A few days ago, the Los Angeles Times (via AOL) published a lengthy story about how the son of the late Albert Okura, owner of the Route 66 town of Amboy, California, is trying to keep that dream alive.
The story by Alex Wigglesworth is worth reading in its entirety. But a few nuggets stand out:
- Okura’s son, 31-year-old Kyle, said he wants to eventually reopen the motel and cafe at the landmark Roy’s Motel & Cafe in Amboy. The property’s manager, Ken Large, said he also hopes to reopen the town’s post office.
- Okura is replacing the Roy’s septic system so he can reopen its restrooms. He is installing gas generators as a hedge against power outages and installing new gas lines to the motel cottages.
- It appears Okura has given up on a reverse osmosis system to treat the extremely salty well water. He’ll have potable water hauled into town instead.
- Okura is in talks to have part of National Trails Highway (aka Route 66) renamed Albert Okura Memorial Highway and hopes to hang plaques around Amboy detailing his father’s quest to save the town.
- Okura wants to have much of the work done by Route 66’s centennial in 2026.
- Accessibility to Amboy remains a long-term issue. The article notes that recent storms washed out numerous bridges on Route 66, but the problem dates back almost 10 years.
- Thanks to other income from movie and photo shoots at Roy’s, Amboy was profitable for the first time last year under Albert or Kyle Okura’s ownership.
The sad part is Kyle long thought he would work with his father many more years, as Albert’s dad tagged along to Amboy until he was almost 100.
But Albert died of sepsis last year at age 72.
(Image of Roy’s in Amboy, California, by Chuck Coker via Flickr)
I sure hope that he is able to keep the dream alive. I loved being there and I was fortunate enough to meet and spend 3-4 hours with Albert back in 2015. Super nice guy! He even gave me an autographed copy of his book which was good reading.