McLean Texas, Route 66

Generally I don't think of myself as a Route 66 kind of guy in terms of having any overarching interest in it any more than the average dreamer, but when you criss cross the America as much as we do, it is inevitable that you are going to be spending time on the 66 and lately due to certain extenuating circumstances like Jackie's love affair with the historic LaPosada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona,  or our work on documenting Highway 83 which intersects with Route 66 in Shamrock, Texas where we were staying to divine the essence of the epicenter/cosmic convergence of the American pre-interstate highway system, we have begun to develop a curiosity that has taken us on a new road.  Today, that road lead us to McLean, as we traveled east on the 66 from Shamrock to get to Amarillo and a certain BBQ place, Jackie had her eye on.
Once a vibrant and relevant hub of commerce and activity, along Route 66 when it was still the only way west, sporting 6 or 7 gas stations, movie theaters that operated, and 56 stores, ...., it now lies all but abandoned and in a state of decay that is deplorable, but not at all uncommon in the thousands of towns across the country that have been left to implode or wither away quietly now that they've torn up the railroads they once serviced and/or built interstates that allows the world to bypass them at 70 mph.  Now there is next to nothing left in McLean other than the few tattered buildings that make it an object of curiosity, a 1 or 2 hour stop over for Route 66 aficionados, longer if you decide to take in the Barbed Wire Museum.

If this photo looks like a hundred others I have taken, that's because it is.  Just another American main street empty and abandoned, devoid of life and searching for relevance.  If little else, there always seems to be a Dollar Store, consignment shop where people sell their possessions to stay alive in the absence of any real employment, a tattoo parlor,  beauty salon, convenience store and little else.  Below is the Avalon Theater, in name and facade only, that are falling apart and provide a photo op for any serious 66er.  I was fortunate that the clouds were with me that day and the sun was in the right place.  When you are just passing through, which is so often the case with us, either you get lucky or you don't, condition wise.  There is more to McLean, but not much, sadly, but this gives you the idea.  Hope the Avalon will still be standing if you get there. 

As I said, there are 6 or 7 abandoned old gas stations from a variety of eras dating back to the 20's and 30's in McLean, most  of which had their backs to the sun or were not photogenic for one reason or other.  This 1950's vintage one was not the best of the bunch, but was well lit.  It looked like the newest of the old abandoned stations, and of at least some historical interest.

As we were leaving town to head west, we passed the Cactus Inn Motel which was quite, a pleasant surprise relative to the rest of the town, and a nice place to stay if you should want to spend more time in McLean in order to see the barbed wire museum, the main point of interest in town.  In view of the inherent brutality of the concept, we passed on it.

Pablo

Holbrook, Arizona

Even though I like to think of myself as a Highway 83 kind of guy, when you are criss crossing the country as much as we are, it is inevitable that you are going to find yourself on remnants of Route 66 now and then, and with Jackie's affinity for La Posada Hotel in Winslow, Arizona, we find ourselves on that segment of Route 66 every few years, so while I have no illusions about documenting this American dream in any particular manner,  you can't help but to take a few good photos along the way. I like Holbrook especially because of Joe and Aggie's, a Mexican American restaurant that's been around since the 40's and serves real good food in a friendly atmosphere to get you set to leave for the painted desert and petrified forest which are just down the road as the two large chunks by the sign of petrified wood portend.

When looking through various Route 66 travelogues and monographs, I often feel that Joe and Aggie's doesn't get proper attention and frequently no mention at all .

Maybe people just don't see it because it is across the street from such attention getters as the Wigwam Motel which is quite unique and hard to compete with as a true American roadside attraction.   We took this photo at the motel a few years ago using a disposable camera and got the most wonderful Kodachrome like postcard perfect effect without even trying.

                           

I marvel at the unintended perfection of the results.   When you are just passing through, as we so frequently are, sometimes you get lucky, sometimes you don't, photo wise that is.  Otherwise that's all I wanted to say about Holbrook, but here are a few more photos.

So that's the general idea.  When you are just passing through its whatever happened to catch your eye. during the short time you are there.   Its hard to miss the Powwow trading post, now closed down. 

 If you enjoy your meal at Joe and Aggie's and want to make it your regular place to eat,  land in and around Holbrook is abundant as is the occasional vacant house.  If not, eat hearty anyway and head out to the painted desert.  Here's me trying to fit all of that indescribably vast beauty into a negative.  An exercise in futility and humility and the delusional grandiosity of the human mind.

Pablo

Dazed and photofatigued in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and a few other odds and ends deposited here for the time being......

We finished our route 12 adventure and made a mad dash to Sioux Falls to spend the night before the last leg of our 10 day journey back to Minneapolis where we would spend a day or two resting up and seeing what there was to see before heading home.  Wasn't intending to take anymore pictures, but driving along 12th street, how could I help myself...

Took my life in my hands to get the last one now that the DeLux has been turned into an SRO for homeless, druggie desperados who seemed to just be waking and working on their first cup of coffee while I was at work.  Lots of questions about what I was doing.  "Taking pictures" didn't really seem like the greatest answer to a bunch of guys who probably didn't want their pictures or whereabouts made public knowledge.  Snapped a few quick ones and left pronto.  Was worth it, though.  Don't see many or any motels advertising "salesman stop" at a time and place when having a phone and/or TV in the room was still a luxury.  The things we now take for granted!!!

The next few photos were kind of orphaned and homeless, so while they were NOT taken in Sioux Falls, they did seem at home here and and since they needed a place to be, here they are...

Don't know when this motel was built.  Looks like the mid 60s,  when certain people began to aspire to become a member of the mile high club.  Not sure that figured into their thinking at the time this place was built, but once they did become aware of what they had I'm sure they had a laugh and saw no reason to change things.  So if you are ever passing through Prescott, Arizona and entertained thoughts of becoming a member of the mile high club, here is your big chance, and it will be our little secret.  Before you check in, don't forget to stop at Lefty's (not literally, however, since it is not in Prescott).

St. Augustine, Florida

This tangent appears to provide a good segue into some Route 66 stuff, the first of which was taken in a very little town called Amboy, California which is in the southern Mojave where we picked up the 66, heading into L.A. to meet Devora for the long awaited Hollywood trip.

The gas station and cafe were open, the motel to the rear left looked like it had been closed for years.  To the right is Route 66.  It was late in the day, and Jackie wanted to see the Bagdad Cafe about 10 miles down the road before it got too late, so we didn't have time to hang around.  As it turned out, the Bagdad Cafe was nothing to look at, the lighting was bad, and I did not take a picture.  You'se not missing anything, according to m, anyway.  When we got home, we rented the movie (Bagdad Cafe) and the building looked just about the same.  The movie was quite good, and it is recommended.

                                                                  Pablo