Holy Ground Blog

4.4.23

A Stop on Route 66

I often travel to SoCal via the Mohave desert... through Kelso Junction then south under I-40 and eventually hitting a junction with old Route 66. From there, it's 5 miles west until the next junction at Amboy. This "town" has always seemed abandoned, but this February, there was some action going on... a functioning gas station and lots of restoration to the old "motel".

Roy's is happening again, sort of... Nice Lincoln on display. The cabins are now spiffed up, but I don't think they function yet... The stylish lobby area is filled with fifties memorabilia and is fun to explore (from the outside, no way in yet).

An official van is another indicator of some restoration going on. Don't know what the future will bring, but good to see this stop along Route 66 preserved.

And for a little meditation as you leave town...

From Amboy, it's a drive straight south to 29 Palms... and Utah Street which leads to the highway to Palm Springs, or, for more adventure, across the highway to an entrance to Joshua Tree National Park.

23.1.23

Some Travel Notes from the Holidays

As we have for several years, we flew to Maui at the beginning of December. This year was special since my son and daughter-in-law joined us. Besides all the usual activities, involving the expenditure of lots of money, I finally got my wish to do a hike around La Perouse Bay. The trail is the beginning of the King's Highway and is generally known as the Hoapili Trail.

Crossing miles of lava field was no treat, but I got some good pics of the steep shoreline. First is the "kids" on the trail...

Then a couple features along the trail...

As you hike around the point, the southwestern most point of Maui, another bay comes into view, and the trail continues for several miles to the town of Hana.

On the way back, I ran into a herd of mountain goats. These were dark colored, and blend in with the surroundings so are kinda hard to see.

Speaking of spending money, I got talked into a dinner cruise on a large catamaran. And it was worth it, calm water, whale spotting, a nearly full moon, good food and drink... really quite special.