We had passed by The Trees Of Mystery, just outside Klamath in the far north of California, on our way up Highway 101 to get to Crescent City. You could not miss the giant fibreglass statues of Paul Bunyan and his beloved pet, Babe the Blue Ox standing in the well manicured gardens of the car park to this roadside attraction.
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We were excited to visit. When we arrived, we took our time walking around the huge statues and acquainting ourselves with the story of Paul Bunyan, the famed giant, plaid-jacketed, big booted, lumbering lumberjack of North American folklore, and his pet Blue Ox, Babe.

It was fitting that Paul Bunyan and Babe stood there welcoming us to the Trees of Mystery as the history and traditions of logging and particularly the carving of large hunks of wood into works of art was told as we walked along the interpretative trails.

I was actually familiar with Paul Bunyan. In the movie Fargo, a carved, rugged statue of him is glimpsed covered in snow as the murderers pass through the North Dakota town in the dead of winter. In fact I can't think of Paul Bunyan without also thinking of one of my absolute favorite actresses, Frances McDormand, in her Oscar winning role as Marge Gunderson in the movie.

You betcha!

I am also familiar with the iconic "Muffler Men" molded out of fiberglass, inspired by Paul Bunyan, that stand in gas station forecourts along my beloved Route 66 and other slightly decrepit byways in North America. Originally, the first 'Muffler Man" was created to carry an axe, appropriate for Paul Bunyan, but later the axe was replaced with the giant fiberglass man holding a muffler, tire, huge wrench or some other car related object as an advertisement to draw customers off the road to take a break from their journey, stop for some food and for some car maintenance. You can read more about the "Muffler Men" in my Route 66 photographic journey through Arizona.  You may need to scroll down until you arrive at the Flagstaff photos and the pics of the giant men. Check it out here.

Once upon a time the original folk tales Of Paul Bunyan began with American loggers sharing exaggerated stories around cosy campfires of a giant axman who could fell tall trees with a single chop. Their tales became embedded in to local lore, bringing awe and appreciation to the hard logging work they did across America, with their own sweat, spit and bare hands.

The loggers' stories of Paul Bunyan, strong and handsome with a chiseled jawline, over seven feet tall, with a stride of seven feet in length, striding across the plains, through the forests, doing the work of many were passed down, mouth to mouth, in the honored tradition of folk tales. According to their stories Paul Bunyan carved the Grand Canyon with his axe, created the Great Lakes as a personal drinking bowl for Babe, and if you keep a careful watch, you might be lucky enough to see Paul Bunyan riding Babe like a cowboy. Oh yeah!

At 49 feet high, the statue of Paul Bunyan at the Trees of Mystery is the tallest statue of the folklore hero in America. The stuff of legends! 

We made our way to the trails and spent a happy day meandering through the wide variety of trees, almost like a tree exhibition, crowded together for our enjoyment. One of my favorites was the ancient giant Redwood named the Brotherhood Tree.  It is one of the largest and oldest living things on the planet. It was named in hope for the brotherhood of man. It is over 2000 years old, 19 feet in diameter, 60 feet in circumference and 297 feet tall. Wow! We were awestruck standing next to a living entity that had been growing for much of recorded human history. We also enjoyed the Candelabra Tree, Elephant Tree and Cathedral Tree. 

Henry spotted Bigfoot, banana slugs and a giant mosquito.

I loved the "I love you" sign.

We had enormous fun bouncing our way along the 100 feet high aerial netted suspension bridges and platforms in the canopy of the Redwoods.  Of course Henry and Kim jumped as high and hard as they could (as if they were in a lift!) on the ropey bridges to make us all jiggle and giggle. Even the kids were laughing at us! Fun!

Henry grabbed my phone and took these lovely, flattering shots. Anyone else have a family member who takes daft pics?

Next we headed for the Skytrail where we took a gondola up the forested hillside, about 1/3 of a mile and 1,570 feet up, through the tallest of trees with a spectacular view at the top where you could see the Pacific Ocean glinting in the distance and incredible views of the Klamath River and back country. At the summit there was an observation deck called Ted's Ridge, where we took in the panoramic vistas.

We finished the day touring the most amazing Native North American Museum. After the Heard Museum in Phoenix, this has to be my favorite museum of tribal artifacts. It was truly incredible. More about the museum in my next blog post.

​This was a memorable day and once again, the trees were the stars.

Another Route 66 treasure is Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch in Oro Grande, a spit away from Victorville in California.

This place is pure joy.

The wacky humor, whimsical creativity and colorful artistic ingenuity of the ranch immediately captured my quirky imagination. Made of tall metallic trees with welded rusty boughs topped with dazzling glass bottles glinting in the sunlight, tinkling hanging mobiles and moving art pieces, all made from repurposed, recycled glass and a hodge podge of everyday household objects; bicycle wheels, kitchen utensils, old TV sets, discarded tools, even a rusty old jeep and right at the back of the funky forest of delights, a huge satellite dish.

Elmer's Bottle Tree Ranch traces its origins back to the 1960's when artist Elmer Long began transforming his desert property into a captivating showcase of repurposed glass and other discarded objects to delight and inspire passing visitors on Route 66. Clearly it was a passion project. Today it stands as a living testament to the vibrant culture and history of The Mother Road embodying the spirit of resourcefulness and resilience that defined the highway's heyday, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. 

Home of the famous Buffalo Burger, the Bagdad Café is a ramshackle building filled with unexpected delights. Located in Newberry Springs on Route 66, between Ludlow and Barstow where you can hear the train horns from the railroad and the truck horns from the I40 yet still feel as if you are in the middle of nowhere, it is utterly charming in that quirky, vintage, a-bit-broken-down-and-deserted Route 66 way.

Of course we had to stop.

Bagdad Café gained cult status particularly, for some reason in Scandinavia, after the German arthouse comedy movie "Bagdad Café" was released in late 1987. Starring Marianne Sagebrecht as Jasmin Munchgstettner, CCH Pounder as Brenda-at-the-end-of-her-tether and Jack Palance as ex-Hollywood scenic artist Rudi Cox, the movie tells the story of an abandoned German tourist dropped off in a desert motel and café bringing mayhem and joy to the staff, guests and patrons. You can watch the trailer or even rent or buy the movie here. The song "Calling You" by Jevetta Steele from the movie soundtrack was nominated as Best Original Song at the 1989 Oscars. Check it out here.

If you look closely at the photo, you can see the Airstream Trailer from the previous post to the left of the café. Featured in the movie, it was the trailer lived in by the character played by Jack Palance. 

Stepping inside the café is like stepping back in time, into the movie itself. Notes from various different currencies from around the world are stapled to the walls and serve as a well-worn-wallpaper, an old, original juke box stands at the entrance, the counter, with the original bar stools, stretches the length of the café, while small leatherette booths in the back complete the scene. 

Food and drinks were no longer served, but the current owner Andrea Pruett was happy to chat with visitors. She encouraged her guests, mostly enthusiastic Europeans, delighted to play out a scene at "Bagdad Café," to pose behind the counter holding a Route 66 shield. It was pure Route 66 kitsch. Brilliant!

Henry was astonished that I held Andrea's hand, chatted with her as if we were old friends and gave her a big hug as we departed, with Andrea insisting that she 'wave us goodbye.' 

"Do you know her?" Henry asked.

I do now. 

I found this Airstream Trailer repurposed as a little shop full of homemade knick knacks parked right outside the legendary Bagdad Café between Ludlow and Barstow on Route 66 in San Bernardino County, California.

​I thought it was gorgeous!

Shaped like a little silver bullet, the Airstream Trailer never seems to age. The design of these little beauties is impeccable.

​Of course I was hoping Matthew McConaughey was hiding inside, as he is a famous Airstream enthusiast. Alas, he was not. Just a lovely couple, having a lovely time, in a lovely cloud of marijuana. Lovely.

We drove a stretch of Route 66 starting at Roy's, passing through Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Barstow and finally Victorville, chasing trains and trucks on the I40 across the desert as they thundered towards the west coast of America. 

Roy's Gas Station, Motel and Café is an iconic stop on Route 66.

Against the wilderness of the Mojave Desert, in a tiny ghost town called Amboy, in San Bernardino County in California, the gorgeous vintage neon sign advertising Roy's looms to beckon weary travelers to stop and find rest and refreshments on historic Route 66.

I adore Roy's.

We arrived, parked up and even in the hellish heat, we took the time to wander around the gas station forecourt, chatting with bikers and sightseers, mostly about the price of gas, but sharing our love of 'The Mother Road' and how cool it was to be at the legendary Roy's. I wandered around the motel and snapped a boat load of pictures until my trusty iPhone overheated. Then we retreated to the shop and the 50's café for souvenir stickers, postcards to send my Dad, and to buy a Coca Cola in a glass bottle, the best kind, from Mexico with real sugar. Popping the top off and taking a good long chug of the icy cold coke was a transcendent experience that is now forever scorched into my sensory memory. Yum!

The motel and the sign itself are fine examples of Roadside Googie Architecture that was born in the 40's and continued into the 60's. This style of architecture retrospectively reflects futuristic themes based on the atomic and space ages of the period. Boomerangs, arrows, wings, stars, atomic bursts, flying saucers and parabolas, along with minimalistic designs, roofs tilting towards the heavens, walls of glass and bright colors all symbolize the idea of humanity moving ever forward with the aid of science, seeking out the next frontier, or as Star Trek puts it,  "To explore strange new worlds...to boldly go where no man has gone before." As you can see from the pics, the motel's reception building is fashioned in this dashing style, as is the neon sign with its huge red arrow. I cannot say it enough, Roy's is truly iconic.

Roy's was originally built as a gas and service station in 1938 by Roy Crowl and has seen many changes over the years, with various different owners. Before the I40 bypassed this particular section of Route 66 in 1972, Amboy was a popular stop for both road and train travelers. These days Roy's is a lonely landmark. The motel is closed down and no longer accepts guests. Lonely tumbleweeds blow across the road. Similarly, only the most intrepid of travelers blow in to town, going out of their way to visit Roy's. Even though Amboy has become a something of a ghost town, it is still beloved by Route 66 enthusiasts the world over.

Fans of Amboy include the famous actors Harrison Ford and Anthony Hopkins who have flown into Roy's at the adjacent airfield on numerous occasions. The historic site has been used as a popular filming location for TV commercials, music videos and movies. Roy's has established itself as a cult figure in the last couple of decades. Deservedly. Did I mention it is iconic?

Here are some links to Roy's most famous moments on screen.
Click to view.

1. Enrique Iglesias music video for "Hero."
2. Clip from "The Hitcher" starring Rutger Hauer
3. Clip from "Kalifornia" starring Brad Pitt

You can read more about Amboy and the history of Roy's Motel and cafe here.

You can read more about my travels on Route 66 and enjoy photos from the Arizona stretch of the Mother Road here. It's a love story.

Also in Amboy we saw a golden buddha that had been adorned with stickers and bedecked with various pieces of trash. Religious and sacrilegious. Beautiful and ugly. Weird and wonderful. Totally Route 66.

The Amboy Post Office, a lone building across the road from Roy's, is a leftover service from when the small town was booming with traffic from the Route 66 Highway and the nearby railroad depot.

About a kilometer (half a mile or so) away from Roy's sits the Amboy Crater, a dormant, cinder cone volcano surrounded by a lava field made up of lava lakes, collapsed lava tubes, sinks and spatter cones, spreading 70 square kilometers (27 square miles). Way too hot to hike in July, but still worth a stop. Spectacular!