Route 66 - Holbrook to Williams

Route 66.  The Mother Road.  Main Street of America.  Immortalized in movies, television, and song, stretching from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California, the mention of Route 66 conjures thoughts of Americana, nostalgia, the good 'ole days, the open road, and the great American road trip.  Once the road West, now bypassed and chopped up and alternately decaying or reinventing itself depending on where you cross its path, Route 66 remains a photographer's dream, presenting images of communities clinging to the past or frozen in time in an attempt to profit off of an enduring sense of nostalgia for yesterday, or broken dreams that couldn't survive the upheaval of changing patterns of traffic and life that the Interstate highway system brought to the land.   

This past week my wife and I had the chance to drive along or near a large stretch of Route 66, from Santa Fe into much of Arizona.  I knew that given the constraints of time I wouldn't be able to stop and take photos of everything that caught my eye, but I did make an effort to capture a few images.  All of this was done in a relatively short span from Holbrook to Williams, 127 miles of mostly open road through northern Arizona.

First stop was Holbrook, home of the Wigwam Motel, which is listing on the National Register of Historic Places and still open for business.  In addition to the "unique" accommodations, the parking lot is littered with numerous classic cars in various states of repair.  

One of the challenges of photographing the cars at the Wigwam Motel is the cluttered background.  In addition to the classic cars and wigwams are the hotel that sits at the rear of the property, numerous power lines, and other distractions.  One approach I took to work around this was to go with a shallow of depth of field (blurring the background a bit) and concentrating on photographing details like this hood ornament on a 1954 Pontiac Star Chief.

Next stop was Winslow.  This is a wide shot of Standin' on the Corner Park,  commemorating the Eagles song "Take It Easy" (which famously mentions Winslow).  The sun was behind me so I couldn't avoid getting the shadow of the light pole in the shot, but I still enjoyed checking out this landmark.

About 15 miles west of Winslow is the Meteor City Trading Post, which sits on a strip of frontage road (which is actually an old stretch of Route 66).  Once known as the home of the "World's Largest Map of Route 66" (now gone) and the "World's Largest Dream Catcher," the trading post consists of a large geodesic dome sporting a Mohawk, the dream catcher, several "teepees," and numerous large pieces of petrified wood which line the parking area.  Unfortunately the trading post closed in December 2012 and is quickly falling into disarray from the elements and the vandals.

About 20 miles further west sits the Twin Arrows Trading Post and cafe.  Despite having been given its own exit off of Interstate 40, this piece of Americana was last in operation in 1995.  Another place that's slowly falling into disarray...

Last stop, Williams.  In Williams lies the last stretch of Route 66 to be bypassed by the Interstate highway system (in October 1984).  This town has successfully reinvented itself as a keeper of the memories of Route 66 - no doubt helped by its location as the terminus of the Grand Canyon Railway (which takes travelers by train to the south rim of the Grand Canyon), making Williams the "Gateway to the Grand Canyon."  Driving down Route 66 in town, the pink and white Ford Fairlane sitting outside of Twisters 50's Soda Fountain caught my eye...

Route 66.  A fading memory.  But still there if you look...

Nikon D7000, Nikkor 10-24 DX (Holbrook photos), Nikkor 16-85 DX VR (all others)
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