Wilderness of the Mojave Desert in US. With the impressive cafe & motel sign in the background, healed by the silence of the deserted landscape.
A town along Route 66 in southern California, United States. The surrounding area is a wilderness. Extraordinary space. The nearest big town is about 100km away. Because there are only a limited number of people living there, it is “ghost town”. However the only store that remains is still open. So in that sense, the term “ghost town” is not appropriate. Personally, I have been to this place nearly ten times, and it is a special place that makes me want to come back again and again. By the way, this place was the starting point for me to wander around the surrounding wilderness.
My first visit of this town was in 1995. My purpose was not this “Amboy”, but “Bagdad” , a little west of “Amboy”. I drove a car from the west on the “Route-66”, and passing “Bagdad” without knowing. Then arrived to “Amboy”. I got burned in my eyes of the landscape of “Amboy” at that time.
One of the famous landmarks here is “Roy’s Motel & Cafe” in the center of this town. Cafe has the trademark of the signboard of “CAFE” in red letter with white background. Motel has six small huts along the Route 66. There are a big symbolic sign board of “Roy’s Motel＆Cafe” in front of the huts, and this symbolic sign board was in the advertisement on the media. In addition, this place was for the location for movies. The famous movie is “The Hitcher” (1986) and “Kalifornia” (1993).
When I have come this town at the first time in 1995, cafe and motel was in operation. I have stayed in one of the huts in this motel at the second time of visit in 1995. In 1995, person in cafe had the issue not to trust the visitors. According to the information, many youngsters who just be here only with the interests by the movies etc. had bad manners.
At that time, I was treated by the person in the shop in the same way. At the second time of visit in 1995, when I have arrived this town, sun has already gone down and neon of the “Motel & Café” already gone off. Then one person in the shop just appeared in front of me and I have asked “Can I stay at the motel?”. He has looked at me and said “It’s OK, since you do not look like a bad guy”, then I could stay. I have talked with that Mexican looking person in the next morning and I got the story mentioned above. It is my good memory.
Afterwards, motel closed and cafe is in operation, but no function as restaurant. In some period, cafe also closed. On my visit in 2018, cafe is in operation, but only with the function as shop selling drink, snack and souvenirs. According to the person in cafe, there is a plan to open the cafe with restaurant function. However, there is one issue that water facility is difficult to have, and therefore, there is no concrete plan at the moment. Person in cafe has told me, currently, there are four people living in this town. Two people is for maintenance of this town, other two people is as the railway worker.
This place is really quiet. Sometimes, people driving the “Route-66” stops, and walking around this town. However, basically no one is in this town. I can relax very well just sitting down at the place in front of the closed motel office, by seeing the landscape of this town, without thinking of anything. I can reset my mind just be here, without any sounds, with the impressive landscape of this town. During this process, I hear the engine sound by car far away, then its car is passing by in front of me, without decreasing the speed, it is really comfortable.
This is in a very inconvenient place, but recommend you to stop by, on the way to Las Vegas from Los Angeles.
In the end, I introduce the video with Amboy Road, including a part of this town (at the very last shot), please check this. You can understand this area.
Visited in 1995年, 1998, 2002, 2005, 2010, 2018
Basic Information
■ Name of Place：Amboy, California, USA
■ Homepage : https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amboy,_California
■How to get here / Input
- This place can only access by car, either Los Angeles or Las Vegas. Interstate 40 is the nearest Interstate. In case of accessing this town on the way to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, it is detoured.
- I recommend very much going to Las Vegas from Los Angeles, by car, not by air, since desert extended between Los Angeles and Las Vegas is the amazing landscape which can feel “America West”.
- It is recommended to cross “Mojave National Preserve” between Interstate 40 and 15. In this “Mojave National Preserve”, there are amazing viewpoint including ghost town.
- Distance/Time
・200mile / 320km, 4 hours by car from Los Angeles
・150mile / 240km, 2.5 hours by car from Las Vegas
