Volunteer cleanup effort at Road Runner’s Retreat set for Oct. 16-17

The historic but long-closed Road Runner’s Retreat complex on Route 66 near Chambless, California, is hosting its annual cleanup weekend on Oct. 16-17.

According to the High Desert Daily:

Former owner Duke Dotson will be on hand to share stories of his childhood growing up at Road Runner’s Retreat during Route 66’s heyday. The 1960’s Googie-Style Service Station and Diner is currently being restored to its former glory.
For more information about the cleanup, call (805) 990-8410 or visit them online.

During previous work-session weekends, organizers urged that volunteers bring shovels, rakes, limb shears, brooms, trash bags, wheelbarrows, gloves, power drills, pliers, wire cutters, hand tools and screwdrivers.

Average weather conditions that time of year in that part of the Mojave Desert include highs in the low 80s and nighttime lows in the mid-50s. Temperatures that time of year should be tolerable, but one should be careful in case Indian Summer descends upon the region.

Last month, the property received a $5,386 cost-share grant from the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to restore its neon sign.

Roy and Helen Tull built Road Runner’s Retreat along Route 66 near Chambless, California, in the early 1960s. The business closed in the mid-1970s after Interstate 40 bypassed the area. Bill Ross Murphy purchased the property after it had been closed for some time, with the intent of never reopening but maintaining it as much as possible due to its Route 66 significance.

Road Runner’s Retreat caretaker Ryan Anderson is the grandson of the property’s previous owner.

(Image of Road Runner’s Retreat near Chambless, California, by Patrick Dirden via Flickr)

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