Highway 247 Revisited

Desert Oracle Radio

Ken Layne

Society & Culture, Places & Travel, Philosophy

4.8 • 804 Ratings

🗓️ 11 July 2025

⏱️ 28 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

People will come to the Mojave on purpose, in summertime, and then they get sad because they can't go outside without bursting into flames. A couple of summers ago, a guy died in Death Valley just from riding his motorcycle outside. Overheated. The 120° heat no less lethal just because it was blowing all over him at cruising speed. He just dehydrated and died.

This is the time of year to stay in the car with the A/C blasting. Do your sightseeing with a seatbelt on. How about a historic and scenic ride on the entirety of SR-247? From Yucca Valley to Barstow! A beautiful drive with stops for good food, through the great Mojave wilderness. Plus, we'll tell you the history of the highway and many of the sights along the way. With appropriate soundscapes by RedBlueBlackSilver, hosted by Ken Layne, and supported by listeners just like you.

Support the show: https://www.patreon.com/desertoracle

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	Desert Oracle Radio, the voice of the desert.
0:09.3	Night has fallen on the desert on this blessed summer night shelter from the solar storm.
0:23.6	If you're traveling around or across the Mojave Desert tonight or anytime lately,
0:30.0	maybe you've driven on Highway 247.
0:34.7	One of the rare highways you can travel from one end to the other in a couple of scenic hours.
0:43.4	The road begins or ends, depending on your point of view and local allegiances.
0:51.2	In the historic Route 66 and railroad town of Barstow, California.
1:00.7	Chicago, St. Louis, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff.
1:09.5	Don't forget one owner.
1:12.3	Kingman, Arizona, Barstow, and San Bernardino, California.
1:17.6	Those are the towns named in Bobby Troops' 1946 song.
1:22.6	Get Your Kicks on Route 66.
1:27.2	It was a big hit for Nat King Cole than a bigger hit for Bing Crosby with the Andrews sisters.
1:36.0	And then it was a standard covered by everybody from jazz cats to hillbilly cats and especially the rock and rollers.
1:55.0	Chuck Berry did his version for 1961's new jukebox hits, and that's how the Rolling Stones learned it.
2:01.8	Or maybe they learned it from a Perry Como version owned by the legendary Nakerfelge.
2:12.2	Whatever the story, I always like the Rolling Stones version from their debut record recorded and released in the early months of 1964.
2:19.4	Well, that was before I was born, but I bought the album two decades later when I was a teenager
2:26.8	with a pickup and a strong desire to see every town where you could get your kicks on Route 66
2:33.3	and really every western town mentioned
2:35.2	by any singer and any song from any time.
2:41.2	Tucson to Tuchamp Carey, to Hatchapie, to Tonapaw, El Paso City by the Rio Grande, San Francisco,
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 21 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Ken Layne, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Ken Layne and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.