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Thursday, May 15, 2014
Amboy, CA
This forgotten desert town (like others on Route 66) is now a photographers favorite. I was there last weekend a little after sunrise. My wife gave me a free pass for the weekend, and I wanted to make the most of it! At one time (prior to the building of the freeway that took all the traffic away from Route 66) Amboy was a thriving tourist stop. The main attraction now is the old Roy's Cafe sign and motel bungalows. Kind of a tribute to a bygone era. There is no cafe, no functioning motel. The gas station has one pump that works (a good thing because it's quite a distance to the next gas station) and the store sells cold drinks, T-shirts and other souvenirs. The long stretch of old Route 66 that seems to go on forever and the huge desert vistas and surrounding mountains make it a special place.
Just a guess, but the Roy's sign is probably the most photographed of all the Route 66 signs, at least along the CA stretch of Route 66. And look at those bungalows! You can just imagine the wide-eyed families motoring west from places like Chicago who have, perhaps, never even seen the desert before. They would be pulling into Roy's to fill their tank, eat at the cafe and get a good nights sleep before heading on to the Pacific. If those bungalow walls could talk!
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I like the sign, very cool! The B&W is my favorite. Well done! Have a happy weekend!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos of a bygone era. I like that strip of road stretching as far as the eye can see.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the memories! Loved our trips through that area. Hasn't changed much from what I remember (no new shopping malls or anything ;>))
ReplyDeleteGreat effects, more in the B&W pics.
ReplyDeleteGives a good mood in the pics. :)
A happy weekend to you!
An interesting place for sure! The b&w is perfect for this once thriving area. I'd love to visit sometime.
ReplyDeleteAwesome treatment of the Roy's sign!
ReplyDeleteALOHA from Honolulu
ComfortSpiral
That sign makes for a great image, regardless of what the sky may be doing. Well done. I think I like the movie "Cars" because of it's homage to the "Mother Road."
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I love the pics. I can't explain the attraction of 66 but it is there.
ReplyDeleteBoy, I almost went through there on my last trip but oh no, I was in too much of a hurry to get to Texas and beyond. Is that what looks like a cell phone tower behind the station something new? I don't remember seeing one before. I looked back on my photos from 2008 but don't have one from quite the same angle as yours so can't tell. Back then gas was $4.25, 4.39, 4.49. I see they are higher by nearly a dollar.
ReplyDeleteWonderful shots!
ReplyDeleteoh how charming. i hope someday we find ourselves in that part of the country, we'd get our photos taken at roy's (that's our family name).
ReplyDeleteDelightful post!!
ReplyDeleteI loved your post today. I agree it would be terrific to know what the walls would say if they could talk ;-)
ReplyDeleteEnjoying every shot.
ReplyDeletewww.womenandperspectives.com/2014/05/sky-watch-reflected-sky.html
Cool photos, love the signs.
ReplyDeleteGreat photo's I can see this sign would definitely attract a few photogs.
ReplyDeleteWonderful photos of Amboy! I have only been through once back in the late 70s and I have to say I think the sign is looking better today!
ReplyDeleteI love that sign. Great shot!
ReplyDeleteI like the americana. Thanks for showing.
ReplyDeleteThe sun is perfectly positioned in your second shot!
ReplyDeleteSome fantastic photos you took there, and that little town must have lots of stories to tell!
ReplyDeleteExcellent images...and wonderful narration. The interstate opening and making so much along route 66 reminds me of the animated movie, CARS.
ReplyDeleteOne very interesting spot love the photos
ReplyDeleteGreat sots and a wonderful text about the legendary Route 66
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing and enjoy your weekend!
Great series of shots for SWF ~ Creative! ~ xoxo
ReplyDeleteartmusedog and carol (A Creative Harbor)
very attractive signboards
ReplyDeletegreat piece of history. :)
ReplyDeleteThat is a classic sign, and you did a good job photographing it.
ReplyDeleteFabulous shots!
ReplyDeletePeter, these are fantastic. I LOVE what you did with the first one, and the Roy's sign is so great. Viva Americana. I've long wanted to drive Route 66 and take pictures. Maybe someday. Have a stellar weekend!
ReplyDeleteYour photos are wonderful! I would love to drive Route 66 just to see sights like these. I posted a pic of the sign where Route 66 begins in Chicago a couple of years ago on my blog. Here is the link: http://tallydailyphoto.blogspot.com/2012/01/route-66-begins-here.html
ReplyDeleteVery cool, thanks Lois... I took a look at your post. I really like seeing the "starting point" for Route 66. It would be fun to post side-by-side with the end of Route 66 sign (which I think is at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica).
DeleteBeautiful photos and post! Loved reading about a place that I had never heard off...
ReplyDeleteThank you for showing me beautiful parts of California that I had never seen :). Thank you also for visiting us at pret-a-vivre.com. Have a wonderful weekend!
ReplyDeleteI always liked Amboy. Great shots!
ReplyDeleteThat would be a great place to visit.
ReplyDeleteNice pictures.
Cheers - Stewart M - Melbourne
Very cool. I wonder who owns the properties and if there are efforts to preserve them.
ReplyDeleteThanks, John. I read that one guy owns the town and is preserving/refurbishing it, although progress looks very slow!
DeleteThanks for sharing! Great post!
ReplyDeleteGreat photos and story. I think if those walls could speak it would probably make a great movie :)
ReplyDeleteGreat story! That last shot is wonderful black and white.
ReplyDelete