Day 12 the road to La La land

 Captains Log Day Twelve

The road to La La land.

Most of the day was spent driving through hot, arid desert with the occasional stop for drinks and food.  Breakfast was a priority after missing it at the hotel.  Probably a blessing as we found a great authentic diner on Route 66 for omelettes and hash browns. 

After hours on the desert roads we stumbled across the town of Amboy.  Maybe town is an over exaggeration. The complete town with a population of 18, consisting of a near derelict motel, garage and post office is for sale for 2.2 million.   

During our travels I have started rating portaloos which are strategically placed in car parks at most tourist stops.  To date most have scored around 5 or 6 out of 10.  The only exception to this was at the Grand Canyon when the whole experience left me quite speechless.  It is important to note that these facilities are unlike the good old rent a loo found in Britain but basically seats covering a large putrid hole or large open tank.  At the Grand Canyon there was no sound as you left your mark but a gust of wind blowing upward that made your ears flap.  That scored an 8 for authenticity.  As for Roy’s at Amboy well that was a zero based on the fact it was probably last emptied when England won the World Cup.

When Billy Connolly made his series about Route 66 he visited The Bottle Tree Ranch in the middle of the desert, so it was definitely on our list for a stop.  This bizarre place is the creation of Elmer Long who sadly died in 2019.  The  ranch is literally a forest of bottles made from metal posts with bottles hanging from them and other objects dotted around.   There is no rhyme or reason to it but it’s captivating and madly eccentric.  There is no charge to enjoy one man’s mission just to make people smile.  Bless him.

We finally hit the outskirts of L.A  after an epic days travelling of 320 miles.  How Peter managed to negotiate the 6 lanes of traffic during rush hour, after hundreds of miles of empty roads, will remain a mystery to me forever.