The Mohawk Moment is a Route 66 story about finding history and quiet meaning at the abandoned Mohawk Gas Station in Oro Grande, California.
Years ago, on one of my “I’m off for a drive” days I had the Mohawk Moment. I left I-15 to catch the old Route 66 alignment near Victorville. I was headed for Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch but first, I had to pass the Mohawk station, that boarded-up gas-and-mini-mart ghost out by Oro Grande.
It looked frozen in time. Faded “Mohawk” letters barely clung to a rusted pole. Cracked pumps stood like statues. Barred windows whispered old sales and sudden closures. The wind carried the scent of sun-baked asphalt and distant citrus groves.
I parked by the pump island, even though it hadn’t seen gas in decades. I stepped out and ran my fingers across the chipped paint. In the peeling layers, I saw the memory of travelers stopping for shade, a cold drink, a map. You could almost hear the engines from the ’50s heading west into the desert dream.
A tumbleweed bounced off my boot, rolled a few feet, and stopped. I kicked it gently back toward the road. Somehow, that felt respectful.
I thought about rattling the door handle. Maybe snapping a photo of the inside. But instead, I just stood still, watching the sun catch on the broken sign. That moment was enough.
I felt the hush of history. The pause before the next chapter.
Then I got back in the car, and let the ghost of Mohawk wave me forward.
✨ Roadside Reflection – The Mohawk Moment
I never expected Route 66 to heal me in the way it did, but as the Route 66 Chaplain, I’ve seen it heal others too. Sometimes the places that stopped serving us still have something to give.
If you pause long enough, you might hear what they’re still trying to say. Then when it’s time, you keep going.
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