East of Amboy and the famous Roy’s, sits another one of the Mojave Desert’s roadside attractions – The Road Runner’s Retreat. Though essentially just a sign now, back in the 60’s it was a service station and restaurant, catering to those traveling along the famous Route 66. Once I-40 opened in 1973, however, traffic disappeared from the old two-lane road, and so did the business the traffic brought with it, causing the Road Runner to close in the mid-70s. The final nail in the coffin was a fire that broke out in 2020, which destroyed the old restaurant.
Since that time, though, a faithful group of volunteers have been organizing clean up and restoration days, working to beautify the property and keep the remaining structures intact. The group successfully restored the sign, and threw a relighting party last year (2025), which looks awesome from the pictures.
I’d been eyeing this spot for a while, as it’s on the way to one of the locations my friend Mark and I like to visit when I’m there. I even stopped and set it up one night last fall, but the alignment of the sky was nearly identical to the Roy’s sign shot that I did, that I felt it was a bit repetitive. I made a point to stop again this year though, and am very pleased that I did. Now I just hope to see it lit in person one day!
More next week!
–Dan Thompson