On day 129 of “The Ultimate USA Road Trip” we drive from Barstow to Las Vegas. In Barstow we fill up the engines and buy enough drinks and food for the road. During the drive through the Mojave Desert there is no possibility to refuel or buy food and drinks. The Mojave National Preserve is the third largest park in the contiguous states. The park is easily accessible via paved and unpaved roads. It is a desert park with its characteristic vegetation including Joshua trees. Just like the other desert parks. In the summer it is hot and dry, so always take plenty of water with you and do not take long walks.

Before we leave Barstow we visit two museums. The first is the Route 66 "Mother Road" Museum with a collection of historical photographs and artifacts related to Route 66 and the Mojave Desert communities. Displays include the development of Route 66 in the United States from early pioneer trails, railroads, automotive history, businesses and locations. On May 1, 2003, Hampton Inn Hotels designated the Harvey House Route 66 Mother Road Museum as a "Roadside Attraction" by officially erecting a sign, one of "66" along the route's 3,448 miles. Please note this museum is only open on Friday to Sunday from 10:00 am.

The second museum is the adjacent “Western America Railroad Museum”. This museum collects, preserves and shares the history of railroads in the Pacific Southwest. It is located on the east side of the Harvey House Railroad Depot and is operated by a non-profit organization. It houses displays in the depot and has displays such as railway artefacts, works of art, timetables, uniforms, tools and various other types of railway memorabilia. Open on Friday, Saturday and Sunday at 11pm

Just outside Barstow on the highway is Lake Dolores Waterpark (Rocca Hula Park), it is an abandoned water park in the Mojave Desert. The water park has operated under numerous names in the past, including Lake Dolores, Rock – A – Hoola Waterpark and Discovery Waterpark. The park was originally designed and built by local businessman Bob Byers for the use of his extended family. It is named after Byers' wife. It is not accessible, but you can take some photos at the gate. Several TV reports have been made about this park and has been used in films.

We drive south to Newberry Springs where we take the National Trails Highway, which was formerly known as Route 66 or "Mother Road" and now runs parallel to Interstate 40, the highway from Barstow to Needles and is also called the Needles Highway named. There are several places where you can take beautiful photos.

The first stop is after a few hundred meters at “The Henning Motel” road sign in Newberry Springs. The building is now gone and all that remains is this amazing neon sign.
The sign is on Route 66 next to the Baghdad Cafe. The Cafe and Motel were featured in the 1987 film "Baghdad Cafe" starring Marianne Sägebrecht, CCH Pounder and Jack Palance.
Both have become tourist attractions and the cafe is a nice place to enjoy a simple lunch while you marvel at the film memorabilia.

Along the way you will see the iconic Route 66 marker on the asphalt, stop and take a photo as a reminder. Other great photo opportunities are as we drive through the Mojave National Preserve;

• Boulders Viewpoint Area; a beautiful place with stunning views of the Granite Mountains.
• Kelso Dunes; the largest field of aeolian sand deposits in the Mojave Desert. The spectacular majestic sand piles of Kelso Dunes and as you hike to the top you are rewarded with a surreal backdrop of sand that seems to stretch on forever. The road to the dunes is unpaved and you have to walk a few hundred meters through the desert.
• Joshua Trees; just off the Cima Road is the largest Joshua Tree forest in the world. If it's safe, you can stop to take some photos.
• Seven Magic Mountains; This work of art created by Swiss artist Ugo Rondinone consists of seven towers of colorful, stacked boulders that stand more than nine meters high. It was produced by the Nevada Museum of Art and Art Production Fund. The exhibition opened on May 11, 2016 and was originally scheduled to be on display for two years. Due to its incredible success, artist Ugo Rondinone has expressed his wish to have the artwork preserved in its current location.

On the outskirts of Las Vegas it is possible to visit “Dig This”. A nice park where you can learn to drive real earth-moving machines. You can choose from a Caterpillar D5K crawler bulldozer, Caterpillar 3I5CL hydraulic excavator, skid steer loader or mini excavator. You will receive training and after a breath test you can work like a professional in a sandbox/playground for adults.

We drive into Las Vegas via the Strip, the end point of this great Ultimate USA road trip is at the Welcome to Las Vegas Neon sign. Take one last photo as a memory.