Searching for the Lost Desert View Tower Cafe on Abandoned Highway 80

[@BitterDemo]

I am an old Trucker starting in 1960 and that Tree was a mall tree at the Cafe win the 1960's, I am 83 years old and hauled Beef on the old Highway. I first traveled that road in 1955, and they started building the Interstate Systom in those days. I was there.

[@DrLumpy]

Thanks for all the miles..🙂

[@beiderbecke1927]

As I sit here in Grand Rapids, with snow falling and 20 degrees out, this brought back a potent sense of the days when I lived in San Diego and explored the desert. It's possible that, as a child, I ate at that cafe, since my family often went out to the desert to camp, or on day trips. No one to ask now! Thanks for a sentimental journey.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you for watching. Glad we could help bring back some good memories.

[@omnipotentdwarf571]

What bad thing did you do to end up in Grand Rapids?

[@sheik9956]

@@omnipotentdwarf571 HEY ! you stop that now ! Grand Rapids is beautiful

[@tommurphy4307]

@@omnipotentdwarf571 that ain't cool....

[@beiderbecke1927]

@@Jack_Russell_Brown I'd kill for a lemon tree here, and I miss those huge avocados off the tree. I have a friend who sends me packages of both from San Diego. The worst thing about winter here is the longevity. Spring doesn't arrive until well into May, and was particularly late this year. I didn't take the winterizing off my roses until mid-May. If spring arrived here in March, it would be perfect!

[@WillyR659]

I’m glad you mentioned Jessica. I was beginning to believe that you were being followed by a ghost. Phew!!

[@kellyscars]

I honestly think the original cafe was actually where 8 was cut into the rock. If you look at the post card the tower looks closer to me. If you connect where 80 crossed across the 8, then draw a perpendicular line from 80 to the tower, it would put the cafe directly over where 8 blazes through now. Watching your stuff really makes me want to check out these forgotten places in Arizona and California!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

The big issue in the video is the wide angle of the camera versus the camera the original was taken with is misleading. Being there in person the tower doesn't look as small and you can really pinpoint it better. I wish I was using a camera with an assortment of lenses to try and match the original.

[@kellyscars]

@@SidetrackAdventures I really want to check out that entire section of the US 80 remnants out in that area. That bridge to nowhere seems like a great place to do some long exposure night photography!

[@hamilton1191]

@@SidetrackAdventures I don't know what kind of lens/camera you can get on a drone, but it looks to me like you'd have to take a pretty big lens far back enough to be over the cut for the east (northbound) lane to get the right perspective.

[@shamust67]

If you compare the position of the tower to the hills in the background (there are three peaks in the ridge as reference points) in both pictures, you can see that the 2022 photo was taken from a different angle, so it isn't the original location of the cafe. Looking at the satellite imagery from Google Earth, I don't see any patterns that match the footprint of the cafe, so I think the site was bulldozed for Highway 8. I enjoyed the video very much. Sometimes the place you're looking for isn't there anymore.

[@hamilton1191]

@@shamust67 I would assume that the old photo was a postcard view taken by a photographer paid to produce an image in which the tower appears close to the café. That would be accomplished by moving back farther (probably to a point where the centerline of northbound 8 is now) and using something like a 200MM lens. You need to consider that the line of the mountains and the tower and the café are in a continuous line from highest to lowest, so those points would seem to line up perfectly if the pic was taken from that position. The problem with the view in this video is that it is taken with a wider lens from a point too close and is too far to the left of the correct line. The café seems to have been located right at the point where the old roadway is broken up and MAY be what I’m seeing in the old aerials. Note that the area along the road in the current Google aerial seems to be the paving for the original parking area. The new highway project would have resulted in the café being “landlocked” (rather than destroyed by construction) which means it would have been acquired through eminent domain and torn down under separate contract. This might explain why it SEEMS to show up in the aerials taken after the new ROW was constructed.

[@140corvairbuggy5]

My father Nello Greer designed Interstate 8 from Alpine to Ocotillo. The Pine valley bridge is named after him. Thanks for the video. My father spent a lot of time designing and planning in the east end of the highway.

[@skydiverclassc2031]

That Pine Valley bridge is something to see.

[@richardmiller5456]

I think it's been named after a GWOT fallen soldier now. I haven't passed over it for more than a year.

[@kutter_ttl6786]

@@richardmiller5456 It was renamed to Nello Irwin Greer Memorial Bridge, but he was a WW2 vet, although not for that reason. According to the bill raised to change the bridge's name (Bill SCR 33) after the war he worked as an engineer with the California Department of Transportation and played a big part in developing the state's transport infrastructure.

[@christinecortese9973]

I’ve driven over that bridge a million times (feels like). It’s truly a beauty. Always wanted to know who Nello Greer was - so cool to hear from his son!

[@inspiredartphotos]

That is a amazing stretch of Interstate. My Dad designed the Dam at Sweetwater Reservoir. He was a civil engineer for the city of California. He said there was a lot of calculus involved.

[@NarrowRoadComm]

In my book on Old U.S. 80 published in 1997, I included a photo I took of an imprint in the old concrete roadbed near Desert View Tower. It reads, "Jahn & Bress Contractors, 5-18-1927." I have never hiked out to the portion of the old highway that you include in this video, so I appreciated watching this. Thank you.

[@mojavedesert519]

That date makes sense. The old concrete pavement looks exactly like the concrete pavement of the original Ridge Route (old US 99) which was constructed between 1915 and 1919.

[@ChrisW-17]

Wait! I think this is the same book I have. Signed by Eric Finley. Absolutely fantastic guide. Bought this when it was new at a gift shop in Yuma. 1997-- that's the year my grandma died -- and remember buying this since it reminded me of her travels across the desert.

[@dgunde13gunderson78]

Could you give specifics to your book?

[@NarrowRoadComm]

@@dgunde13gunderson78 The book is titled “The Old U.S. 80 Highway Traveler’s Guide (Phoenix - San Diego).” Sadly, it is out of print, but I hope one day to publish a new edition, as the information is a bit out of date now, and some history updates and corrections are needed. That said, you can sometimes find used copies around, including on Amazon. 😊

[@NarrowRoadComm]

@@ChrisW-17 Thank you! So very glad you enjoyed the book. 😊

[@BBQDad463]

Thanks for this video. It is always sad to think that a pile of broken concrete and rotting wood is all that remains of what was once some good man's/woman's dreams. Imagine how hard they worked...

[@davidelack8809]

Everything in the desert is trying to bite you, stab you or sting you! been in the sonoran desert for 45 years, still love it!!

[@billofrightsamend4]

😆 I thought the same thing when I lived in the desert when I was 13. Just about everything is man eating.

[@richardolson5638]

I agree that the postcard perspective is accurate, showing the cafe much closer to the tower. Maybe this comment was already made, but the Google Earth view of the tower area clearly shows the old highway roadbed and its path. It's very obvious that the Interstate uses two cuts through the rock - one for eastbound and one for westbound. The cuts dissect the old highway roadbed path, and it's likely the Tower Cafe sat on the land that was cut for the eastbound lanes. That would have put the cafe in a spot easily accessible from the old highway.

[@Nitephall]

In the old photo the cafe looks a lot closer to the tower than where you are. It's possible they put the new highway right through where the cafe was and discarded what remained of it's demolition at the place you found.

[@canuckprogressive.3435]

It could be different focal length lenses that change the apparent distance.

[@hookahfiend]

The Imperial Valley Desert Museum (just down the hill) has a historic "scrapbook" in its archives, which tells the story of the DVT and In-Ko-Pah during the second half of the 20th century. It includes several detailed photos of the cafe, its placement, and even an original menu.

[@bobrocco4218]

I'm a recent subscriber. I love your presentations and the subtle background music. In this video your Albert Hitchcock profile in the rocks around timeline 3:19 is classic!

[@paulcalhoun6339]

I was lucky enough to grow up in the Imperial Valley in the late 50-70 till I left for the navy in 74. I remember once sitting on the side of the road because the car overheated while going up the Mountain Spring grade to Jacumba before I-8. Now they have those large concrete pipe on the side filled with water to help overheated vehicles. My father delivered those pipe and the Imperial County installed them. There’s a spring on the top of the grade right before the Jacumba exit.

[@Steve-rr2mi]

Wow, rushing memories of a kid going down this highway as a kid, Dad was a rock hound and we made this trip down to the desert floor a lot. This freeway was definitely a Mr toad's wild ride.

[@ChrisW-17]

Wow, I had no idea that place existed (or even how you found that location). Thrilled! After watching thus, I'm reminded of my grandma's story of she and her kids often stopping at a "cafe" near the tower on their way back and forth from Yuma to San Diego. Your video makes me wonder if THIS was THAT cafe. Interesting how this potentially connects to my own family history. My A-ha! moment of the day, for sure.

[@SkateClipsAndTips]

I live near this tower and didn't know about the cafe

[@plutoplatters]

that cafe was soooooooooo damn coooooooooooool ! I checked it out probably 25 years ago now... remember seeing some foundation. Love the 2 chimneys ! Man.. I wish that was still there

[@vibingwithvinyl]

I really like these types of videos. There's something very interesting about abandoned roads and related structures.

[@IDNHANTU2day]

And I thought I was the only road trip nut. Glad to know I'm not alone. 👍

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Yeah, it always fascinates me how an entire road can get abandoned.

[@RaoulThomas007]

@@SidetrackAdventures I wonder if the business owner’s along 80 were compensated for losing their businesses? The Cafe location can probably be additionally confirmed by the rebar present in the remaining concrete. It will be a much smaller diameter, than what we would see today or even 30 years ago. In the beginning of the video, you photographed giant piers with the wood beams in the center. Those must have been in the way of new Highway 8. Maybe part of an elevated portion of 80 or a bridge that was part of 80. Those were massive!

[@gibsondoyou5485]

Thakyou for showing us these beautiful videos

[@rustypugh123]

Nothing better than old highway archaeology. Love your videos! Keep them coming

[@harlandeke]

Your vids intrigue me, but man do they make me feel melancholy. They just drive home the point that we are just dust in the wind. Good job.

[@JasmineApple]

"That doesn't look sketchy at all." LOL!! That was exactly what I was thinking! I applaud your bravery for adventuring under the bridge & across those boulders. It was cool to see the photo then & the area now. Good video!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Honestly, coming across that small cave was the scariest part to me, as I did not want something popping out at me!

[@steveerwin2527]

Hello Steve, we live in Yucca Valley and I've been watching you videos for a long time and my wife and I really enjoy them. Thank you for doing such a great job on these videos.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you, I appreciate it.

[@markhindle4472]

When I arrived in Imperial County in 1963 that road had already been abandoned. A new highway used one of the two sides of what is currently Interstate 8. At 14 I had to drive the old highway from San Diego to El Centro. My mother was lying in the back seat very ill. My younger sister and brother sitting with me upfront. I was very grateful we did not encounter highway patrol. This happened in 1967. Imagine being 14 and driving a 65-mph road with all those curves of the old highway.

[@CBeard849]

I'm always amazed at the history surrounding transportation infrastructure and how some people's dreams don't quite end up as they planned. Thanks!

[@ME-qr2kq]

If they had Yelp reviews back then I'm sure someone would have complained about the coffee and the rattlesnakes. lol We didn't get a chance to stop at many of these places growing up, my Mom was a firm believer in bringing some bread, bologna and mustard in a Styrofoam Ice chest if we were on the road long enough to have a meal. Years later, I was driving my Parents up to Sacramento and my Mom said she was hungry, I told her "oh I got some Bologna and bread in the cooler" help yourself to a sandwich. She said no LOL

[@conniewojahn6445]

Who knows, you could be standing right where the toilets used to be! Whoever tore down the building did a pretty good job of carting debris away. Not much cans, glass, etc, considering this was a cafe with ceramic, cookware, glasses, tables, display cases, kitchen appliances, etc.

[@rockadoodoo]

I’m a nostalgic sort of fella. I love going to these places where people before poured their hearts into an enterprise, and now it’s just a bit of rubble. It brings a tear to my eyes. Thanks for these great videos.

[@debbiesroommate]

Shot of Jessica brought life to the video

[@392nightrunner]

Having a wife that supports a hobby makes these videos even better

[@billmitchell9501]

There's a lake near me called Taylorsville lake in Kentucky. The government started buying up all the land around 1970 and started on the damn in 1974. By 1983 the lake was full of water. Some of the lands are not flooded but were made into a nature preserve. I walked down one of the old abandoned roads and found pop bottles, beer cans and bottles and other roadside trash common in the 1970s. This was in 1995. I even found a mailbox still standing where a farmhouse once stood.

[@CactusAtlas]

Wow! What an adventure getting out there! Kudos for that effort wandering through all the brush and sketchy areas! Really gotta wonder what it felt like in those days grabbing a bite after traveling through those landscapes.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Its always crazy to me how there was a business there and at some point they were just told the freeway needs to be put right where their cafe was!

[@RENunez-sd6ov]

That tree looks old, you would think it would have been on that post card picture. Another great video.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I don't know how fast these trees grow, but I thought the same thing. Someone mentioned they saw a different old photo and the tree was just north of the building.

[@loaded4597]

Gotta admit i love your videos. You're very informed on the things you share with us. And the way you explain it all is really relaxing and chill. Keep up the great videos.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I appreciate that!

[@cmichaelhaugh8517]

My thanks as well for this. In 1958, when I was 13, my family drove from Virginia to San Diego, moving to California. It was a magical time in my life when I was old enough to understand many things but still had very few responsibilities. When I come out to Cali now, I often drive this stretch of I8 and wonder what it looked like 65 years ago. Now I have part of the answer.

[@woodencoasterfan]

Love the Toy Story reference on the wall.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I totally didn't realize it until someone mentioned it in the comments!

[@Wasatch_Sasquatch]

Yes, my family had a pull string Woody doll that would repeat that line and many more. Once my child pulled the string during a quite sacrament service at church and that was the line Woody blasted out! Lol

[@joeywarren3207]

Love these videos..so nice to be entertained by your curiosity, interesting places and stories. No agenda or politics just fun. Refreshing!

[@gobbleguk]

The history of rail and road in this section of SoCal is awesome!

[@AbandonedMines11]

This was a great video! Good deduction work on that lone tree and the stone pillar remnants. You were probably the first person to walk that area in a long, long time only because it’s located in between the two interstates, and most people won’t bother to find a way to it like you did. There probably are a lot of artifacts from the restaurant that, as you mentioned, a metal detector would have a field day with. I’m surprised there weren’t more remnants of the restaurant, though. And, yes - those were some strange structures as you were approaching the bridge. Really enjoyed this video! Happy new year to you!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you. I thought of your channel as I passed that smaller cave thinking you'd probably head in! Happy New Year to you as well!

[@AbandonedMines11]

@@SidetrackAdventures I saw that cave in your video. However, it didn’t look that big to begin with. Less than a foot wide? Maybe the filming angle or something was causing an optical illusion, but the cave looked exceptionally small and not big enough for a person.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

@@AbandonedMines11 It was bigger in person. I don't know how big it was in the inside though, as it definitely looked like an animal had been living in there I didn't want to get too close.

[@baxterdesert]

I would say your off by about 100 plus yards. The mountain is taller than the tower in the pic but when you say this is the spot it's smaller. Also in the pic the tower is much larger indicating its a lot closer. I would say it's now where the west bound side of the freeway is. Great video though.

[@exeter1588]

As a kid growing up in San Diego in the 60s, before Interstate 8 was built, my family used to drive many times along US Hwy 80 to visit relatives in El Centro. I don't recall ever actually going into the Desert Tower, but it was a landmark I always looked out for. I believe it was just above a dirt pull-out/rest area where you could get water for your radiator after climbing the grade from the desert floor. Wow! This really brings back memories. I would have never thought of it again (the tower) had I not stumbled on this video. Thanks so much for posting this.

[@ChrisW-17]

I would almost always stop at the Desert Tower on my way between San Diego and Yuma. The Mountain Springs Stage Station was supposedly in that "island" but could never figure out where. There's a great piece of old concrete 80 off the Mountain Springs exit that ends at a sheer dropoff above the interstate. Such a cool place to explore! So isolated. *UPDATE* just saw your other video on this area. This was always my favorite part of the drive along 8/80.

[@galardmills5306]

What a great adventure! I’ve looked down into the area between the sides of I-8 while heading east through there, many times. Thank you for bringing the history to life!

[@lupedesharnais2252]

My dad drove thru there when he would from Mexicali to Orange County or from Orange County to Arizona. I’ve always have found it so amazing going thru hwy 8 and admiring those beautiful mountains full of boulders. Love your videos

[@roncross1945]

Great job again. Thank you for searching out these historic sites and taking the time to share them.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you for checking it out.

[@borregohiker]

Just discovered this channel and am enjoying the videos. I remember stopping at the Tower and at the desert end of the road was (still there mostly) Miller's Garage. The old guy there would tell folks who needed a car repair that there was a nice spring at the top of a hill and what they found was a bed box springs. Good joke and it worked.

[@jessiev7322]

You just did what I have been wanting to do for years. Thanks for exploring!

[@JMVideos7676]

Great history lesson about the abandoned highway. My brother and sister-in-law used to own an old cafe and palm tree farm in Ocotillo that were bypassed by the new I-8. Lots of battles over water rights in that area.

[@billsmoot9421]

Fantastic that you were able to get there. I've been wanting to do that for years. I do notice something though, that looking very close at the old picture, and lining up the Desert Tower in the background with the hills in the further background, the Cafe might have been back closer to where you started and not further down the road by the tree. Stop at 7:04 in your video, and look at the two boulders in the background that are left of the tower; the right one is slanting towards the tower and the boulder to its left is rounded with a vertical slit. They both show up in the old picture, and very close to where you are. I think from the spot you're standing on, if you walked toward the the Desert Tower (but not too far!) you'd be about there. What do you think? It's very close. It kind of looks like the pile of rubble might have been bulldozed from the Cafe too. One other interesting note is that there is an old picture on the wall of the Desert Tower that was taken from the Tower and looking down to the Cafe. You can see what might be the same tree, but also located well north of the Cafe. Thanks so much for this video!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

I'll have to go back out and see if I can see that photo. I saw the same one from the postcard when we filmed this but didn't see the other. If that tree shows up in a photo it would certainly help pinpoint it.

[@raymichael7078]

My thoughts exactly. Use the hills and tower to triangulate the restaurants position and then you should be fairly close. The remnants of a building you found may have been an outbuilding and not the restaurant.

[@joeloco3453]

This is beautiful I really enjoy your videos. I am originally from Imperial Valley Calexico. So watching these videos you make are gold to me

[@gerrithoevers]

I bet you the foundation is under all that brush and dirt. I'd love to go out there and find it. You make some awesome videos, man. Than you.

[@marionboren5787]

The Cafe was where hwy 8 runs through, I have been to that Cafe when I was a little kid...

[@EmptyNestAdventures]

I’d say the cafe sat where the mountain was removed for the interstate. If you put a frame of your video next to the old photo you will find you are about 25 meters out yet. What you are seeing is debris piles they moved from the location where the cafe sat. I have no idea why they didn’t haul it away with the debris from the mountain, maybe they knocked the building down and hauled it over there so they wouldn’t get any surprises when they began dynamiting the mountain?

[@daybird2]

I had to laugh when I saw "There's a snake in my boot" painted on the wall. That was one of the many different statements that the Woody action figure from Toy Story would say when you pulled his string!

[@ggalloway1]

I thought the same thing!

[@mariaelenaibarra]

Thanks for showcasing the hidden Southwest! Very interesting and kudos in the videos, keep up the good work!

[@Snafu6996]

I remember going there at least once in the late 60's when there was no interstate at the time, the only way to get there was US 80. There was a gift shop at the bottom of the tower where they had a large music box that played large brass disks. I do remember exploring the bolder garden. We never went to the cafe, I believe that was demolished due to being in the center of the I-8 right-of -way. They were doing a lot of blasting there. We did take a lot of pictures but I think that they were lost. I am glad to see that it still exists after 50 years.

[@sharylcherwa7369]

Good job Steve, your Persistence Pays off. Thank you for taking us to places we've lived around All our Lives , yet would have Never Seen unless you Brought it to us. Thanks❤

[@ontogeny6474]

Whoa! Nice trip back in time. Interesting how the mind wants to recreate what once was. Standing there you can almost hear the voices and see the faces of those who once enjoyed the diner way back when.

[@Taranau]

Thank you, very much, for carrying on in The Great Tradition of Huell Howser, and his many adventures...

[@garyyocom2451]

I love watching your videos. And you do an awsome job at being the host. Keep it up.

[@edwardmiller6875]

This brings back memories of when I was working on a fiber optic project on inkopah grade. Spent a lot of time at Mountain Springs. Thanks for the video.

[@margaretarross1712]

Mute evidence of a simpler life from long ago. That was quite an adventure. Thanks for sharing it.

[@Anita_T-Rex]

Thanks for this forgotten bit of history. These days I could never make it out there and I appreciate your efforts to take us there, also is a great video.

[@SchardtCinematic]

It's amazing how many abandoned roads that probably exist across the whole lower 48 states. I live in Pennsylvania and we have a 10 mile stretch of the Pennsylvania Turnpike that was cut off and abandoned in 1968 that I used to love going too. There are two abandoned tunnels along it. The over a mile long Sideling Hill tunnel and the much shorter Ray's Hill tunnel. Us am empty parking lot that beloved to the Cove Valkey service plaza that was torn down.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you.

[@SchardtCinematic]

@@SidetrackAdventures You're welcome

[@scotcoon1186]

I said something to my dad when I found out about them, "they just closed a few years ago, you remember it" Dad, you were 9.

[@wooddavid8293]

The x shaped sticks at the culvert under the freeway are probably Planet of the Apes (1968) "forbidden zone" markers. We used to live in east county San Diego and often traveled to Holtville and Plaster City to visit grandparents. We used to use Highway 80 (pre interstate 8). Later the interstate went in and sped things up a lot. You could see remains of a pre highway 80 road that was used pre automobile. Everyone called it "the old road". It was reputed to be a very treacherous road. We'd pass by the Desert View Tower and our parents would never stop. Finally, one day we did get to stop. I remember things like some captured Viet Cong war items as well as some WW2 memorabilia. There was a pair of shoes from the worlds tallest man. The boulder park outside was pretty cool too. I was 9 (1969). Thanks for the memories!

[@Ricochet909]

You were very close there to the Elliot Mine area. Have ever explored that area? There is a horse rustlers hidden corral there as well as Smugglers Rock where they would camp under that at night. The rock is blackened underneath due to the fires they had. Rustlers used the area to smuggle horses and cattle into Mexico or vice versa.

[@kwsandman14]

Great video, brought back memories when my parents moved from California to Arizona. Worst part was going through Yuma later in life going to the sand dunes because the bridge over the Colorado river on then new interstate 8 was taking forever to get built.

[@oriraykai3610]

I can't believe you passed in checking out that cave. That was the most interesting thing in the video by far.

[@wcronin7307]

Love these videos/stories of the old West. Thanks for sharing.

[@douglasrodrigues8361]

I drove from New Jersey in September of 1967 to Fairfield, Califonia following my military discharge. I-80 from Chicago to the west was mostly a two lane road. When tractor-trailers went past in the opposite direction with a cross wind blowing, you had to prepare not to get blown off the road. There were small license plate size signs off to the side of the highway with the words," Harolds Club." as you crossed hundreds of more miles to the west, the signs changed to "Harolds Club for fun." It got me thinking what Harolds Club was? Passing Salt Lake City, the signs got larger and said, Harolds Club for fun. Reno, Nevada. After catching a military hop back to Hawaii, I returned to Fairfield, Cal. and drove my stored car bact to Reno, Nevada where I went to school. Been in that area ever since. Harolds Club is long gone, but remnants of old Highway 40 / I-80 can still bee seen off to the side of the newer freeway i-80. Sure brings back memories.

[@denmill5564]

2:30 min in "there's a snake in my boot!" The best line in TOY STORY from Woody!

[@CecilTaylor-fg9cp]

I myself just enjoy your show's the southwest has a lot history. Thanks

[@carloscanales2654]

I stumbled on your videos and it was like striking gold. I’ve seen a few already and I really love them. This is different from any type of guided tour, something like looking at forgotten scenery. Nice job on this.

[@bmcgc1960]

Nice work saving and documenting Americas history.

[@Junk65]

I’ve been commuting from Tucson to San Diego for years. That area is crazy scary. The Winds are powerful. I can’t believe anyone would want to live there. Native peoples lived there for thousands of years and still do. I dread driving through that area.

[@IDNHANTU2day]

Thank you for your sacrifice. Love your vids.

[@jeromewiegand339]

HE COULD HAVE FOUND MAXINE WATERS CRAWLING OUT FROM UNDER A ROCK !!!

[@sammybaugues1260]

Cool vid ..went by the Cafe many times as a child with my folks

[@jamespaulsell9385]

It looks to me like the postcard photo was taken closer to the tower than where you were, probably where they dug out to put I-8, which would be a good reason for them tearing down the cafe. Thanks for the videos. It is great seeing things like this that most people miss.

[@dustinmiller7278]

I want so badly to visit these places and would love to rebuild parts of rout66 to maybe give younger people a view of what life was like for there grandparents back in the day

[@jimkeskey]

They wouldn't care. Sadly, younger people these days don't have much appreciation for the past.

[@iguanapete3809]

70 years ago when I was six My family drove from San Diego to Huston and back. We drove down this road. It was like this all the way to Texas.

[@mpbunch]

You did it! Awesome! I had vids, we went last Jan on the DC riots day and watched at the casino and a 7 dollar steak which was great after cafe and hike.. Crazy day! I was worried you missed the spot but we found a lot of wire etc on the hill area with all the boulders. Im glad you found it . Thanks for posting here, I dont have the patience to make such good informative vids... Good job! Im glad I mentioned it to you.. Thanks again!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you again for the idea on this. We had a lot of fun checking it out.

[@mpbunch]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/ap-unJSofcmop80

[@themoviemaniac8416]

Great video & good job on figuring it all out. I saw the Huell Howser program where he explored the Desert View Tower and rock area nearby, but he never talked about the old cafe...

[@johncarson7472]

Steve thanks so much for your videos. I'm a handicapped who used to live in Yuma. I'm so familiar with the interstate and the adjoining mountains. BTW there is a border patrol helicopter crash somewhere around there. Thanks again for your videos! I look forward to them!

[@5five6x45]

I love your videos. sad part about it. That’s how history ends up a pile of rubble that nobody remembers not all of it, but most of it does.

[@code3k5]

I'm nearing retirement age, THIS is what I want to do in retirement 😎👍🏻 Subscribed

[@SidetrackAdventures]

No need to wait!

[@Inkironnrum]

My dad and I took a road trip along this highway years back, He would call this highway, old lady highway. Still makes me laugh every time to this day. Miss him every day.

[@Corgis175]

You nailed it. Good find. That wasa 50's Chevy in the photo of the Cafe.

[@markgoodrich4666]

You are amazingly BRAVE ! I was expecting to hear and see Rattlers any moment

[@angelmist4253]

The 'deliverance' banjo music is a nice touch.

[@jamesrichardson1326]

Enjoying your videos. Like the places you explore.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Thank you.

[@scottyhoffo1]

Thank you for exploring this! I used to see the old Hwy 80 road surface often while cruising the 8 heading out to the desert and was curious to see it.

[@Ghostrider-71]

Excellent video. I like seeing these old abandoned places, so much out there to explore.

[@robertfeeley9738]

Stopped at that restaurant when on boy scout trip. Also saw my favorite palm tree in your video ; been watching that lone Mexican Fan Palm grow for at least 40 years just before you reach summit on West bound lanes.

[@babydriver8134]

Thank you, from a fellow 'Old Road' enthusiast!

[@culcune]

That random palm tree always cracks me up sitting on the shoulder of Interstate 8.

[@jonathanmoeg1202]

Had a lot of fun matching the video to Google maps and the period photo you show, thanks. I think you were closest to the old cafe site near the start of that highway remnant. Interesting reading all the comments saying you were too far away when all of that remnant is within 200m or so of the tower!

[@inspiredartphotos]

I had a chance to ride and later drive on old highway 80 from San Diego to El Centro. Large sections of old highway were left open to parallel I8 into the mid-seventies. I am so old that I rode with my parents and stopped at the cafe. In the photo is a 1956 Ford. We had the Ranch Wagon version. I also knew “Colonel" Ed Fletcher. Large sections of the plank road were visible further East in the Imperial Valley. Have you ever investigated the “flume”. It was a water system to transport water from the mountains to El Cajon. I do not know if any of that remains. It was a cool hike that I made with my dad.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

There's a few bits of the flume left.

[@littledabldooya]

Love these videos!! If you get a chance to go back to NM, a real interesting exploration would be to make a video about the old abandoned Cloud Climbing Railroad. There are still some old remnants all throughout the mountain hillsides including one that was added to the National Register of Historic Places. Search: Mexican Canyon Trestle, and Alamogordo and Sacramento Mountain Railway. Looking forward to your next video!!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

That sounds petty interesting. I'll look into it for sure. Can't waitto get back to NM,.

[@j.b.a.124]

Beautifully done..! Awesome video as always. Used to live at the end of I-8 (in the late 1970s) in Ocean Beach by the pier. Happy New Year from Florida.

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Happy New Year to you as well!

[@johnplaumann7360]

I lived in ob.on bacon st.close to the pier also....weird

[@johnplaumann7360]

In the 80's

[@ETCubing]

I'm from San Diego county and I love exploring in the desert whenever I get the chance, it always amazes me all of the forgotten and abandoned monuments from the history of the development of the region. Definitely adding this to my list of places to explore!

[@SidetrackAdventures]

Yeah, there are so many great places to explore here.

[@shaynestephens]

Another great video! Thanks! I love following old roads myself. Great drone shot at the end!