Sundowner Motel (Demolished) Photo courtesy Ed Stewart
An old classic burned out motel. That's the Sundowner Motel near
the Salton Sea. Although this motel joint no longer takes in travelers,
the sign still reflects an era that once was.
Torches Motel
Barstow, CA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Cruising along Route 66 through Barstow, check out the classic neon marquee for The Torches Motel. The tall sign stacks the word MOTEL above a large arrow pointing travelers toward the rooms, while the red script name gives the whole thing a little extra roadside personality.
The motel opened in 1942 as the Hollon Motel, a 15-room motor court operated by William and Mrs. Hollon. By the 1950s, advertisements promised wall-to-wall carpeting, tiled bathrooms, individual televisions, and hot-water heat. Plenty of modern comforts for anyone stopping between Los Angeles and the desert.
The property later became The Torches Motel, with the old roadside marquee adapted for the new name. The buildings may look fairly simple beside some of Barstow’s flashier motels, but that glowing sign makes sure the place does not disappear into the background.
UPDATE: The Torches remains open as an independently operated Route 66 motel, and its vintage neon sign was redone and the top part of the sign spelling out MOTEL is now gone. The neon lettering was also replaced. A large Route 66 mural was added to the exterior in 2021, giving travelers one more colorful reason to slow down for a look. 09-26
Del Mar Motel (Rem.)
Boron, CA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Cruising through Boron along Twenty Mule Team Road, check out the roadside marquee for the Del Mar Motel. The old sign stood out front advertising rooms to desert travelers, while the simple drive-up motor court waited behind it.
The Del Mar opened in 1956 and was operated for years by Frances and Harold Burger. Its 18 rooms served motorists passing through Boron, along with workers connected to the nearby borax mine and Edwards Air Force Base.
Being close to Edwards apparently came with a little extra excitement. During the days of frequent supersonic flight testing, Frances Burger recalled that sonic booms shook the motel so often that bottles on her kitchen spice shelf would move around by themselves. Nothing like a free room-rattling wake-up call from the Air Force.
UPDATE: The motel remains open under the name Boron Motel, retaining its old motor-court layout for travelers and local contract workers. The original Del Mar name and vintage neon marquee have been removed and replaced with modern Boron Motel signage. 09-26
Topper Motel
Taft, CA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
Cruising through the oil town of Taft, check out the roadside sign for Topper’s Motel. The fairly simple marquee looks as though it may have held neon at one time, giving nighttime travelers another reason to notice the motor court at the corner of Kern and Second streets.
Topper’s has the familiar layout of a mid-century roadside motel, with 31 rooms and parking close to the doors. There is also a swimming pool waiting out back for anyone arriving during one of those hot Central Valley afternoons. Nothing too fancy here, just a convenient place to park, cool off, and spend the night before continuing through California’s oil country.
The motel sits near downtown Taft, not far from the city park and the West Kern Oil Museum. That makes it a handy base for anyone interested in derricks, petroleum history, or simply seeing what lies beyond the usual freeway route.
UPDATE: Topper’s Motel remains open in downtown Taft with its old roadside marquee still standing. 09-26
Welcome Traveler Motel (Gone)
Barstow, CA Photo courtesy Tony Craig
This old faded sign once stood outside the Welcome Traveler Motel along Highway 58 west of Barstow. The name offered a friendly greeting to motorists crossing the Mojave, while the bottom of the marquee advertised one of the motel’s big attractions: Color TV.
Built in 1958, the Welcome Traveler was a simple drive-up motor court serving people heading between Barstow, Hinkley, and Mojave. It may not sound particularly exciting today, but a color television could help fill a room when plenty of competing motels still offered black-and-white sets. After a long desert drive, a little color from the comfort of bed probably sounded just fine.
The motel was still operating under owner Gene Woodward in the early 1980s but appears to have closed by the late 1980s or early 1990s. The abandoned property entered foreclosure proceedings in 1996 and was sold in 1999.
UPDATE: The motel buildings and faded Color TV sign lingered for several more years before being cleared during the mid-to-late 2000s. The property has since been redeveloped, leaving no trace of the old Welcome Traveler Motel. 09-26
66 Motel
Needles, CA Photo courtesy Alex Schultz
Traveling Route 66 through the various states leads to plenty of motels proudly claiming a connection to the Mother Road, whether they earned it or simply liked the name. The 66 Motel in Needles did not need to stretch the truth. It sat right beside the old highway, ready to catch motorists as they entered California after crossing the Colorado River.
The little motel opened around 1946 or 1947, just as postwar families were beginning to fill the highways. This was no sprawling resort. Only six rooms wrapped around the manager’s office in a compact L-shaped building. Still, after miles of desert and a long day behind the wheel, six rooms were six chances to find a bed.
Across Broadway stood the motel’s most memorable feature. The freestanding sign displayed a pair of giant number sixes outlined in neon and filled with rows of incandescent bulbs. There was no confusion about which highway travelers were following or where they should stop for the night. Just look for the two glowing sixes.
66 Motel
Needles, CA Photo courtesy Alan Culley / 1992
The motel also sat near the remains of Carty’s Camp, an older roadside cabin and tent complex from the 1920s. That location appeared in John Ford’s 1940 film The Grapes of Wrath as the Joad family reached California. Long before the 66 Motel arrived, this little corner of Needles was already welcoming tired travelers coming out of the desert, both real and fictional.
Business changed after Interstate 40 bypassed downtown Needles in 1970. The steady stream of Route 66 motorists faded, and the motel eventually stopped renting rooms by the night. During the 1990s, the six units were converted into long-term apartments. The tourists moved on, but the buildings remained occupied and avoided the bulldozers that claimed several other Needles motor courts.
66 Motel
Needles, CA Photo courtesy Alan Culley / 1992
The old sign had a better comeback than most. After years of deterioration, it was repaired and officially relit on June 23, 2012. Neon once again traced the outlines while 29 incandescent bulbs glowed inside each number. For a moment after dark, the little motel looked ready to greet another carload of Route 66 travelers.
UPDATE: Here are a couple of additional photos of the 66 Motel in the California Route 66 town of Needles. Though it can get quite hot here during the summertime, traveling the old Mother Road is always a treat. 07-07
UPDATE: The 66 Motel continues to serve as residential apartments rather than overnight lodging. In June 2026, the six-room property was listed for sale at $249,000, with its Route 66 history promoted as a possible opportunity for restoration or boutique lodging. The restored double-six sign remains standing across from the motel, still giving Broadway a little glow from the old highway days. 09-26
Torches Motel
Cruising along Route 66 through Barstow, check out the classic neon marquee for The Torches Motel. The tall sign stacks the word MOTEL above a large arrow pointing travelers toward the rooms, while the red script name gives the whole thing a little extra roadside personality.
Del Mar Motel (Rem.)
Topper Motel
Welcome Traveler Motel (Gone)
66 Motel
66 Motel
66 Motel
