Amboy Shoe Tree, in the Mojave Desert...

When most folks think of the tiny, nearly-ghost town of Amboy, located in the heart of the Mojave Desert, they probably think of the landmark Roy's Café, located along Historic Route 66, now known as National Trails Highway. [Sidebar: Check out the article I did on Roy's Café, published on our sister web site.] Or, if you're a raifan, like I am, you've probably visited Amboy, while photographing Burlington Northern Railway trains, as they race along the very busy Needles Subdivision. But if you're a bit more down-to-earth, and have a lot of soul in your heart, or should I say sole? ... you've probably traveled to Amboy as a destination, to admire one of the more unique attractions in the Mojave Desert, the Amboy Shoe Tree!

Photo: The Amboy Shoe Tree is almost dead, but it still is able to produce a bountiful crop of shoes. That's old Route 66, to the left of the photo.

The Amboy Shoe Tree is an old salt cedar, located about a mile east of town, barely clinging to life at the edge of a dry wash, but it appears to be holding its own, and it's loaded with a wide variety of footware. As you travel along Historic Route 66, you can't miss the Shoe Tree, as one branch, or what's left of it, grows practically to the edge of the road, and the branch is loaded with shoes.

When you fist see this shoe tree, you'll probably wonder, as I did, how such a scraggly tree, which appears to be more dead than alive, can support such a bountiful crop of cowboy boots, dress shoes, athletic sneakers, sandals, flip flops and more. How can this thing survive, in the hot, dry Mojave desert, and grow such a wonderful crop of footware? Is this a freak of nature, or a botanical marvel? My head was spinning... a thousand thoughts came to mind, as I stood in the hot, Mojave desert sun, pondering the answers to my questions. My questions were to be answered, as a van pulled up, parked near the tree, and two guys and two gals piled out of the van, the women with cameras, and one of the guys with several pairs of shoes, all of them laughing, and pointing at the shoe tree. I was about to get a lesson in botany, teaching me that shoe trees are not born, they're created...

Photo: Wally has painstakingly calculated all variables, and is ready to toss his first offerings into the tree.

The guy with the shoes noticed that I was taking photos, and he walked over to me and cheerfully introduced himself to me as Wally. He told me that he and his brother, along with their girlfriends, were on a road trip to the Mojave Desert, and they were very familiar with the Amboy Shoe Tree, and they'd been saving old shoes for this very occasion. He proudly exclaimed that he'd been looking forward for quite some time to tossing a few pairs of shoes into the tree, to add his "decorator touch" to the shoes already blossoming from the tree. Since his enthusiasm seemed to know no bounds, I asked him if I could take his photo as he tossed the shoes into the tree, and ultimately publish it on this web site, and he gave me his blessing. Oh boy! I was free to shoot the blessed event!

It's wonderful to watch an athlete in action... First, Wally carefully paced out the distance from his vantage point, near the road, to the tree, and calculated how much force he would have to exert to propel each individual pair of shoes precisely into the tree. To successfully land a pair of shoes at the precise location, many factors must be taken into consideration, including the weight and balance of the individual pair of shoes, the composition of the material the shoes are made of, the distance to the target, and the precise angle of the target. Metrological factors must be considered, including temperature, dew point, humidity, not to mention wind speed and direction. I could see that Wally's mind was working like a super computer, as he calculated all of the aforementioned variables, and arrived at the precise logarithm. I simply stood in awe of his genius!

Photo: Like a major league baseball pitcher, Wally warms up, and prepares to throw his load of shoes into the tree.

Photo: With a mighty effort, Wally releases his load!

Photo: Wally, his brother, and their girlfriends admire Wally's effort. True genius!

After Wally carefully calculated all of the variables, he placed the shoes on the ground, and tied each pair together with a square knot that would make a Navy Chief Bosun Mate proud. Then, he picked up his first pair of shoes, placed them in his hand precisely, in nearly the same manner that an NFL quarterback grips a football, and started is wind-up for the action. Yes, his wind-up would make any major league baseball pitcher green with envy, as it was that precise. Then the pitch... and in a blink of an eye, the pair of shoes were placed precisely on the shoe tree. His athletic prowess was accompanied by digital photos from his female companions and myself, and to whoops of laughter from his brother, and a few other male bystanders that had gathered to witness his athletic prowess.

I was stunned, dazzled and amazed as Wally repeated his routine several more times, each time precisely adding more fruit to the already over-burdened shoe tree. Passer-by's on the road would slow down and stare - and several folks shouted encouragement to Wally as he placed the shoes into the trees, with the force of an Olympic shot putter, the grace of a ballet dancer, and the genius of Einstein. I also noticed much laughter and cat calls - such is the price of genius.

Photo: Here's a close-up photo of one branch of the Amboy Shoe Tree, and the plentiful crop shoes, growing on the limb.

The Amboy Shoe Tree is located about a mile east of the town of Amboy, along Historic Route 66. If you have a GPS, you'll find the coordinates to be N34.33.503, W115.44.284, with an elevation of 644 feet. Besides the ghost town of Amboy, and nearby Amboy Crater, you'll find a charming underwear bush on the west side of the dry wash. Amboy could be a destination of choice, when you're visiting the Southern California desert. On the other hand, maybe it isn't...

Pay the Amboy Shoe Tree a visit, and if you're fortunate, Wally or another one of the shoe tree athletes might appear, and give you a performance that will fill you with wonder and awe.

Web page design has been created by eRench Productions, Inc., custom photography for any occasion...