All good things come to an end, so it was time to get back to San Diego and fly home. That meant driving for at least 8 hours, so we decided to make the trip a little more fun. A part of Route 66 runs parallel to the modern highway, so it's easy to go in and out if you need a change of scenery. Some of the towns that are on Route 66 have been touristified and some others are simply scary in a ghost-town kind of way.
U.S. Route 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway and colloquially known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road,
was one of the original highways within the U.S. Highway System.
Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926—with road signs erected
the following year. The highway, which became one of the most famous
roads in America, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona before ending
at Santa Monica, California, covering a total of 2,448 miles
(3,940 km).
We stopped to take pictures at Ash Fork, AZ as we hadn't seen anything like it before. Everything seemed abandoned and it reminded me of a horror movie set.
Ash Fork's convenient location along the railway and later famous U.S. Route 66 made it recognizable to many cross-country travelers, as evidenced by its fleeting mention in several films from the era of Classical Hollywood cinema, such as 1947's Dark Passage starring Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall.
U.S. Route 66
provided a slight boost to the town's economy in the 1950s, but
construction of the divided highway through the town resulted in the
destruction of many of the storefronts, sidewalks, and residential
streets, forever altering the aesthetic qualities of the downtown area.
When the Santa Fe Railroad moved its main line north and away from the
town in 1960, Ash Fork lost nearly half its population, as most families
employed by the railway were forced to leave the area.
Another large fire, known locally as the "Big Fire", devastated the
community on November 20, 1977, destroying most of the downtown
businesses. When I-40 bypassed the town soon after, drastically reducing traffic on U.S. Route 66,
the local economy never fully recovered. The community's last major
fire occurred on October 7, 1987, destroying nearly all the remaining
buildings along the two block business district located on the south
side of Route 66.
Then back on the road...
That day I kept thinking of this song:
We arrived at San Diego at around 9pm and flew home the next day. When we were planning our itinerary, we hadn't realized how many places we would see and how much time we would spend driving. It was a lot of fun!
Πραγματικά θυμήθηκα αμερικανικες ταινίες με αυτές τις εικόνες....θα έτρεμα να κοιμηθω σε αυτα τα μοτέλ....μου άρεσε πολύ το ταξίδι σας!!!!
ReplyDeleteάντε στο επόμενο τώρα! Φιλάκια!
Εγω σκεφτομουν αυτους που μενουν εκει μονιμα. Εεεε... Απορω αν ισχυουν νομοι και τα συναφη.
DeleteΕυχαριστω που μας "ακολουθησες" στο ταξιδι! :)
Θεωρώ ότι είχες την ιδανική μουσική επένδυση στο μυαλό σου όσο βρισκόσουν στον ιστορικό αυτό δρόμο!
ReplyDeleteΤην καλησπέρα μου!
Καλως ηρθες και επισημα! Σ'ευχαριστω και καλη βδομαδα!
DeleteThat is such a neat little town you stopped through! I hope that you guys had a great road trip.
ReplyDeleteIt was a little scary because it seemed as no one was there! We did! Thank you so much for stopping by! :)
DeleteΚινηματογραφικές οι φωτογραφίες, Εύη μου! Ωραίο ταξίδι! Πολλά φιλιά!
ReplyDeleteΣ'ευχαριστω πολυ Ειρηνη! :)
DeleteΈκανα μια βόλτα, ή να πω ταξίδι και σε όσα είχα χάσει....φανταστικές φωτογραφίες μιας πιο "άγριας" Αμερικής!!
ReplyDeleteΧρόνια πολλά με υγεία!!
Ευχαριστω Μαρια και χαιρομαι που σου αρεσαν! Χρονια πολλα επισης!
Deletesuch a beautiful trip!!!! Thank you for sharing,
ReplyDeletexxxxxxx Ale
Thank you for visiting! :)
DeleteFamous road!
ReplyDeleteThe motel photo reminds me of Bates motel.
Yes, it reminded me of Psycho too! ;)
DeleteSo iconic, such great photos, so deserted! Was it as quiet and sleepy as it looks? What a great trip Evi, I'd love to drive Route 66, well I probably wouldn't drive, I'd get Darren to drive but still....xx
ReplyDeleteOh yes, quiet and sleepy are the perfect adjectives to describe it.
DeleteHaha,I didn't drive either, husband did all the work.
Have a great day!
I enjoy all your photographs, but these are superb. You've captured the "forgotten America" I've only seen in films. Flesh and Bone, Paris Texas, Two-Lane Blacktop....I could go on and on. Suffice to say I'm very envious.
ReplyDeleteI've actually got Dark Passage on DVD as part of a Humphrey Bogart and Lauren Bacall box set. I might have to watch it this weekend.
Thank you so much for the kind words, Paul!
DeleteDon't be envious, just book a ticket! :) (That's how I've been approaching trips ever since I started having my own income. I think "do it, Evi, we're all going to die one day!", which annoys the husband, but I always win! :) )
I'm interested in your opinion if you do watch Dark Passage. Thank you for stopping by, I hope you're having a great day!
What an interesting road trip - great photos which remind me of different parts of films I've seen in the past. Living in England it's hard to imagine the vast distances in the US. I've not heard that song for a while - love it!
ReplyDeleteYes, the vastness of this country is hard to imagine in Greece too! Thank you for stopping by! :)
DeleteWhat a spooky place....
ReplyDeleteThose pictures look really American, like in films :-)!
Love, Mirjam.
I know, I get this feeling very often here in the US! Thank you for stopping by! :)
DeleteΚαλώς σε βρίσκω Εύη! Εγώ ακολούθησα αντίθετο κύκλο από σένα! γεννήθηκα κι έζησα τα πρώτα χρόνια της ζωής μου στην Αμερική :)))
ReplyDelete( Σικάγο).
Υπέροχες οι φωτογραφίες σου! Μια άγρια Αμερική που ποτέ δεν γνώρισα :)))
Φιλιά!
Καλως ηρθες!
DeleteΤι ωραια! Εχεις συγγενεις εδω;
Το Σικαγο ειναι επισης μια πολη που θελουμε να επισκεφθουμε. Σ'ευχαριστω για τα καλα λογια! :)
Looks like a great drive! This is definitely on my travel to do list. Love your photos.
ReplyDeleteKrissie x - http://pearlsofstyle.blogspot.com.au
Thank you for stopping by! ;)
DeleteΚαλημέρα Εύη μου!Πράγματι,μιά άγρια Αμερική!!Υπέροχες φωτογραφίες!Φιλάκια!
ReplyDeleteΣας ευχαριστω πολυ! :)
Deleteπολύ όμορφες φωτογραφίες... σα να έβλεπα ταινία στυλ φαρ ουέστ/cowboy!! πόσο ωραίααααα.. φιλάκια πολλά!!!!
ReplyDeleteΕυχαριστωωωω! :)
DeleteΑυτές οι πόλεις φαντάσματα και τα άδεια motel είναι κάπως τρομακτικά!!Είναι πράγματι σκηνικά βγαλμένα μέσα από ταινίες!!
ReplyDeleteΕπιμένω για road movie!!Και θα γίνει και επιτυχία!!
Φιλιά!!
Χαχα, λες να φτιαξω ενα blockbuster? :)
Delete(Τι καπως;;; Πολυυ τρομακτικα! Σκεψου να μενεις εκει μονιμα! )
Γιατί όχι;Θα σπάσουν τα ταμεία!!
DeleteΑλήθεια τον παλιό δρόμο-route 66 τον προτιμούν οι ταξιδιώτες ή κινούνται αποκλειστικά στον καινούριο αυτοκινητόδρομο;
Σο κομματι που καναμε εμεις,ειδαμε καποιο κοσμο, αλλα μη φανταστεις κοσμοσυρροη! Σε μια πολη ηταν εντελως τουριστιλα η κατασταση, με πουλμαν παρκαρισμενο εξω απο μαγαζι με σουβενιρ κλπ. Δε ξερω τι γινεται γενικοτερα. Παντως αυτο που μας φανηκε αστειο, ηταν οτι συχνα πυκνα διεσχιζαν το δρομο αχυρομπαλες (οπως στις ταινιες!) κ μαλιστα μια μας χτυπησε το παρμπριζ.
DeleteYou photograph the most unusual "things" and you make them look awesome. You have a great eye in composing a photograph!! We recently visited Washington, D.C. And were inspired to visit the library of congress because of one of your previous entries. We loved it. I will be posting my pictures in a few days!!
ReplyDeleteReally?? Oh, I feel so honored! It's a wonderful place, isn't it? I can't wait to see your photos!
DeleteThank you so much for your kind words! :)