking in here.

OK, I'm now wondering.  Why would anybody want to dump their trash here?  Are people making special trips to do this?

Inside one of the shower stalls.

A view of the kitchen.

Not sure what this is.  Living space of the owners?

The "back yard" of the motel.

This shot of the sign was taken 7/16/13.

This is a better view of the back yard, taken on 7/16/13.

Next to the old motel is the Bagdad Cafe.  The Bagdad Cafe used to be in Bagdad, but was long ago torn down.  Its reincarnation is pictured here on 11/30/11.  I have read where Harrison Ford drops by for a visit whenever he's in the area.

More of Newberry Springs in my next post.

Route 66! Part VII: Newberry Springs

As you're about ready to cross under I-40 on Route 66, you're in Newberry Springs.  Most of the dwellings are north of the interstate but there are a few structures south of the interstate.  These photos are from the 7/16/13 trip.

This structure is on the south side of Route 66.  It looks like it's still in commission.  And yes, we should have gone inside to check it out, but instead we were checking out yet another defunct gas station that was across the street from this.

Here's a shot of that gas station.  It's one of the few that don't have "NO TRESPASSING" signs, so were were able to (at our own risk) go inside and explore.

Three old gasoline pumps.  I'm guessing that these are vintage 1992.

The premium was selling for 153.9 while the regular, to the left of the photo, was at 139.9.

All sorts of trash was strewn about.  There was more in another room.

Not much in the way of usable facilities here if you happen to need a pit stop.

A shot of my truck from the gas station.

Next to the gas station, is a bar called "The Barn".  We didn't go in.


More photos of Newberry Springs are on the way.

Route 66! Part VI: The Road from Barstow

Route 66 in Barstow is still the main drag there.  All up and down the road are restaurants and motels.  I don't think Main Street in Barstow has changed very much in the days before it was the meeting point between Interstates 15 and 40.  Interstate 15 replaced Route 91 to Las Vegas and Route 66 back to Victorville.  Interstate 40 replaced Route 66 all the way to Needles.

Barstow is the western terminus of I-40, and once you enter the interstate you see a sign telling you how far away Wilmington NC is.  I-40 is a nice drive if you're into desert landscapes, and beginning in 2006 I would take that back to Arizona from San Jose since this bypassed the traffic of Southern California.  On a stop in Ludlow in December 2009, I realized I was looking at Route 66, and perhaps that's when the seed was planted that led me into an interest in the Mother Road.  I had intended to take this road in 2010 on the way back from San Jose, before I was stuck in Lake Havasu City instead.

As I said in my previous post, I should have taken some pictures of Main Street along Barstow.  I didn't aside from Barstow Station.  After a stop there, we continued eastward, until forced onto I-40 since Route 66 isn't a through street any more at the Marine Corps base.  Like the last time, we exited the interstate at Nebo Road, and then proceeded back to getting our kicks.

In my very first post describing my adventures on this road, I mentioned what I thought then was a truck stop.  I learned from subsequent research that it was a California state agricultural inspection station that has been defunct for many years.  California still stops you at some point when you're entering on the pretense of making sure you're not bringing bad fruit into the state.  The real reason for doing that was to turn back Okies in the Great Depression who were looking for a better life.

Here are some photos of that old station; all taken on 11/30/11.

Since I saw all these bays, I figured it was a truck stop.

Where the old office was.  I'm guessing that this was in commission until about 1972.

A view of the inside of the office.

Something was here but I 'm not sure what it was.  When I first saw this I thought it might have been the foundation of an old cafe, which is another reason why I thought it was a truck stop.

Another view of the inspection station.

Looking east ,along the road.  At this point I'm itching to play the Bachman & Turner CD, with the lead song "Rolling Along" which would fit this moment!

Looking back towards Barstow.  Just think.....millions of people once went down this road.  Why were they on the road?  What stories would they tell me?

At several places along the way, you'll see this in the road.  This photo taken 7/16/13.

The Spirit gas station, as it appeared on 11/30/11.  When we saw this again, it was open, and operating as Valero.

Up ahead, the Main Street of America meets Interstate 40.

It was at this point where I fished out that Bachman & Turner CD, as that I was itching to hear "Rolling Along".

The journey continues............

Route 66! Part V: The Road to Barstow

Continuing on from that abandoned gas station which may or may not have dispensed Gulf gasoline, one sees yet another abandoned gas station as well as some ruins as the highway bends into a northeasterly direction.  This next gas station is another one of those relics that are all up and down the Mother Road.  This one below is one that I missed on the 11/30/11 trip (that's two of them that I have to admit missing) but on 7/16, we didn't miss it.

This is at 27075 National Trails Highway.  I've researched this and learned it was Burden's Store and Post Office.

Another shot.  The restrooms are at the left as one faces the building.

When I was researching this, an older image of this showed graffiti which has since been painted over in white.

Across the roadway, a BNSF locomotive.

A view from across the highway.  Sheila is visible, taking some photos.

In San Bernardino County, the road is signed as a county road, with the 66 designation.  We saw this a few times along the road to Barstow.  We also saw it again from I-40 where 66 is a frontage road in a state of disrepair.  I didn't remember seeing this sign where it's a frontage road during my 2011 trip.

Further along the road, we saw this set of ruins.  This photograph and those that follow are from 11/30/11.  I have no idea what this used to be.  At a minimum, a residence.

Dang if I know what this used to be.........

I can't say that this is the most interesting stop along the old road.  I stopped again when Sheila was with me, but we didn't stay long.  On to Barstow.

Continuing on the Barstow, Route 66 passes through Lenwood, and becomes Main Street.  As I am writing this, I am regretting that I didn't take any pictures.  There were motels that are still in commission with their noticeably older architecture but clean.  It's like stepping back in time.  We drove along Main Street, stopping off at Barstow Station.

At Barstow Station, I did take a couple of photos.  Here's one of an old railroad car.

And another photo.  We went inside to check out the various souvenirs that were on sale.  I dropped a few bucks here, picking up a few mementos.

And another view of Barstow Station.

Barstow Station at one time for me was not a pleasant memory.  In late July of 1986 my then housemate and I took a long road trip from San Jose, to Las Vegas, then Phoenix, Nogales, El Paso, Albuquerque, Kingman, and Barstow.  He really wanted to stop off at Barstow Station to eat there and me, not knowing what I was in for, was OK with it.

When we got there, it was 1:30 PMish and the "restaurant" that was there was McDonald's.  The lines were very long and the place was crowded.  We ate our meals in an old railroad car and there wasn't very much open seating in it.  I was doing the slow burn inside; failing to understand what was so great about eating a stupid Big Mac combo meal inside of an old railroad car.  After that, I swore I would never go back there again.

Years later, doing some online research about Route 66, I learned that it was more than a McDonald's and railroad cars to eat their meals in.  It was an assortment of shops, and a chance to pick up some souvenirs.  I picked up a replica of the US Route 66 sign (the Arizona version) and a sticker.  Sheila, I think, got some fridge magnets.

After that stop we were on our way again, for the next leg of the journey.

To be continued.................

Route 66! Part IV: Another Abandoned Gas Station

In my first post about Route 66, I mentioned coming across my "first" abandoned gas station.  You might think that was the Mohawk station detailed in this post, but it wasn't.  My recollection was also faulty as that I saw this gas station mentioned after I saw the Bottle Tree Ranch and not before.

I don't know what this gas station brand name was.  The colors are suggesting Gulf but I'm not sure if Gulf ever did business in California.  Regardless, this structure made for some interesting photographs.

From 11/30/11.  What brand was sold here?  Anyone know?  Also, note that the windows are intact, and reflecting perfectly the images from across the road.  This structure was behind a chain link fence and was posted for "no trespassing'.

Comfort stations, for both men and ladies.  I'm glad my camera had a zoom feature.  Photo taken 11/30/11.

On the 7/16/13 trip, I took a photo of the mailbox, mainly to establish just where on National Trails Highway that I was.  My guess is that this belongs to the house you see behind the restrooms, and that they also own the structure.

Here we have Sheila taking a photograph of what's across the street.  Yes, she gave me permission to post her photo!  I was delighted to learn on the day that I first met her that she was interested in journeys down old historic highways.  Yes.....she's a keeper!

On this one I was trying to capture my reflection in the glass.  So I sighted in my camera, and saw the upper half of my body.  Then I dropped the camera down some, took the picture, and later on realized that all I got was my noggin.  From 7/16/13.

This is what the road ahead looks like from here.  This photo taken 11/30/11.

What lies ahead?  At this point, on the 2011 trip, I knew that an adventure was in store for me; that there was more to come.  Onward to Barstow!