Heading through downtown Brawley, check out the old roadside sign for the Travel Inn. The big arrow and familiar motel lettering point travelers toward a room along West Main Street. Quite the place to stay when rooms elsewhere in the Imperial Valley are filled up, even if the air show causing all the commotion is as far away as Yuma, Arizona.
The Travel Inn is a traditional 43-room roadside motel serving travelers, agricultural workers, and anyone needing a break from the desert highway. Its independent name and vintage sign have survived while many similar Imperial Valley motels have disappeared or joined the franchise crowd. 01-07
UPDATE: The Travel Inn remains open. Its old roadside marquee also survives, although the current condition of its lighting and neon has not been confirmed. 09-26
Town House Lodge (Gone)
Brawley, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Tucked just off Main Street in Brawley, the old sign for the Town House Lodge was easy to overlook while passing through town. The weathered marquee had the look of something that had been standing under the Imperial Valley sun for quite a few years. Nothing fancy here, just one of those old motel signs that made pulling off the road worthwhile. 10-08
The lodge was part of Brawley’s old roadside strip, welcoming travelers passing through the agricultural towns of Imperial County. Over the years, the property was expanded and remodeled into a two-story motel, leaving little of the original motor-court appearance behind.
UPDATE: The motel remains open as the Townhouse Inn & Suites, but the vintage Town House Lodge sign has been removed and replaced with modern signage. Another old roadside marker has quietly disappeared from Main Street. 09-26
Henning (West Wind) Motel (Demolished)
Newberry Springs, CA Photo courtesy Brad & Lori Bristow
Rolling along old Route 66 through Newberry Springs, check out the faded marquee for the Henning Motel standing in the desert light. The paint was peeling, the neon was long gone, and FREE TV still appeared across the lower panel. The little motel beneath it had only four rooms, but they were still standing when these photos were taken. Weathered and quiet, the place looked like it had been left behind by the highway. Right across the road is the Bagdad Cafe, so this lonely spot has attracted plenty of Route 66 travelers, photographers, and the occasional film crew. 11-09
Here’s where the story takes an odd turn. The buildings were actually the West Winds Motel, while the big sign originally belonged to the 35-room Henning Motel in Barstow. After that motel was demolished in 1957, its marquee was salvaged, hauled into the desert, and reused at this much smaller property. West Winds was painted over the lower portion of the old sign, but the newer lettering slowly faded away. Eventually, the Henning name began showing through again and took over the identity of the place.
Henning Motel
Newberry Springs, CA Photo courtesy Brad & Lori Bristow
The motel and the cafe across the highway also appeared in the 1987 film Bagdad Cafe. The cafe was still called the Sidewinder Cafe at the time, but the movie gave this dusty little corner of Newberry Springs a lasting bit of Hollywood history.
UPDATE: The four-room West Winds Motel was demolished around 2014 or 2015, leaving the old Henning Motel sign standing alone on the cleared lot. The weather-beaten marquee still survives beside Route 66, though its center support has reportedly begun to buckle after decades in the desert. 09-26
Poe’s Cafe and Motel (Demolished)
Newberry Springs, CA Photo courtesy Brad & Lori Bristow
Out along old Route 66 near Newberry Springs, the bent sign for Poe’s Cafe and Motel still points toward a stop that disappeared long ago. CAFE MOTEL and a big arrow are about all that remain, though years of Mojave wind have left the metal looking a little crumpled. 11-09
The property began as the Mojave Water Camp, providing fuel, food, and radiator water to early desert travelers. After World War II, Ed Poe rebuilt the stop as Poe’s Cafe and later added a few tourist cabins. By 1949, it was also serving as a Continental bus stop. Poe sold the property in the early 1950s, and later owners tried calling it the Desert Oasis Cafe. The new name never really stuck. Around here, it remained Poe’s.
UPDATE: The cafe, cabins, garage, and fuel canopies have all been demolished. The warped CAFE MOTEL sign still stands beside Route 66, its arrow now pointing toward an empty desert lot. 09-26
Brant's Motel (Gone)
Barstow, CA Photo by RoadsidePeek.com
Traveling through Barstow on old Route 66, it was hard to miss the large red marquee for Brant's Motel. The tall sign was a familiar sight along Main Street, whether heading toward Las Vegas or just following the Mother Road through town. With its oversized letters, neon tubing, and sweeping arrow, Brant’s had one of those signs that could catch a motorist’s attention from well down the road.
The motel was owned by Mr. and Mrs. R. H. Brant and once advertised a heated swimming pool, wall-to-wall carpeting, and tiled baths. A fire badly damaged the property in 2006, forcing the motel to close. The darkened marquee remained beside Main Street for several more years as the buildings sat in declining condition.
After being declared a public nuisance by the Barstow City Council in March 2010, the old Brant’s sign was cut down and removed on April 22. Another familiar piece of the Barstow roadside had disappeared. 04-10
UPDATE: The motel buildings were later gutted and remodeled, and the property now operates as the Barstow 66 Hotel. The big red Brant’s marquee, however, never returned. 09-26
Cactus Motel (Closed)
Barstow, CA Photo courtesy John King
Cruising along old Route 66 through Barstow, check out the tall green arrow for the Cactus Motel. The sign is hard to miss, with CACTUS stretched across the top and a big arrow pointing toward the row of rooms. The added yellow panels make the whole thing look as if it grew a few extra pieces over the years. 09-10
The Cactus opened in 1949 as a small 13-unit motel arranged around a classic U-shaped motor court. Early travelers were promised air conditioning, tiled showers, wall heaters, and Beautyrest mattresses. Not a bad list of comforts after crossing the Mojave Desert.
The familiar marquee replaced a smaller original sign sometime during the 1950s. Its green neon once helped brighten this busy motel strip, right across Main Street from the Sands Motel.
UPDATE: The Cactus no longer rents rooms to overnight travelers and now serves as long-term residential housing. The vintage sign still stands along Route 66, although its neon tubing has been removed and the old yellow panels have faded beneath the Barstow sun. 09-26
Travel Inn
Town House Lodge (Gone)
Rolling along old Route 66 through Newberry Springs, check out the faded marquee for the 
Poe’s Cafe and Motel (Demolished)
Cactus Motel (Closed)
