DWTH Day 43: Amboy and Beyond

Daily Miles: 20.5, Total Miles: 671.1

I slept well and was ready to hit the trail into Amboy. But first I did a workaround the “exposure” section out of the Bristol Mountains. At the top, great views of the volcanic plains, Amboy and the Amboy Crater. I could see and hear the faraway trains.

Got down to the flats and into Amboy along the old Route 66, first checking out Roy’s airport and the single prop plane there. A short time later, I saw it buzzing around.

Into Roy’s Cafe and Motel, where there is now no cafe or motel, but a gas station (nearly $7/gallon) and small store with a few food items but really more of a Route 66 tourist shop. My intact resupply box was there waiting for me – thanks guys! I bought a jug of water and a few snacks and reorganized on a picnic table just outside the front door.

I retreated across Route 66 to the now defunct Amboy post office. Not in business, but the outdoor power outlets were still working so I sat against the building, charged my phone, planned the next section and watched the tourists coming and going.

After the recharge, I headed to the Amboy Crater to have a peek, a 250′ high, 1,500′ diameter dormant cinder cone volcano estimated to be 79,000 yrs old. Very cool, but I then had to pick my way across the volcanic cobble and the Bristol Dry Lake to Amboy Road and a water cache.

I camped well off the road on a quiet, still night except for the distant coming and going trains which didn’t bother me much.