California, Here we come …
We’re still heading west, into the last week.
A crapped out internet connection in the place that I stayed in the last two nights meant not much uploading. I’ve just made up for it with a whole slew of photos (links below) to the general group, Route 66 gallery and Abandoned America as well. If there’s one thing that I’ve learned from this trip – it’s the ability of now knowing where to find and where you can predict you’re not going to find a free or reliable internet connection. Considering the internet has been in the mainstream now for over ten years, it’s always a shock to find places with no internet.
More Route 66 driving on Friday ended with us coming through the “Ghost Town” of Oatman in Arizona. Unlike a ‘Ghost Town’ up in North Dakota which wanted me to pay $3 to get in, this one was free. But I still put it on quotes because it was the most tourist-orientated Ghost Town I’ve seen on the trip, with all the old bars & saloons lovingly restored to look like the wild-wild-west days and tried to entice you in.
Whereas what I’d really like to find it a proper Ghost Town. A place that is truly abandoned and empty and only the occasional roadtrip gawker like myself passing through to see what once was.
I’ll go back into Arizona today (Saturday) to visit Lake Havasu – home of the original London Bridge. Then, a few days exploring the sights, wonders and sounds that is Las Vegas, before heading west once more towards the Pacific Ocean.
I can reveal now that the 48th ‘same name’ place is Hyde Park in Los Angeles, and I should get there on Thursday (27th August) of next week.
Paul is with me until then, and I shall then spend a few days in L.A. chilling out and having a vacation and some time off from was has been a very busy few weeks!
After living in London for the first 33 years of my life and working for the 
So for ten weeks in June, July and August 2009, I drove 20,000 miles around the the lower 48 contiguous states of the USA visiting towns and places that shared the same name as places on The London
Hello Geoff, ooh I’m first for a change. Following you on Latitude now, that’s creepy, like some modern parents putting an electric tag on their kids, so they know where they are! Like the London Bridge photo, I have actually walked over it about 50 years ago.
Me again, I was perusing the BBC news website just now, and guess what, they are featuring Route 66. How topical : ). Apparently it was named The Mother Road by John Steinbeck in his 1939 novel ‘The Grapes of Wrath’ about the Depression. Must read it straight away!
I absolutely LOVE seeing the Route 66 photos and AZ roadtrip photos! AZ is one of my favorite places to drive and explore. Love the videos Geoff, fantastic job, you are an ace producer!! (Hi Tina/Mum!! Loved seeing you in the videos too and thanks for saving G. from the thunderstorm.)
Well.. my latitude position won’t change much now. i’ll be in Las Vegas now all weekend thru until Tuesday. Although i will go to the UFO ‘alien’ town of Rachel on Monday i think as a day-trip.
arizona is a nice state. it’s gonna be up there in my ‘top states’ list. (With Indiana still at the bottom, sorry Indiana…)
Hi Kris, Yes I am enjoying it all very much too. I love the photos, I want to be there. It keeps me amused all evening checking up on Geoff’s latest antics. That storm was very scary indeed!