Amboy Crater

 Last weekend, Ed and I visited my mom and family (sister, brother-in-law, brother, mom, and Nic) in Laughlin, Nevada. It was great to see everyone and get together.

Eddie and I drove through the desert both there and back.

Amboy "Crater" from the road.

On the way back, we drove past Amboy Crater. Now, I had no idea that this was an extinct volcano - a "cinder cone." Given the name, I assumed it was a crater. It is not.

Before I-40 was built from Barstow, CA, to Needles, CA, Route 66 passed right next to Amboy Crater. Apparently, it was pretty popular back in the day to stop here and tell the folks back home you climbed a crater.

Near Amboy, on Route 66, is the ex-town of Amboy. It was a stop on the Route where you could get gas and spend the night. From 1831 to 1957, the road through Amboy was a critical gas stop. Today, if you miss filling up on I-40 at either end (Barstow or Needles), you have about 78 miles without a service station. (It was 99 or 109 miles without services for decades.) About halfway between Baker and Needles, Amboy is still a gas stop. You must exit I-40 to get there, but it is still important to some travelers.

Looking East

Looking West

The "googie" style building was a market / diner / souvenir store. Covid killed it.

If you don't know, "googie" is an overtly futuristic style of architecture. It may not look like it now, but it was famous for a while. Below is a sample of the style.