Trucks, trains, Route 66, and bombs....

12 Nov 2014

Luckily found this road near Ludlow, CA, that would serve as my airstrip...

That's my rig down there....

Fortunately it's right between the main BNSF railroad and the I-40 interstate highway.

I have an interest in both trains and trucks,

and enjoy the challenge of flying off-field,

 so this was ideal.

Double-stacked containers,

all coming from China,

 to supply then whole country....

I counted 140 double-decker cars on this train,, and many trains a day,

so that's a lot of commerce.

They reckon they can move a ton of freight 450 miles on a gallon of fuel!

That's really efficient!

Usually see this many trucks at once on the I-40....

The I-40 carries so many trucks that it must carry almost as much freight as the railroad.

Just incredible to think of all the commerce that's happening down there!

40% of all the stuff that the USA imports from China,

comes in through the ports of Long Beach and Los Angeles,

then feeds out across the country along these arteries. 

7.9 million 20ft equivalent containers in 2013!

It's amazing how they can organize all that activity....

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When I saw this sign of the old Route 66.

I just had to land and get a photo......

(Luckily this portion of the road was closed due to bridge repair, so no traffic....)

Later found these shots along Route 66 in Arizona.

Lots of abandoned gas stations and cafes, with lots of stories to tell....

Just existing on tourism these days.

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This is the nearby Amboy Volcanic Crater.

Also this Pisgah volcanic crater.

Being mined for building material.

The tiny isolated settlement of Amboy,

where the old Route 66 crosses the railroad.

Probably was a welcome stop on the old Route 66,

but now the I-40 has gone through 10 miles to the north,

so Amboy is pretty much deserted....

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During the night was bounced out of bed 

by BIG explosions!

And the sky lit up by sodium parachute flares....

Felt like an invasion....

Turned out it was training in the 

Marine Corps Air-Ground Combat Center just to the south....

It looked like this would be a quiet time in the desert,

but the rumble of big trucks on the highway,

the thundering trains,

and the big blasts....

All in a day in the USA........