This is a blog I posted a few years ago for CSC Motorcycles. It was a one-day road trip headed north on the Three Flags Highway. That’s US Highway 395 in the photo below, which runs from the border with Mexico all the way up to Canada. My destination was the Manzanar National Historic Site, and I went there to do a story for Motorcycle Classics magazine.
Highway 395 is magnificent, but I wanted to scoot up there quickly and do a bit of exploring in and around Manzanar, which is 210 miles north for me.
Any road trip through this region wouldn’t be complete without a peek at the Cottonwood charcoal kilns (and a peek from within the kilns).
The Cottonwood charcoal kilns are about 10 miles south of Manzanar and about a mile to the east of Highway 395. It’s soft sand getting there. It was no problem on my KLR 650.
When World War II broke out, Franklin Roosevelt had Americans of Japanese descent from the three western states on the Pacific interred in what were basically concentration camps. It was a national disgrace, it’s hard to believe such things occurred in this country, and if I had to choose a single word to describe my visit, it would be “disturbing.”
The camp was just to the right of the guard tower you see above. Even though it was 104 degrees down on the Mojave floor when I shot this photo, you can still see snow in the eastern Sierras.
There were 10,000 Japanese-American prisoners kept at Manzanar. This is the inside of one of their barracks.
One of the Japanese-American internees was a kid named Bob Uragami. When I worked for Aerojet (in another life a few decades ago), Bob worked with me in the cluster bomb business. He was a test engineer.
There was a list inside the museum at Manzanar, and I found Bob’s name…he was rounded up with the rest of his family when he was a boy.
Here’s a view looking out the door of one of the barracks toward the Sierras.
This is the Manzanar cemetery. It’s about a mile away from the barracks on a dirt road, but the road inside the prison grounds is hard pack. It’s not a problem on a motorcycle.
And the exit…the camp was guarded by US Army MPs.
I had my Nikon with me, and I made a bunch of stops to take photos as I rode through the desert on the home. Check out this unusual house, guarded by a rusty T-rex.
You see a lot of unusual things out in the Mojave, not the least of which was a collection of iron art.
One final shot, folks…a selfie.
The ride to Manzanar and the National Historic Site was a good one. You’ll want to check the weather before you leave. Highway 395 has temperatures well over 100 degrees during the summer, and it can be a very, very cold ride during the winter.
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Manzanar National Historic Site, never heard from this until today! Mojave Desert is on my list to see. Iron figures in the desert this is a surprise too. I guess this why we all need people who and travel and see things and then have the talent to “show and tell” the rest of us!
It’s an interesting trip, Terry. The 395 is a beautiful ride.
Nice photos!
Thank you. I shot those in jpeg with my old D200 Nikon. I’d like to get out there again and shoot in Raw with the D810. The quality and depth if so much better. A future project and another motorcycle ride, I think.
We’re not above disgracing ourselves here. Sadly, the internment camps could come back.
They already exist in other countries. I like to think it won’t happen here. But I like to think a lot of things won’t happen here.
What about those cages on the border? Never mind. And Mr. Sulu, he was interned and he turned out alright. (I think.) Anyways, whenever the consensus forms come to my house I never fill them out. Finally people have to be hired to hunt scoundrels like me to get the information. When I’m ready to give in after they’ve tried knocking on my door for several days they always ask why I don’t fill in the forms? I tell them for two reasons… #1, I’m creating jobs (the census takers). And #2, because of what the government did with the information during WW2. To which they have to ask because they never know. After I tell them, they always say “Well, that would never happen again”. I have a chuckle then give them the minimum of my information. And on occasion they thank me for helping create their temporary job which pays about $23 bucks/hour.
If you’re looking for someone to argue with any of the above, I’m not your guy. I always figured that anybody who works for the government (other than the military) couldn’t find a job anywhere else.
I was raised by hard working parents. My father used to build houses on the side to have extra money for raising a family with five kids. He felt politicians were people who couldn’t do a day’s work so that’s probably where I learned it. But enough with the politics (now that I got in the last word, LOL) Your trip looked fantastic. I love the desert and open plains.
But Gresh and I run the blog…we always get in the last word!
Great article on an interesting place. We are lucky to live off of 395 in Crowley lake, just south of Mammoth. Lots to see and do along 395 and of course great riding… Stay safe out there!!! JM
You are indeed lucky. I love the 395. Someday I want to ride its entire length.
I’ve riden 395 from up by Walla Walla, WA down to Yosemeti ,Mariposa, CA area. Beautiful scenery . May do it again middle of next month to go to the Horizons Unlimited Rally there.
Wonder if I’ll see any Royal Endfield 650s there? Wink ,wink
I may get there, Rob. What will you be riding?
Joe, Either my 09 BMW 650 twin if I ride bike the whole way or my pickup with a Genuine G400c China road bike in the back to ride while in Yosemite.
Weather between WW and Cali can be all over the place. Last time I was there it was beautiful weather but on way home thru Winnemucca and Cali mountains it was 26 deg and snowing all day. Getting too old for that kind of adventure.
Also I would love to visit Alcatraz again and take the ‘underground” guided tour if they are doing them again after covid. We will see how covid, weather and work behaves.
Hey Joe, Yup, no doubt about it Manzanita was a national disgrace. Seeing the metal sculptures reminded me of all the metal sculptures in Borrego Springs. If you ain’t been there it’s a great day trip for So Cal residents to see up close over 100 of these sculptures scattered around the desert. This web site will give you some more info: https://www.desertusa.com/borrego/bs-art.html
Thanks, Peter. That will go on the list.
One of my goals is to include all the internment (arguably, concentration) camps on rides. So far I’ve gotten to Manzanar, Tule Lake, Mindoka, Heart Mountain, and Poston.