12 – July 19, 2026 – Needles CA to San Bernadino CA

We left later this morning, a little after 9:00. I spent extra time looking over the California Route 66 Map and made up Google Map Routes for most of the trip.

We went west on Interstate I-40 to from Needles until I was told by the GPS to get off at the intersection with Historic Route 66. We turned right and headed to Goff. Not much there except a few abandoned bldgs. We continued on thru Fenner and crossed I-40 but then the road was closed. I think the heavy rain they had 2 days ago has shut the road. We tried exiting at 2 of the next 3 exits and all had the same type of signs up about the road being closed. We were able to get off at the next exit and go thru Newberry Springs and Daggett. None of them really remarkable. I-40 ends at Barstow when it meets I-15 that goes North and South.

Barstow was nice, and a fairly large town. We left Barstow on Historic Route 66 and went thru Lenwood, Hodge, Helendale and Oro Grande. A few Route 66 Signs were up but they had not made a lot of effort for the Historic part. We got onto the Interstate, I-15 and headed toward San Bernadino. We have reservations for tonight at the Wigwam Motel that opened in 1949. The Motel is about 2 dozen concrete Tee Pees. The inside is reasonably nice with A/C, WIFI, flat screen TV, a shower.

The traffic on I-15 was incredible in a work area with nothing going on that I could see, as it is Sunday. The Traffic, all 4 lanes, stayed heavy with some stop and go for the better part of 15 miles. After the traffic broke up, things moved well and when we exited the Interstate, the traffic was light in town and how nice it was to have GPS to take me right to the Motel, because I had never been to San Bernadino before.

The weather today was dry. It was cloudy for maybe the first 75 mile, then partly cloudy for the next 75 and nice and sunny for the last portion. Temp was low 80’s F when we left Needles, and went to 101 F by the time we were in Barstow, and 93 F at the Wigwam Motel. A good day for traveling and tomorrow we go to the Santa Monica Pier is considered the end of Route 66.and has an End of Route 66 sign.

The picture below is the road West of Needles CA.