Thursday, October 4, 2012

Get Your Kicks on Route 66

As the song says, it winds from Chicago to L.A. An interesting piece of Americana that, as the country grew, has been bypassed by six-lane freeways. And with the freeways, people were less likely to stop at the stores, restaurants and motels in the little towns along Route 66. Many of these little towns are now ghost towns, or close to it.  Take Lundlow, CA, for example. My wife and I were "getting our kicks" in Ludlow last weekend. A photographers paradise, but otherwise not much there... abandoned buildings and homes. There is still a gas station, restaurant and motel, but that's about it. Side note: We were actually looking for the Bagdad Cafe (a great movie if you've never seen it). Although Bagdad was on my map, it doesn't seem to exist in real life. Almost like a Hollywood mirage. The next closest town is Ludlow, but no Bagdad Cafe there either. Turns out it's in Newberry Springs, which is now on our "places to go" list and hopefully a topic for a future post!


The view East
Abandoned buildings:




Abandoned cars:

Oh, and don't forget the desert sunsets!!
Linking to Skywatch Friday. Check it out to see 
great skies from around the world!  Also linking to 
Orange You Glad It's Friday over at Hood Photo Blog.

33 comments:

  1. Oh wow what a great place to shoot pics at. They are all awesome. Well done Happy shooting!

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  2. the hubby & i were just out on route 66 ... so cool to see the past. those were the days. great shots. i love the road/shadow view. (:

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  3. Strange to see abandoned buildings and cars not surrounded by masses of greenery! Makes for easier photography!!

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  4. Wow! You find beauty everywhere, don't you?
    Happy Sky Watch Friday!
    Lea
    Lea's Menagerie

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  5. Gorgeous skies like these make any place look more beautiful -- even with abandoned cars! Terrific, colorful captures and great composition! Have a great weekend!

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  6. Great pictures...and I love the last one!

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  7. The painterly effect works well with these relics of time gone by.

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  8. I love what you have done with this.

    I've been to Ludlow, a long time ago. On July 4, 1984 I was bouncing around the desert in a jeep with some other engineers as we was scouting a natural gas pipeline route from near Needles to Bakersfield when I had a question that I needed an answer to. I called my boss on a payphone (not cell phones back then), the VP, in Dallas and asked him a question about the route. He said, gee I don't know but you know I'm having a pool party and don't have time so call me tomorrow, OK? and hung up on me. I was on a payphone in Ludlow, California. So I made an executive decision and did what I thought needed to be done.

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    1. Thanks, Yogi. Cool to think of you at a payphone in Ludlow back in the '80s, and wonder if the phone booth is still there??

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  9. Did you go east on through Amboy and see Roys? Then east further on 66 to the road up to the interstate or further on to Chambless, don't recall which, is the vacant Roadrunner's Retreat Restaurant with a cool looking 50's-60's sign still standing. Lots of good photo ops all along there. Thanks for showing Ludlow.

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    1. You're a mind-reader... we were on our way to check out Chambless and the sand dunes, but at the last minute decided to head West on 66 (searching for Baghdad Cafe) instead of East to Chambless. Stay tuned for a future post on Chambless! (and I have some night shots of Amboy I'll try to post soon). Thanks for your comment.

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  10. More gorgeous shots!

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  11. Beautiful series of shots. Happy sky watching.

    Skywatch

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  12. Aahhh, Ludlow a still welcome stop when driving across the desert. One can buy a snack,have a restroom break,get a cool beverage for the rest of the drive and maybe see some local color! I just hope never to have to buy gasoline ever again in Ludlow!
    You do such a good job with these photos you even made whats left of Ludlow look rustic and charming instead like zombies might pour out of every door!

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  13. I love the effects in your photos. I enjoyed learning about Route 66 too.

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  14. Great pictures again but I have the impression that the sky is not the main theme here. Still I love your pictures. Its a environment that not many of us in europe knows. Keep them coming and thanks for showing us.

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  15. Fabulous images. You have a fascinating blog.

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  16. Gorgeous images. Love the colors in the sky. Have a great weekend!

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  17. I love how you tint your photos to make them look like paintings! Really, you should have a gallery!

    I feel sad for those abandoned cars, especially the one dumped on its roof! Such indignity.

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  18. Oh boy...would I have loved to have tagged along!!!! The way you processed these photos....oh my....they are fabulous and could be hanging in a gallery...Just beautiful.

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  19. Wow, I think you captured some great shots there! Would love to be close enough to travel Route 66 and see some of the ghost towns. Beautiful shots of the old vehicles and, of course, the sunset.

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  20. I love the pictures. Times have been hard for a very long time, at least out in the desert communities. - Margy

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  21. These are all beautiful! You should stop by my blog and submit the old truck photo to Orange You Glad It's Friday, a meme dedicated to the color orange! Hope to see you there!

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  22. love your photos of route 66-check out my blog article about it. I live in So. Utah and my hubby's from Texas so we travel that way sometimes... http://lettersfromlin.blogspot.com/2009/04/article-51-old-route-66.html

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    1. I love your post on Route 66, Lin. Thanks, and very informative!!

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  23. I love the scenery and all the interesting things you found to photograph, and I particularly like the processing effects you used!

    Thank you for your visit and comment on my harvest moon sky shots.

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  24. Very interesting shots. I like the long shadow as though pointing to the long road ahead!

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  25. Nice pics. I do love roaming around ghost towns or semi-ghost towns. If only those buildings could talk--what stories they may tell. I like the sky and old post picture. Excellent. MB

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  26. We drove several miles on Route 66 last summer, and although we went through a few 'ghost towns', we also encountered a couple of 'tourist traps'. But all in all it was a fascinating experience.

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  27. really cool finds! love the firetruck! and nice shadow shot!

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  28. Nice shots - I'd love to take a trip along Route 66 at some point. Even if it is past its prime.

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  29. Admire your shots. Love them all!
    Thanks for your visit :)

    www.womenandperspectives.com

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  30. Amazing! I love your photos! :D

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