Day 12: June 24, 2019 Into California Comment via blog

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Anyone with any knowledge of the Clown Motel might be wondering why yesterday's journal contained no photographs of its famous neighbor. I actually did do some walking last evening in the cemetery that borders the motel but I got few pictures. I took some but the sun was coming right at the camera lens as I faced the graves and I thought I might do better this morning. The cemetery was active between 1901 and 1911. Tales of some of its more interesting occupants are told in a brochure available here. I did not seek out any particular graves and I've found little information on the grave that interested me the most. It's the one in the foreground of the last picture. It is the grave of William V. Ryan who died of some sort of fever in 1911. There seems to be nothing extraordinary about his death but the grave caught my eye. The first thing that drew my attention was the metal surrounding it but I soon realized that the marker was on the east end. Both aspects are, I believe, unique in the cemetery. Does the position of the marker mean that Ryan was buried "backwards"? If so, what was the reason? Is it connected with the sheet metal edging? I don't know the answers to any of those questions.

This was my first drive through Death Valley. As expected, the place was hot and desolate. I didn't make it to its lowest point of 282 feet below sea level, but I got close.

I had no idea just how crazy Baker, California, is. Besides being the self proclaimed "Gateway to Death Valley", it has Alien Fresh Jerky, the Mad Greek Cafe, the world's tallest thermometer, and outrageously priced gas.

From Baker it was an all expressway run to Victorville. I had not been inside the California Route 66 Museum for several years and I had arranged to meet a friend there. Delvin Harbour volunteers at the museum and came in to meet me even though this was an off day. Not only did I get a personalized tour of the museum, I got to "drive" a Model T.

Delvin is not only a museum volunteer and Route 66 fan, he is also a fan of craft beer. We follow each other on the beer tracking app Untappd. So... we met at Desert Barn Brewery for some food and brew. Can't get much better.

Twice I've had neon signs turn off while I was in the act of shooting them but tonight's experience was a new one. I spent the night in this room and the New Corral Motel. I waited in my room hoping the gorgeous neon sign would come on. After seeing most other signs in the are light up, I decided to get a shoot of the unlit sign before all the daylight was gone. As I walked toward it, the bottom half came on. I was, of course, disappointed that the raring horse was still dark but happy to the rest of the sign glowing. Then, as I snapped away at the half lit icon, the horse burst into life. And the other side works, too.

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