2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 18 (Winslow, AZ to Rialto, CA)

Hi-Line Motel, Ash Fork, AZ

My last full day on the road: Departing Winslow, dropping by Seligman for a new 66-aloha shirt, feeding the "wild" burros in Oatman, photographing the graffiti near Roy's Cafe, and shooting one last bit of neon for my Route 66 video. Now I'm back at the Rialto Wigwam Motel. Tomorrow: Home again! I can't wait to see Jenny, Vienna, and the kitties again.

2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 17 (Albuquerque, NM to Winslow, AZ)

Today began with a sight I hardly expected: two inches of snow, and more falling in thick clumps over Albuquerque. I drove through the storm toward Arizona - and within two or three hours was cruising under crisp blue skies. My destination was Winslow, AZ - both to shoot some neon for my forthcoming Route 66 project and to enjoy a night in La Posada, a refurbished "Harvey House." Dinner in the Turquoise Room featured the best steak I've had in a long, long while. Later I shot a perfect neon motel: Earl's Motor court [Thanks Tara for turning on the blinking lights!]. Aside from some annoyingly slow wifi, the day provided a much-needed opportunity to rest up for the final haul back home.

2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 16 (Tucumcari, NM to Albuquerque, NM)

Slept in at the Blue Swallow, waking to 40s tunes playing from an outdoor speaker. Dropped by Santa Rosa's blue pool (watching as German tourists gasp after diving into the chilly water). Arrived early in Albuquerque - just in time for near-freezing rain.

Blerg!... 

I'd been so excited for a night of photography on the Mother Road's best street for neon, only to imagine it all being washed away by the downpour. Fortunately the rain dissipated for about an hour, allowing me to race from one end of Central Ave. to another, shooting under an umbrella.

As usual, I found fewer lit signs this time than during my previous visit. Surely there will be fewer survivors next time. I'm glad to "save" a few in video form.

2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 15 (Vinita, OK to Tucumcari, NM)

Greetings from Route 66!

Today began early: a high speed burn through Tulsa (making up some time from yesterday's lengthy - and lovely - stopover in Gay Parita) - all in hopes of meeting Harley and Annabelle: the infamous "Mediocre Music Makers" of Erick, Oklahoma.

Showing up, I had no idea what to expect. Despite the presence of a nearby “open" sign, the doors to the shop were locked. I understood, figuring that Annabelle was resting. I was simply happy to enjoy the breezes and the quiet of an Erick afternoon.

I sat in one of those old metal motel chairs near the shop for a while, bought a pop and the nearby store, and then prepared to make my way west. For no particular reason, I drove a circle past a house done up as gaudily as the shop. I saw a scraggly looking dude and thought to myself, “Oh, man, that’s got to be Harley!”

I introduced myself, saying something like, “Hi, you’re Harley, right? I don’t know you, and I certainly understand that y’all aren’t performing these days. I just wanted to say hello, and to wish you and Annabelle well. I hope she’s OK.”

Harley grabbed me in a bear hug and insisted that I join him inside. Two other folks, Canadian tourists, came along within a couple minutes and joined us in the living room. So there we were, all of us sitting in Harley and Annabelle’s insanely rambling abode.

I shared my best wishes with Annabelle, and I assured her that I was merely happy to see her. Certainly she wouldn’t want to perform, given her need for rest and recuperation. But she insisted that the company and a chance to sing a little helped her spirits.



We swapped stories, took pictures (I’ll have to explain the bedroom pix to my spouse!) and toured both the house and the shop. I’m not normally a “hugger,” but I was hugging everyone as we departed about an hour later. I also followed Gary Turner’s advice, asking them to sign my copy of David Wickline’s sublime Images of Route 66.

“Only special people,” Turner insisted. Well, no doubt, Harley and Annabelle are special people. At this point, I’m sure that all roadies know that the Mediocre Music Makers can’t perform on a regular basis. This was just one of those lucky days. I’m hoping that all lovers of 66 will keep a warm thought (and maybe say a prayer or two) for these wonderful folks. Harley and Annabelle have given us so much.



The rest of the day was lovely: driving west through Texas, adding my spray-paint greetings at Cadillac Ranch and taking a detour somewhat north to shoot a remake of the final scene from Cast Away (I'll see about editing the video later tonight or tomorrow). Now I'm in Tucumcari, staying at the perfect home away from home: the Blue Swallow Motel!

2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 14 (Cuba, MO to Vinita, OK)

Quiet solitude at Hooker Cut (a stretch of highway that once thrummed with bumper-to-bumper traffic), succulent BBQ at Sweetwaters, Route 66 simulacra at a Missouri interstate rest stop, searching for ruins west of Springfield, four hours of conversation with Gary Turner at Gay Parita...

... Gassing up at the "Crap Duster," the smell of wet grass in the cool of the evening, and nighttime photography on a stretch of road only nine feet wide: an exhaustingly terrific day on the Mother Road. I've bunked down for the night in Vinita. Tomorrow's destination: Tucumcari, New Mexico's Blue Swallow Motel.

2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 13 (Chicago, IL to Cuba, MO)

Epically awesome day (even though it began with storming rain in Chicago). I visited Henry's Rabbit Ranch, where I befriended a ridiculously mellow hare. I found literally miles of street art along the railroad tracks south of the St. Louis Arch. Then I took the slow road down south through Missouri before checking into my motel.

For the hell of it, I drove an extra hour south to shoot the gorgeously refurbished sign at the Munger Moss - where I chatted for about an hour with another photographer who's on her way north. Another hour of driving later and now I'm rocking in a metal chair on the lawn of the Wagon Wheel Motel, watching that red neon wheel blink on and off.

2012 Solo Road Trip: Day 12 (St. Louis, MO to Chicago, IL)

Drove from St. Louis to Chicago. The day's highlights included a quick stop in Bloomington, IL for pizza at Lucca's Grill and some street art [Check out the pix!]. In a Chicago suburb, I visited the classic Hala Kahiki for a dose of tiki pleasure. Afterward, amid all that drizzle and traffic, I learned to hate Chicago's tricky toll booths before grabbing relatively cheap lodging in the Loop's Essex Hotel. Night was a blur of dark alleys and glowing neon.

Shepard Fairey's "Mujer Fatal" mural located near
Code of Conduct tattoo and clothing shop (South Loop Chicago)