Old US Route 66
Amboy - Roy's Motel
& Cafe
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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.
Tip:
Some of Amboy's old residents, and many loyal travelers, have
posted their thoughts about, and memories of, the town on
this website. Scroll down to see the lengthy thread of
messages. The website was never intended to serve as a
message board about Amboy, but rather, to display pictures taken
there. However, it's drawn such a crowd, there are now new
postings about the town all the time. |
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 |
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Day 4
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California US Route 66 Mother Road Amboy Ghost Town Roy's Motel
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