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Like
many Americans, I’ve long had an infatuation with the mystery and
freedom of the open road; the insatiable desire to simply get in your
car, head out on the highway, and drive…to see what you can
see, to embark on an adventure that takes you to places you’ve never
been and didn’t even know existed. In this vein, Route 66, the mythical
“Mother Road”, has long held a particular fascination for me, with
its unique roadside attractions, the art-deco & googie style architecture
of her buildings, and stretches of unparalleled scenic beauty.
It was with this spirit in mind that I set out on a three-day adventure
to drive and photograph the stretch of Route 66 between Oklahoma City
and New Mexico. Of course, since I specialize primarily in night photography,
almost all of the images from this three part series were taken after
dark, and I hope that you find, as I do, that these old decaying roadside
spots take on a new, special beauty when captured by moonlight. |
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Tower
Conoco
The beautiful Tower Conoco station in Shamrock,
Texas. This station was used as the inspiration for “Ramone’s
Body Shop” in the Disney/Pixar movie “Cars”. |
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| Conoco Pumps
– A closer view of the immaculately restored pumps at the Tower Conoco
station in Shamrock,
Texas. |
| Magnolia – The
other vintage filling station in Shamrock,
this beautiful old Magnolia station boasts 3 exquisitely preserved
gravity feed gas pumps. |
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Gravity – The
Mobil Oil Company was a product of a merger of the Magnolia and
General Petroleum companies in 1959.
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| Chair & Pumps
– Inside an abandoned gas station in Mclean,
Texas. |
| Cross – Along
the highway in Groom,
this cross, reputed to be the 2nd largest in the Western Hemisphere,
stands tall over the Texas plains. |
| The Big Texan
– Originally located along Route 66, this classic road sign was relocated
to the current location of the Big Texan Steak Ranch, on interstate
40 in Amarillo.
The Big Texan is the well-known as the home of the “Free 72 oz. Steak
Dinner”, i.e., if you eat the meal in one hour, it’s free. Incredibly,
the current record for the entire meal is 9 ½ minutes in 1987 by Cincinnati
Reds Pitcher Frank Pastore. |
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