Old US Route 66
Amboy - Roy's Motel
& Cafe
Jump to: 2007 Update -
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Just a couple of miles
past the Amboy Crater, you'll come across a true relic of Route 66's
heyday: Roy's Motel and Cafe. The bold, red (and once upon a time,
neon-lit) sign demands your attention from a mile away. Once you
get closer, you can't help but follow the arrow into the parking lot.

Roy's is
pretty much the only thing in Amboy, and Amboy is pretty much a ghost
town. During my visit, I saw only a few passing cars, but no other
signs of life. The cafe was closed, the gas pumps shut off, the motel
long abandoned.
But,
things may be about to change. On May 5, 2005, less than a month
after my stop here, Roy's got a new owner. Albert Okura, the owner
of a southern California restaurant chain Juan Pollo, paid
$425,000 for the entire 690 acre city. The Burris family, who had
owned Amboy for decades, chose to sell to him, because he has promised
to slowly restore the town. You can read all about the deal in the
Press Enterprise, which is where I found this information.
For the
moment at least, all of Amboy's buildings stand frozen in time.

It appears that the former
owners moved the café into the old gas station. The pumps outside
were locked.


A few hardy desert plants
still grow, even bloom, in a flowerbed in the parking lot.

It's hard to tell just how
fast things will change at Roy's, now that the entire town has been
sold. During my visit, the motel cottages looked to be in fairly
good condition, considering they haven't been maintained in years.
Only junk remained inside the old motel office.

Back when Interstate 40
didn't exist, and cars raced non-stop down old 66, hundreds of people
lived in Amboy. So, the town had everything you'd expect,
including a school.

Across the street, next to
the post office, a boarded-up church still stands, although the steeple
is a bit slanted. Look closely and you'll see a train passing over
the tracks that parallel much of old route 66.

While
California hasn't done a great job of maintaining Route 66 in some
places, it has found a great way of marking the old highway. These
stencil-painted signs can be found every few miles, including one on the
outskirts of Amboy.
After
you're done experiencing Amboy, drive back over the railroad tracks, and
turn south, headed for Twentynine Palms, and Joshua Tree National Park.
If you've timed your day just right, you should make it into the park
before sunset.
 
Amboy Update: November 2007
I'm
thrilled to report that in November '07 I was able to return to Amboy,
and the place is looking much better!

The new owner (mentioned
above) has done some general tidying up and painting. The cafe is
sort-of open: there were a couple of folks running the place, and
selling t-shirts and bottled water (but no food yet). The
restrooms (behind and to the left of the cafe) are open. All the
junk that was piled in the motel office has been removed, although that
building still isn't being used.

The cottages look as if
they've received a fresh coat of paint on the outside...

...but they're still
run-down on the inside (some of the windows are either open or broken so
you can see inside).

The big "Roy's" sign is
still in great condition...

...although the plastic
Cafe sign (which was already broken in '05) is almost completely gone.
It was
great to step inside and talk to the folks who are keeping the doors
open. It looks like Amboy might just rise again.
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This is to alert you that the Amboy
post office is on the chopping block. The Essex post office
closed a few years ago, and now Amboy! We need to try to
save it, got any ideas ???
--- Terry F. (From Daniel: It would
indeed be a shame to lose the post office. I know many people who
visit this page have great ideas and a powerful sentimental connection
to Amboy, so let's hear those ideas!)
I took a motorcycle ride to Amboy on
Saturday, 5 August 2006. I hadn't been there since the 1940's
and early 1950's. I was greeted by Larry....and asked if I
needed a cold water. I accepted......and 2 1/2 hours later rode
home to Palm Springs. It rates on "one of my best rides" list.
The nostalgia......and the vision of the the new owners as
shared by Larry, made me feel lucky to have lived during "Roys"
time. The hope for the future of Roy's and Amboy will be in my
best wishes. Larry was a great ambassador. My plans are to visit
again. I can't recall meeting a stranger on a whim ride and
covering so many topics in a 2 1/2 hour talk......which included
many meetings with other travelers. Hard to describe but great
to remember.
If you will, please pass my note to the new owner.......in hopes
it will encourage him to fulfill the restoration.
--- Don
(From Daniel: Don, I certainly hope the new owner reads this. A
great story, thanks.)
If people would like to help save the Amboy
Post Office, they can write to John Platt, c/o San Diego
Customer Service, 11251 Rancho Carmel Drive, San Diego, CA
92199. And it seems they are taking complaints by mail at:
Postmaster, Julian, CA 92036-9998. The more mail the
better. Please help stop the further demise of small town
America. Thank you and God bless America.
--- Terry F.
"My folks went to fort ord in June 1963 I was 13. i
remember it was like 85 degrees at 10pm at night when we stopped in
Amboy and stayed over night. I have post cards and pictures from 1963 in
the attic. I realize how neat it is to see all this on the internet now.
I plan on retiring soon and plan on a route 66 trip. haven't seen any of
this for 45 yrs. it was a different world then..."
--- Ron Aaroen
"I was stationed at 29 palms from 1956
until 1958. I live in Indiana and 3 times I came to Amboy to
catch the greyhound bus to come home on old route 66. I have
great memories of those trips. Glad Amboy is still on the
map." --- Anonymous
"I have good news! Just past Amboy... in
the tiny spot called
Chambless...there IS a trailer park! With FULL HOOKUPS! It is
run by Walt
and he has a really nice set up out there. Check him out! A
really nice guy!" --- Deborah
We went on a trip in Sept. (2007) & on the way
home through Amboy our trailer broke down. We were stranded
there for hours waiting for the repair man to come. We met Larry
and he was the most. He went all out to help us & every one that
came by. We had to stay the night & Larry plugged our electric
into his home. All the people that live around there were so
nice to us. And I couldn't believe all the tourist that stopped
by just to see Amboy. Please keep the post office going. Those
people there need it & we would like to see the town thrive
again. Thanks again Larry for all you did for us, & every one
that stopped by. ---Jo Crawford
In '96 on my first motorcycle ride along
the 'Mother Road' I happened onto Roy's on my way to Santa
Monica from Virginia. Thirsty, Hungry, and overheated on that
mid-afternoon in early September ride from Needles, Roy's was a
surprise and a more than welcome sight. After a few iced teas,
and probably the best Cheeseburger ever, I continued on way
refreshed, refueled, and smiling. Since then, I've made five
more rides from east coast to west coast over that same stretch
of desert '66' and each time I have been hopeful, but
disappointed to find that oasis in the desert still closed up.
With the re-awareness and increasing interest in travel on the
Mother Road, there are more than a few of us that would love to
see Roy's revived and reopened for business. Since I first
stopped there years ago, I have wanted to spend at least one
night at the motel followed by breakfast in the diner.
I hope it's there for all of us on my next trip west from
Needles.
--- Bob
Amboy is an awesome little town. My parents
live in California, and I live in Nevada. So when I come to
visit them I take the back roads from Cima, California then thru
Kelso, California and into Amboy. It is a beautiful ride along
Route 66. The Shoe Tree gets larger every years and I take a
picture everytime. It is awesome to look at and I hope it is
never removed. Amboy is looking awesome to, new paint, and
little rooms to stay at. They look like they are open but cannot
be sure. As for the Post Office it would be a shame to close
such an historic landmark. It needs to stay open for those in
the area who still live close by. Those people do not need to
drive 25 to 50 miles to get there mail. Amboy is a great little
town with wonderful people. Thank you for wonderful memories
each and every time I visit, which is at least 2 or 3 times a
year. Thanks,
--- Luwana Faulkenburg
I used to live and work in Amboy. The
people there were wonderful, and I wish I'd never left. Life was
simple. We would have monthly potlucks at the school and
everyone came. I worked in the diner and a woman who lived with
her family at the salt plant, and made lunches for the kids at
the school would watch my daughter everyday for me. I really
miss the closeness we all shared.
--- Jeri
My mom and dad grew up in Amboy when it was
booming town before the 40 Freeway was built, my grandma's and
grandpa's house was by Hills brothers no longer there but its
wonderful memories for my mom when she goes out there. I've been
through there a couple of times on my way to Las Vegas. I
stopped there to get a cold drink and have used the post office
there, it would be a shame to close it.
--- Rebecca
March 07, 2008: My wife and I have been by
Amboy many times, on this trip out to Amboy Crater we saw that
the gas station was open and servicing gas and diesel.
--- Alex
In 1978-1981 I was assigned to the Needles Desert Substation with the
San Bernardino County Sheriff's Dept. When things were really slow we
would take the road from the cut-off at Mountain Pass and head off to
Goffs and Essex. A couple of times we would meet with the 29 Palms
Deputies for a mail or prisoner run exchange. Knowing that we could
refuel on water and a great sandwich or burger we would leave a little
early in order to beat the 29 Stumps (our namesake for the Palms) Deputy
in order to enjoy the company and food at Roy's. The last time I passed
through Amboy was in 2005 and a plethora of emotions and memories surged
up, reminding me of the greatest days of my career in law enforcement,
and the people whom I chose to serve and protect in that short time
period in my 26 year career. I now am a teacher and I regale the history
of Amboy and places like it to my students as what America, and
California specifically, were made of in the early days. I plan to
revisit Roy's
sometime in the spring (my wife doesn't fare well in the heat) and to
actually slow down and walk the grounds and visit an old friend.
-- Curtis Ward
As a boy in the 50s and growing up in calif , I saw Amboy at its
best, and have seen it deserted. a few weeks ago i was through it and
now see much improvement. Forget the interstate,with its trucker
bombs"bottles of urine" and drive route 66 ,take the highway thats the
best, it keeps getting better out there.
-- Michael D. Haskins
I also remember this place. Looks like cousin Ron was reminiscing,
like myself.
It's quite the place. My understanding is that it's still there, time
truly has stood still. 1963 was a great year, I remember them visiting
us in Fort Ord, California.
-- Roy Aaroen
I have been to Amboy a hundred or so times since 1982. It is a
special place on the road for me and my family. It would be great if the
motel could open again. With the right marketing this place could become
profitable again.
-- Tim Allison
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California US Route 66 Mother Road Amboy Ghost Town Roy's Motel
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