Jim's Cycling in 2006: 04/16/2006

Ludlow to Needles to Kingman

Let's try something different and let the photos do the talking. Quick summary -- I spent the last two days riding from Ludlow to Needles (110 miles) and from Needles to Kingman (80 miles). We crossed the Colorado River today and are now in Arizona. Last night, we had a surprise visit from some NY friends who were driving around the country on their own sight-seeing tour. Ok, enough talking...

Photo Journal

Miles this year: 2281

Bagdad Buster

Today's ride to Ludlow served up some seriously rough pavement. It was a short day, in terms of mileage, but the rough road and the wind made it a substantial ride. The popular kitsch item on today's ride was the Bagdad Cafe -- a remote roadside cafe where the movie 'Bagdad Cafe' was filmed.

I enjoy the touristy things, but I am mostly interested in the abandoned and burned out stuff. I found a bit of that today, and expect a lot more tomorrow on the way out to Needles. I may try to bring the good camera with me for the Needles ride, but the route is 110 miles and we are not expecting favorable winds. Besides, if the road conditions are anything like today's ride, Buster might show up and steal my camera.

I guess today is another short blog day, as I need to be up at 4:30 tomorrow. Enjoy the photos...

Photos

An odd building in the burned-out town of Daggett.

A business(?) of some sort in Daggett.

Roadside junk just east of Daggett.

...and another.

A vista on one of the better sections of pavement...

...and a painted Route 66 road marker on that section of road.

The infamous Bagdad Cafe...

...and a shot of Rosemary with Andrea, the owner of the Bagdad Cafe

Ride Summary

Route: Barstow to Ludlow via Route 66
Distance: 53 miles

Miles this Year: 2091

Catching Up

Not much time to blog. I've had a busy evening with maintenance (bike/body repair, laundry, etc) and have to get some sleep. I had some time last night, but the Internet connections were not working at the Wigwam, so tonight I'll just post photos with lame thoughtless captions. Sorry, but no history lessons today...

Very briefly, I just finished day two on Route 66 and am in Barstow. Lot's of stoplights (294 -- really) and concrete yesterday getting out of LA. Lot's of climbing today. Looks like climbing will be a theme for a couple of weeks until we get past the continental divide. Highlight photos below.