Toyota FJ Cruiser Road Trip - An FJ in Four Corners

If this doesn't scream "Classic Americana," I don't know what does. This forlorn caf in the barely existing town of Essex once hummed with traffic and business.

This roadside marker tells the tale of Route 66, giving snippets of information about the highway itself as well as information about local geology, plant life, Native American history, and modern human history. My favorite line: "Right here, you would have seen the massive armada of Patton's tanks rumbling their way through the desert - and probably been delayed by passing troop movements."

Route 66 is a landscape showcase too. Amboy Crater is easily visible from the road and can be hiked to and from in a few hours. The Crater is a classic cinder cone which erupted about 6,000 years ago: practically yesterday in geologic terms.

After Mesa Verde, we were gunning for a run over Black Bear Pass into Telluride, Colorado. Bad weather forced us to modify our destination. Plan B turned out to be a good one. A series of mild access roads gave us a tour of the ghost town of Alta. Alta was a mining camp from the late 1800s through the 1940s. Crushing winter snow loads and vandalism have combined to thrash many of the remaining buildings. At the same time, a few of the buildings are in decent shape, and the scenery is postcard-quality in every direction. A trip to Alta is worth the drive.

This unmarked Mojave road beckoned, but low on sleep and gasoline, we headed back to the highway for the rest of the drive home. Next time ...

The old boarding house is on the right, protected with a fence and a sign. We took a left here and headed toward Alta Lakes. The FJ's protected interior was a welcome place to be in the inclement weather.

This cascade overlooks what I assume are the remains of the mill in Alta. Alta bears the distinction of being one of the first towns in Colorado where alternating current was used for power. Alta is on the National Register of Historic Places.

Have postcard-perfect views been mentioned yet? From a SoCal point of view, the lakes' biggest surprise was that they were created by nature instead of concrete-and-steel dams.