Milky Way over Amboy

 I've posted about Amboy before. It's so interesting and photogenic, I'll probably be posting about it again sometime! It's kind of a living ghost town that sits on Route 66. If you are a fan of Route 66, you really need to visit. Just try to avoid the summer months. I think I saw a post that it was 115 degress yesterday. Not all that unusual for Amboy.

 

Anyone remember this TV show from the early 60's?

 

After exploring some interesting locations in the general area (last post), I continued on and pulled into Amboy about 7pm. Amboy consists of a working gas station that also sells snacks and cold drinks, a non-working motel (about 8-10 individual bungalows), a post office (not sure if it's still open for business), a church, and an overgrown airstrip. I went into the gas station (where the cafe used to be), bought a cold drink, and asked the person at the counter if Amboy had any full time residents. She said one. 

AMBOY, CA, POPULATION 1. 

So I guess not quite a ghost town. I asked where she lived, and she said 29 Palms. That's quite a long drive back and forth to work, but Amboy truly is out in the middle of nowhere. This short video clip will give you a view of the "town".

I forgot to mention, at one time Amboy had a school. As I walked over to take a photo, I came across this old survey marker. I almost missed it because it was covered by weeds. It looks like it was placed here in 1934. The town was founded in 1858.

 

Looking east into the great wide open.

Amboy, like many small towns that dotted Route 66, is a victim of the freeways. When the 40 was built, it became much quicker to travel the freeway, so traffic along Route 66 was dramatically reduced and the little towns died off. But Amboy is a survivor.

 
I find myself wondering if I traveled this road as a little toddler. We used to visit my grandparents and other relatives outside of Chicago. We took the train once, but other times we drove. We likely traveled this stretch of road during the long drive to Chicago. Heck, we might have even stopped for a night and stayed in one of the little bungalows! Here I am, all these years later. 

 

View of the Roy's sign from inside one of the bungalows.

 

 

Air strip on the left.

 

Flower power!!

 The entire town of Amboy is owned by a single individual. He has a real knack for finding and collecting quirky things. It's one reason Amboy is so photogenic!

 

 

 

As the sun sets, the lady at the counter turns on the neon Roy's sign.

 

Did I mention that my main goal for this trip is to get a picture of the Milky Way over the Roy's sign? The lady at the gas station said she will leave the Roy's sign on until about 10pm, when she locks up and goes home. That's good news. It means I can get my foreground photos of the sign when it's lit up, and get my Milky Way photos when the sign is off. She also said no problem at all if I want to hang around and take photos in the middle of the night. 

 

The MW would be in a good position in relation to the Roy's sign at about 2AM, so I set my alarm for 1:30am and slept (or tried to sleep) in my car for a few  hours.

It was a beautiful clear night (well, actually morning). I love the look of the little motel bungalows, and again found myself thinking of tired families pulling up in a station wagons to get a nights rest while on their way to who knows where.
 

 

Version two... with car driving by on Route 66!

 
Now that I was fully awake, I decided to check out the old church.

 

Photoshop "negative" filter.

 

Thanks for stopping by. See you soon, Amboy!!

Linking with Skywatch Friday.