Barstow, California, on Rte 66, is one of hundreds of towns in this country left stranded by the construction of the interstate highway system. The shopping district along Rte 66 would break your heart with its closed shops, restaurants, and motels.
The enormous rail-yard, with at least fifteen tracks serving freight trains, speaks to its more successful past as does the famous Harvey House Hotel at the edge of the tracks, now deserted and for sale.
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A fresh new mural on the side of a building caught my eye as it depicted the route of the trail we were following from Salt Lake City to Los Angeles.
As Rte 66 continued through Hodge, Helendale, Oro Grande, and Victorville, the effects of the interstate by-pass were evident everywhere.
At Victorville we ran into a lot of flooding. The heavy rains, flooding, and fog forced a change in our plans to cross the San Gabriel Mountains into Riverside by taking the original route that Alonzo had followed. Our trip over Cajon Pass on I-15 was tense enough in the torrential rain and fog, but I was disappointed to miss seeing what Alonzo saw.
From Alonzo’s journal,” Packed 15 Miles toward the Sierra Nevada Mts. in full view. The pass for us in sight. All is very grand appearance. We left the Mohave River this morning and bid it farewell. Our allowance is very scanty, but we shall soon be in the land of beef and beans where we can get enough to eat.
“Marched 11 miles. Today we descended a terrible hill into the pass or gorge (and that wonderful and majestic) called the Cahoon (Cajon) Pass of the Sierra Nevada Mts. Traveled down the canyon in the bed of a creek and over rocks no mortal man scarcely ever saw before. . . Got the last we had for supper and that not enough for one man, and lay down on the ground to sleep, being very tired and hungry still. I am a little lame.
“Fine beautiful weather and plenty of green grass. The valleys are green on the western side of the California Mts. Encamped at what is called the Grape thicket where there is dried grapes in abundance and green fields of sweet delight.
"Marched 8 miles to Mr. Rubidoes (Rubidoux) ranch (in Riverside). The first settlement I have seen in California. The buildings are built of adobe, sun dried bricks, flat roofs. We got supper of milk, corn bread, beef and pumpkin sauce. I relished it. The best meal I ever eat. Very hungry and tired. The climate is salubrious. Large herds of cattle and horses are grazing in sweet green fields . . .They work their oxen with sticks tied to their horns for yokes. The ranch house looks more like an old dobie fort than anything else. A clay floor throughout. A large porch all around it. The whole of the building is very large and barn like.”
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