Characters Along Route 66

Oro Grande, CA -- (Approximately 1 hour 15 minutes from Los Angeles along the National Trails Highway on the old Route 66 near Barstow)

What kid wouldn't want to have their picture taken with the world-famous, "Bottletree Man?"

Desert Church

Barstow, CA -- A simple, cinder block building suffices for a house of worship in this weather-beaten, high-desert town. For some, the emphases is placed on God and each other rather than on architectural aesthetics.

Jesus and Bondo

Thank God for diversity. I am a Christian, yet I still find humor in how some express their faith and devotion.

Desert Hairy Scorpion

Hey, I didn't name it, they did. The Latin (scientific) name, hadrurus arizonensis, means "belonging to Arizona" but these predatory, and dangerous, creepy crawlers inhabit the California deserts as well--and they come out at night!

The photo above is not enhanced; I took it at 10:30 PM in the East Mojave with a black light. That's right, scorpions glow in the dark using a simple, hand-held UV flash light.

Under a canopy of a million stars, our group searched the balmy desert floor searching for the turquoise glow of the scorpion. As we held the black light close to this particular specimen, insects attracted to the purple light provided a feast for the scorpion. During this viewing, a curious moth flew near the scorpion, and it snatched the moth with it's pincer, aimed his tail-stinger at the moth and injected it with a lethal dose of venom, paralyzing it. Then we watched the scorpion enjoy its meal in fascination.