"It's just you, me, and America"

This is what Elfrida said to me today, as we crossed the Mojave Desert, travelling from Needles to San Bernardino, California.  We encountered practically no other travellers, and we never left San Bernardino County, which is the largest in California with some 20,000 square miles.

A view south across the Mojave desert.  Notice the horizontal striations visible in the distance.  This is natural, not man-made.  I'll ask a geologist why.

The road is bordered to the north by a berm that buries a fiber optic cable.  People collect colored stones to spell out names, political humour, etc. on the berm.  I'm not a fan of graffitti or other "public art" but this seems pretty harmless.

The Road Runner Restaurant, rusting and resting in ruins.

More public art.  This is the Shoe Tree.  It is the only tree taller than 6 feet for miles around, and unluckily close to the road.

Amboy Crater, a volcano that last erupted about 10,000 years ago.  A freight train is in the foreground.

A Route 66 classic, lovingly restored by a local millionaire.  The gas station/cafe is operational; the motel is mainly a movie set for now.

It's not a trick of perspective - the roof really is angled.  Very 60's.

Amboy Crater.  Its about 1500 feet in diameter.  The hike from here to the crater and back is 3 hours. 

Something lives here; these holes are about 4 inches wide.

Lots of bug guts on the bumper.  I've been scraping the windshield at every fillup.  It may be a desert but it's certainly not lifeless.

Iconic cafe appearing in many Hollywood classics.

Unusual roof.

Giant Alert: The parrot on this sign is about 12 feet tall.  The gasoline price is 1950's. 

Pretty mountains in background; more berm art in foreground.  This is not my best composition but when I moved to get a better shot, I heard a rattlesnake rattle and backed away.

Just north of the road.  We found out about this place from the Billy Connolly series.

Local artist and eccentric Elmer Long welds branches to steel pipes, sets them in concrete, and decorates them with bottles.  A friend stuck a broken mining pick in the top of one, so Elmer now puts something special atop each one.

Elfrida with Elmer Long.  Cheerful, talkative guy, he came out of his house to talk with us.

"Bring us a shrubbery!"  (This will only make sense to Monty Python fans.)

After this, we came down the Cajon Pass into San Bernadino, exiting the desert and entering the suburban edge of the vast greater Los Angeles area.