Along Route 66
A lovely sunset brings life to an interesting diner along Route 66…
So much goodness on the Mother Road! This was a diner in Albuquerque, which I had previously looked up and hoped to catch in interesting light (or blue hour at least). Luckily I had a lovely sunset in the background which accentuated the neon and colors here.
Along the Mother Road
A vintage-looking restaurant along Route 66 in New Mexico…
I LOVED driving along Route 66! I spent about 10 days driving along Route 66 in Arizona and New Mexico and seriously enjoyed it. It was actually pretty quiet in most places, and of course I love to find all the little interesting bits of Americana history along the way. This restaurant in Santa Rosa, NM really caught my eye!
Abandoned on Route 66
A collection of 4 photographs from Route 66, specifically in New Mexico. Just some abandoned goodness from the Mother Road!
For me, one of the great things about driving (and shooting) along Route 66 is the amount of old, abandoned spots and things that you find. It’s really visually interesting and I find these empty places to be really photogenic. I’ve been along parts of Route 66 several times, but a while back I did a large portion of Route 66 across the Southwestern US - essentially, I drove the entirety of Arizona and New Mexico. While that is far from a comprehensive tour, I do think it represents some of the best parts of the Mother Road and according to what I have read, it contains the most popular ones as well. Here are some abandoned spots that I encountered. Enjoy!
Abandoned on the Mother Road
An old gas station in Tucumcari, NM along Route 66...still looks good after all these years!
So much interesting stuff to see along Route 66!
I loved my little adventure down Route 66 back in August. I spent about 2 weeks driving it across all of Arizona and New Mexico - what I consider the prime stretch of it. I had no hotel reservations and no plans. Just my camera and the open road ahead of me.
I meandered, and detoured, and just had fun. I also took a lot of photos. :-)
I came across a number of old gas stations, many of which had fallen into disrepair and were nearly in ruins. I shot those for sure! But I also came across many like this one, which though abandoned, was not in ruins. The paint looked good and it simply looked like they just walked away from it that morning. It's interesting how well-maintained it appeared.
This one was in Tucumcari, NM which is a jewel of a town, photographically speaking. It may have been my favorite stop along Route 66. There is just so much to see and shoot there - I loved it!
The coolest motel in the world
Here's a pair of photos of the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM along Route 66, and I also share some insight into shooting this amazing little gem of a town.
Ok, I haven't been to every motel - that's obvious. But can you deny that the Blue Swallow Motel should at least be high on the list?
I love places like this - lots of character, some neon, tons of history, and so much visual interest that you cannot help but take some photos. When I arrived at this hotel in Tucumcari, NM along Route 66, I immediately parked and took some iPhone shots. I then checked in and stayed 1 night in the motel, and thus I spent a copious amount of time taking all sorts of shots here.
The entire town of Tucumcari is very photogenic, in a Route 66 "the best days are behind it" sort of way. That may sound mean, but I mean it as a compliment. It's historic and there are some amazing things to see in this little town, and nearly all of them beg to be photographed. So I obliged. :-)
I drove and walked up and down Route 66 in Tucumcari and shot all sorts of old hotels and motels, so in use like the Blue Swallow and some boarded up and empty. There are multiple old gas stations, also in varying degrees of disrepair. And then all the lovely signs. I spent only about 18-20 hours in town, but boy did I walk away with a lot of great photos!
The 66 Diner
The 66 Diner in Albuquerque, NM is quite the place for photography, though I never tried the food.
On my trip across Arizona and New Mexico along Route 66, I dedicated one evening to Albuquerque, simply so that I could visit the 66 Diner. I had seen photos of it before and it looked interesting enough to stop for. The timing was good for an evening shoot and so once I got a hotel and dropped my bags, I went in search of it.
Thankfully the drive was only a couple of miles, because when I left the hotel I could see that the light was starting to get interesting. As you can see, the sunset ended up being just incredible! I stood here and took many photographs for a long while and am very happy with them. Sadly, I didn't have enough time to run off and find another vantage point for the sunset. That's a problem I have when the light is great - I'm never happy capturing just one place in that light, I always want more!
The Blue Swallow Motel
The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM along Route 66...
I finally made it here and it's awesome!
I have wanted to visit this motel for many years now. I had seen photos online and just knew it was something I had to photograph myself. Well I finally had the chance during my Route 66 trip!
The Blue Swallow Motel is located in Tucumcari, NM along historic Route 66. That town was my destination for a night during my recent Route 66 drive. There were several things on my list for that town, so I knew I wanted to spend the night to make sure I had enough time to see them all.
On the day I was planning to arrive there, I was looking online for hotel rooms nearby and most everything was open, but uninspiring. You know, just boring chain hotels that were all sort of "blah" looking. Then I just happened to look at the website for the Blue Swallow Motel, and called them. They had a room and I took it, so I actually got to spend the night here, too. It was excellent!
I went to an early dinner so I could have plenty of time around sunset and blue hour to shoot here. While I was eating, it started raining. I was really worried that it would rain all night and I would miss my one chance to shoot here. Luckily, it stopped about the time I finished eating, and though the sunset wasn't much the blue hour with all the storm clouds was fantastic. I stood here for about an hour and took countless shots of the motel. I absolutely loved it.
The owners are really nice and you are welcome to photograph it to your hearts content - so I did!
Hackberry General Store
Along Route 66 in Arizona I came across the Hackberry General Store. Well worth a stop!
Some Route 66 goodness today!
I have wanted to drive and shoot parts of Route 66 for a long time. Although I have been on snippets of it in New Mexico, Texas and Oklahoma, my real desire has been to hit what I consider the prime cut of it: the section that crosses New Mexico and Arizona.
I'm finally getting my chance!
Back on Tuesday this week I left southern California and headed off to start my Route 66 journey. Day one on the Mother Road consisted of me visiting several little towns: Oatman, Kingman and Seligman. I fired a lot of shots in all 3, but one of my favorite stops that day was somewhere in between them: the Hackberry General Store.
It's literally in the middle of nowhere and it stands like an oasis for weary travelers. It's covered in all the Americana you can imagine: old gas pumps, oil company signage, and rusting old cars. It's pretty awesome.
So while I continue on this journey, I did want to take the time to get one shot published. It's a small bit of the Hackberry General Store but I found it quite interesting. Enjoy!
This is a 3 exposure HDR built in Aurora HDR 2017. If you are interested in the new Aurora HDR 2018 that was just announced, you can click on the ad below to get on the list for updates!
Sunset at Cadillac Ranch
Cadillac Ranch, which sits along Route 66 in Amarillo, TX has been on my list to shoot for many years. It finally happened, and the sunset was just stunning!
I finally made it here after all these years!
Being in Texas, you would think I had already been to all the big spots in this fine state, but in fact it's so large that it is quite the opposite. While I have shot ALL OVER Austin - and even made an ebook about it - there is plenty more left to explore. And no, Amarillo probably doesn't come to mind first.
Amarillo is a smaller town way at the top tip of Texas, whereas I live in Austin which is more central to the state. In between you have about 8-9 hours of driving on back roads. So it's not exactly a day trip. You have to commit to this stuff to get there.
Over the years, I have passed through and around Amarillo a number of times, and have always wanted to stop and photograph Cadillac Ranch, which is just on the edge of town. However, we have always been passing through en route to someplace else (New Mexico, or Colorado normally) and never had time to stop.
However, we were coming home from Colorado, where we spent this past Christmas, and stopped there for a day to rest. My daughter was feeling ill so we decided to spend an extra day there, which happened to be New Year's Eve. Not exactly the place you dream of celebrating New Year's Eve, but it worked out.
The day had been nicely cloudy and I just felt like it might turn into a lovely sunset, and having already planned to visit this spot, I was holding out hope for a nice shoot there. As you can see, the sunset was quite stunning and I finally was able to photograph this place. While it's not a huge destination sort of thing, it's something that has been in the back of my mind for years.
I find these bits of Americana quite interesting, and have shot along various parts of Route 66 a few times in my life (this location is along Route 66 which skirts part of Amarillo). This was one that I just had to have, and it worked out perfectly. It was a great sunset to end the year on.