A Drive on Route 66 in Needles, California
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- Опубликовано: 15 июн 2024
- For travelers coming from the east, Needles was the first town in California on Route 66. In addition to being an important Route 66 town, Needles is also an important railroad stop and the town is filled with historic buildings, classic neon, and history. In this video we drive down the Mother Road through the town and make stops at places like El Garces, Carty's Camp, the Sage Motel, the Needles Wagon, and more.
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I was born in Needles and once lived about 50 yards from Route 66. In fact, our family dog, Yahtzee, was run over on that famous roadway, probably 55 years ago, before I-40 was built. Needles has three major things going for it these days: The Santa Fe RR, the recreational activities on the Colorado River, and a thriving marijuana farming business. Some call it "Weedles" now.
@Andrew Cohen yualll keep u
My Grandmother Grace Idella Davis, grew up in Needles, as her dad Luien worked for the Santa Fe. My grandfather Otis Neal Sr. arrived in Needles after WWI, and soon went to work for the Santa Fe. After she returned from Wilberforce University, they married. and raised their boys Otis Jr. and Kenneth in Needles. Dad worked in Real Estate, and banking throughout his career, and Kenneth became the first Black oral surgeon west of the Mississipi River in the 1950s. All have passed on, but there are those still around that knew The Davis ( including my great uncle Bertrand) and Neal families. I've been recognized in Needles, without an introduction on occasion as a Neal.
Sorry to be off topic but does anyone know of a trick to log back into an Instagram account??
I was stupid lost the account password. I would love any help you can offer me!
@Jaiden Vicente I really appreciate your reply. I got to the site on google and Im waiting for the hacking stuff atm.
Takes a while so I will get back to you later when my account password hopefully is recovered.
@Jaiden Vicente It worked and I now got access to my account again. I'm so happy:D
Thanks so much, you saved my account!
I drove through Needles from Northern IL in Aug. 1966. I had a new job in L.A., and never been but a few miles from my rural farm town on the Illinois/Wisconsin border. I pulled into that old Texaco gas station at midnight. It was 99 degrees. I couldn't believe it. I asked myself, "What am I getting into?" The trip turned out fine. Stayed in the L.A. area for 20 years. Wish I would have kept a journal of that trip on old Highway 66. Still ranks as one of the top 5 events of my life.
I stayed at a motel in Needles in 2009. The owner was a pleasant Indian man. Then I drove west across the Mojave desert. Breathtaking panoramas. There's no place like California.
Budget inn?
But it sure ain't your grandpas Calif anymore. They don't call it commiefornia for nothing. Gov Nuisance and the dumbocrats have ruined it.
Adobe Inn? In the early 80's my wife and I bought a 1960 Austin Healet 3000 in California and drove it home, cross country. The Adobe Inn was so funky that the one light in the room we turned on was the tv. It had a full size refrigerator. There was toothpaste left to dry in the sink. The towels were emblazoned with the Motel 6 logo. And yes, it was run by a nice Indian gentleman. Good times.
Many travelers may not know this: When traveling through Needles if you need gas, drive over the Colorado River into Arizona on Highway 95. After crossing over the river stay on Hwy 95 for about 2 miles, at the intersection of Hwy 95 and Courtwright Rd. you'll see 2 gas stations. Compared to Needles prices you'll save a boat load of cash when filling up your vehicles, you can thank me later...
I recently learned that all of the gas stations in Needles are owned by the same person. Yes, if you go over to Arizona, you will save about $3 per gallon today.
Needles named for the jagged, needle-like mountain peaks in the vicinity.
That old gas station may have been used in the movie, "Two lane blacktop".
My dad was a railroader from Needles. When I was a kid he worked at that texaco during a layoff from the railroad.
That exact Texaco we stopped at over ½-Century ago
I've been at that offramp several times and driven by that restored gas station. I have never seen it open. I look forward to your videos each week. Keep up the great work!
Thank you, we really appreciate it. In trying to find info I came across a picture of the garage partially open with a car half-way out, but no info beyond that. Glad its there either way though.
I haven't been to needles since the 70s its neat to see on here I miss road trips
Stopped in Needles, CA with my parents in the summer of 1970 on a road trip out west from the Chicago area. Dad was driving his then new 1970 Ford station wagon (that was a big car!). We had breakfast at the Sambo's (much like Denny's today) in Needles which I believe eventually became a Chinese restaurant. Nice look at present day Needles and the "Mother Road." Thanks for sharing!
Was driving my Daughter back home to wisconsin from Orange county california and we drove til needles california that seemed to take days in a huge budget truck my Husband and 2 cats and 2 seats.. I sat the safe way in a lawn chair in the middle.. never again drive those mountains in a budget truck..
Every summer my family and I would travel to Arizona and I use to love passing thru needles. There was a restaurant that had phones at the tables it was near a days inn that had an indoor pool. Loved needles! So nostalgic
I live here, been here since 2015
Harry Houdini’s wife, Bess, died in Needles. Needles got it’s name from the rock pinnacles mountain peaks along the Colorado river. Needles caught my attention due to the fact it had the lowest median income of all the cities within the two counties, at $31,843 as of 2020.
... My dude, if you narrated a video driving thru a car wash I would most definitely watch, probably rewatch and definitely thumbs up 👍👍...
... I'm waiting 🕑...
Motel California fire damaged the Theater ...I used to live there Years back and worked at the Needles Truck Plaza where The Wagon Wheel Restaurant is.....
So much of the architecture is so unique, we miss this. So much of what is built today is cookie cutter. Old Needles is beautiful, thanks for sharing your view.
The museum was closed due to Covid restrictions. Its open now, so please come back. I volunteer there and also do Harvey House tours.
Will definitely be back pretty soon. Can't wait to check it out.
I was out there a couple of years ago and wondered whether to go back. We've been off Covid restrictions for a while in Florida.
WeatherNation channel brought me here; it is always interesting to find new cities of the USA.
We all look for different things on 66. Right after you had explained the Claypool building, I was more interested in the liquor store at 6:20 on the left side of the street. Cool architecture that is unique to this area of the country! I don't drink, but I've stopped in just to see what it looked like inside an old building like that. Great video, thanks!
I actually regret we didn't stop there and check it out. It looked really cool but we just ran into a time crunch because of bad Google directions to Topock Maze earlier in the day. Plan on checking it out on our next drive through.
Added to my Slab City, Blythe, Needles playlist.
Thank you!
@@SidetrackAdventures Try the Dollar General parking lot. Great view from hillside.
We had to stop in Needles when we were moving to Bakersfield from Missouri in 1961. It was summer and the water pump went out in our 1960 Rambler station wagon. Dad drove around for a while and found a car parts business and he changed the water pump in the alley next to the parts store, with the UHaul trailer still hooked up to the Rambler. Quite the adventure. 😉
Needles is a nice town.
Often the hottest point in the country.
Yeah. Temps can rise up to 115-120 degrees in the summer.
Yeah. I had an early morning breakfast in Needles when I was driving to the Grand Canyon. That was in the winter though. I'd love to visit this place again.
I watch your videos to look at the scenery . Needles is a town I have many memories of when I was 19 years old. When you speed up the film I can't see much scenery.
Sorry! I didn't want the video to go on forever, that's why I sped up some of the driving footage, but RUclips will let you slow it down in your settings if you like.
So sorry that you neglected the Colorado River which makes the town much more livable than many desert towns. I encourage you to add a piece in the narration about that.
The video is about Route 66 through Needles not an overview of the whole town, so there wasn't really an opportunity to show the river since it isn't by Route 66 that far west.
7:15 park the car and hop that train. It will take you on a cool ride through the Tehachapi Loop with lots of cool scenery if you play your cards right. 8:15 great place for hoppin em, too
He did but ended up going down Cajon Pass and ended up at port of Long Beach.
Needles, like Blythe, are towns I have just drove through but never spent any time visiting. I’m most interested in visiting the El Graces Harvey House. Fascinated with the Harvey House history. Have you been to Barstow and visited the Harvey House that’s located there? That’s a beautiful restoration they did to the building. Been loving your videos thank you so much.
Yes, the Barstow Harvey House is great. I wish Needles would have added a museum like Barstow and made the El Garces more accessible.
@@SidetrackAdventures Forgot to mention that there is another restored Harvey House in the in the ghost town of Kelso. I haven’t been there in a few years but up until then it was housing the main visitor center for the Mojave National Preserve.
@@boomtownrat5106 Unfortunately it has been closed for the last year due to the pandemic, but we have checked it out a few times. They have really done a great job restoring it. The lunch counter was even open a few years ago.
Nicely detailed vid on Needles and Route 66. It reminds me of how many times I’ve actually stayed and stopped in Needles dating back to 1994 when I stayed at the vintage Palms motel across the street from the Welcome to Needles wagon (no longer open) to the first time I got to tour the empty El Garces in 2001 as part of the Route 66 75th anniversary Poker Run. Now I usually stay at Plasser’s RV park and motel on the Colorado River at western edge of town. It reminds me of the scene in the movie The Grapes of Wrath where the Joad family takes a dip in the River. Thanks for describing several buildings I’ve never noticed including the Texaco station and the Masonic building. Finally, no visit to Needles is complete without a stop at the Topock bridge crossed by the Joads on their way into California (now a pipeline bridge).
Thank you. We did stop by the bridge as well. I included some pictures in the video we posted on the Topock Maze. Wish I could have gotten a bit closer to it though.
@@SidetrackAdventures This is your first video I have seen. I’ll have to check our others.
You know that a portion of the grapes of wrath was filmed in Needles right?
@@stevenmarshall1621 Of course
And last I knew the carty's camp cabins were still standing. My Mom lived there in the 66 motel for a while around 1993-94
Worked out of Needles surveying the Colorado River and Havasu National Wildlife Refuge. Mild Winters and very hot Summers.
Last passed through Needles on a cross country road trip from Boston in 2010. There was a stretch of old motels along 66 that I didn't see in this video. Perhaps they're gone. I stayed in one for $22/night at a time when every motel I stayed at in Texas and northern New Mexico and Arizona cost at least twice that, a pleasant surprise. A few nights later I camped in Big Sur for $35, the most expensive state park camp ground I had ever seen up to that point.
I was just recently on a part of 66, on my way to BHC. I exited Palmdale rd in Victorville and drove 66 to the Barstow station. And when I got to the Needles area, I got off on Broadway and drove up to K st, to get on the 95. And then I drove to Oatman, so I spent a few moments on 66.
Only California town I've been to.
In my photo of the Needles sign, those letters were light blue.
We went back over the river the next day, toward Vegas and the flight back home.
Seems like they change them every few years. I found a photo I took years ago and the font was different too.
Just passed through Needles en route to Flagstaff, AZ watching this!
Awesome. Have a great trip!
That's a long drive! We're you driving from Barstow?
@@gamerboi9000...... No. Santa Maria, CA. I got to Flagstaff at 2AM, and it was cold AF! Like 20 degrees.
I have stopped at the wagon wheel restaurant back in the early 90’s when I was doing east coast to west coast trucking. Was a good place to eat.
I've been back and forth to needles countless times to visit family since 99 and never knew about these gems(minus the wagon wheel). definitely checking them out on the next visit.
You should do some research on when General Patten with his tanks was in Needles.
Hello, my grandfather was the one who lived at the texaco gas station. He has recently passed but i can provide some extra information. The land its is owned by one of his friends, his grandfather sometime in the 1940s or 1950s as i recall, built that gas station and operated it for some years. It fell into disrepair but between my grandfather and his friend it was restored into the texaco gas station you see today, it is not open but inside is a personal garage where my grandfather would build custom chevy squarebody trucks. It looks different today but the vehicles you saw there are some of the ones he was building or working on. P.S about those trains, grandpa hated those trains, some night 2 or 3 would pass through needles, shaking the house and making sleep difficult.
If you have any further questions i will do my best to answer them, barring any personal information of course.
I get a lot of enjoyment from your channel.
Good job, and greetings from Sydney
Awesome! Thank you!
In the 90s, I actually lived on Route 66 in San Bernardino, California. Dangerous place.
My friend lived in San Berndino for years. She recently sold her home and moved to Tennessee. It was getting too dangerous for family to live in San Berndino.
I haven't been to Needles in several years. Thanks for sharing!
You’re welcome 😊
On RTE 66 in needles, they even have 2 old 4 face stop lights! Seen at 6:17 and 3:19
Thanks for the sidetrip, love the info.
Nice quick view of Needles. Route 66 has a few great sections remaining where the Interstate bypassed the old road. A bit west on Hwy 66, I rode in a 1915 Model T in 2015 by Goffs, where the pusher locomotives helping loaded freights up out of the river valley dropped off and turned back to Needles. More great history preserved at the Goffs Schoolhouse.
I am a train addict - one of my very first Christmas presents back in the mid 50s was a train and I've loved them every since - I'd choose to stay in that motel looking out at the trains going by - i prefer the older ones of course - fantastic whistle sounds throughout day & night - thank you for showing them
I really like the low key informative delivery style. I have travelled Utah and Nevada and Arizona so I am familiar with some of the places you visit but I certainly know the harsh conditions and long distances involved in desert 🌵 travel 👍
Great video of this section of Route 66 ~
Looks like great fun ~ you are certainly knowledgeable of everything along the way ~ awesome !
Thank you for sharing your road trip adventures ~
The sage Motel looked like it would
Have been a cool place to stay back in the day ~
Will def check and see your next adventure ! 🚙🚂 Love the trains !
Just started to watch your videos - they are very interesting! I'd wondered what that line of 'blocks' was early in the video - so many freight trains!!!
Great video thanks.
Love the the stage coach and old gas station.
Looks like another town who’s best days are behind it.
I was there with my parents in 2002. My father and I watched the contrails and looked at the mountains. I miss a shot of the mountains that I believe give the town its name
I hope they make that Texaco gas station restored and back in business with the original vintage Texaco gas pumps.
I’m watching because I’m working here from out of town and you can probably guess what am I here for…that’s right building more railroads lol
What a wonderful video!! Also, I’m glad to see that Needles & Rte 66 played a role in The Peanuts Gang 👍 ❤️
Spike and Charles Brown👍
Your channel is so cool!
You make it so interesting
Awesome video!
Have stayed in needles traveling from Ft Bliss back in the day .
My mom and sister were born there until they moved to Blythe in the early 60's. My great grandmother used to work at the El Garces when she came here from Poland. I still have a lot of family that lives in the area. I remember when we lived in Blythe we always came up to Needles on the 95 (Cali side). Since there was only one restroom stop in Vidal Jct sometimes we stopped alongside the highway and do our business right there. Have you done a video of Blythe (I-10) and/or the 95 between Needles and Blythe. Thanks for the videos.
Very very nice 👍🤔
The pioneer cemetary is on the other side of I-40 on the eastern end of this video. Just continue past the freeway entrance for half a mile or so and it is on the right. The last leg of 66 before crossing the river (old bridge is gone now) is the last exit on the freeway before entering AZ. On this road is a mobile home park and the Pirates Cove resort.
this looks ideal, small and away from big city b.s. but also well accommodated with businesses and services.
Oh no way man; the prices of fuel was already high in the West Coast of the US .... here in the East Coast we didn't get a price increase until the end 2021 CE or even beginning of 2022 CE.
CA fuel is highly refined to keep pollution down. It is more expensive but you also get more mpg.
Also, one of the hottest places in the US and famous for having the highest gas prices in the country!
Geographic monopoly on gas stations lol
@@scottanno8861 you can drive right across the bridge into AZ and fill up for a dollar less a gallon.
@@clintsanderson6019 Isn't that like a 30 minute drive?
@@scottanno8861 3 minutes tops.
I worked in the SW area for a year and never saw anyone at the Texaco in Needles. It's an odd town with abnormally high fuel prices. Nice people but that odd vibe. Approx 100 trains a day travel the SW Trans Con. From Needles the line travels SW then back up to Ludlow before Dagget and Barstow. The Wagon Wheel Cafe has great food, especially breakfast.
If you scoot over the Arizona state line (couple of miles from I-40) there’s a gas station named Thalypo that has much cheaper gas prices. You go straight past the Texaco station you saw in the video and through a traffic light, then turn left at the next traffic light, go across the bridge over the Colorado river, and it’s about 1.5 miles further on the right. I stop there every time I’m going through Needles to fill up. Avoid the high-priced stations along the I-40 service road.
They are at 1520 CourtWright road.
@@riveneva1519 💯
You found my home Depot. I was in Montana for 10years now im back home. #ImaRiverRat
I had to do a “double take” at the part with garages built into the hill
The Brown family got Snoopy in Needles and moved to Ohio. (correct me if I’m wrong) Charlie Browns father was a barber!
Snoopy’s brother Spike lives in Needles, California.
back when lots of stick shift cars and trucks
💪👍🏼🤠🌵
If you were drag racing in the summer in around 1963 you almost killed my mom and I. You never turned around to see if we were ok. You ran us off the road. We stayed at the first hotel on the right for the night. That’s my memory of Needles. I was 13 years old.
Seemed pretty dumpy when I had to stop for gas coming back from LV. Nicer than Barstow tho, I'll say that for it.
Gateway to Laughlin, NV.
🙂
At 3:06 just passed my house.
Burger hut and Pizza Hut who would think?
That's on hill have eyes bro
its not the same no more , the charisma was different
I like what I 👁👁
Nothing will happen. . Teflon Joe . . . Nothing Sticks
Wrong Page Sorry
The name itself sounds terrible. If somebody was naming a town even a genius could never scramble up something as off kilter as Needles. A torrid place where heatstroke becomes a marathon. But Yuma and 29 Stumps could even be worse.
THE REAL ROUTE 66 ENDED IN LOS ANGELES... AT 7TH AND BROADWAY. FACT!!!!😎