Photographer https://www.facebook.com/BarstowSteve?fref=ts

Just took an amazing photograph of our beautiful Route 66 sign. Thanks for sharing Steve. Take a look at his other work:

http://www.flickr.com/photos/barstowsteve/607128007/

Rust, Route 66 Motel, Barstow, California, 2006

This rusting car is parked forever amidst the colorful chaos that characterizes the setting of the historic Route 66 Motel in the California Mohave Desert town of Barstow. 
It is difficult to know where the paint leaves off and the rust begins on this ancient automobile. I intensify that question by showing you just enough of the car to identify its function, and little else. I abstract the image into a geometrical grid – including only part of its radiator, hood, engine vents and fender, and combining them into a gilded box rusting in the warm glow of the morning sun. I let the rest of the car drive through your imagination.

Like the picture?  Read the comments here.

Looking from the Inside: Link here
Time Traveler, Route 66 Motel, Barstow, California, 2006

The yard surrounding Barstow's vintage Route 66 Motel is strewn with the rusted hulks of cars that once traveled Route 66 itself. This one is permanently parked next to a palm. The most striking feature of this image is the symbolic value of its color content. I use color here to symbolize a form of time travel. The rusted interior, representing the past, contrasts with the vitality of the green and yellow palm, which represents today. Meanwhile, the muted golden color seen through the dirty windshield symbolizes the undefined future.


A few comments:
Ramma
Beautiful image. i love the way you have used colours to signify times. rusty brown for the past. green for the vitality and energy of today, with the future i'd like to deviate a bit. the way i look at it is that the golden age signified prosperity in India, so i would consider the golden color seen through the dirty windshield as a sign of good days coming. Overall its a lovely image, soft colours and the curvaceous tendrils on the palm adds to the image.

Visit us at facebook.com/route66motel

Adam Richman takes Man v. Food Nation on a road trip across Route 66. Along the way he stops at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis, MO, to taste their famous frozen treats, and, Idle Spurs Steakhouse in Barstow, CA, for some delicious steak.

This left us wanting to know more about the Mother Road, so we turned to an expert. Ron Warnick createdRoute66News.com in 2005 and has become an expert on the historic route. Read what he had to say about his history with the famous Route 66, and some of his picks for the top restaurants and attractions.

Route 66 Q&A Trip Advice from an Expert
by Stephanie Cohen

Travel Channel: What made you start the Route 66 News site?

Ron Warnick: I began Route 66 News in October 2005 because I saw a need for an online source of timely news about the Mother Road. The only publications that dealt with Route 66 news were published only quarterly. A Route 66 forum existed on Yahoo!, but it's accessible only to its members. At the time, no publication or website gave you timely information. With my extensive background in journalism and lots of contacts on the road, I thought my talents would be well-suited for such an online venture. I had not planned using a blog platform, but realized its archive system and multimedia capabilities made it the best fit for Route 66 News. And I give due credit to other media sources that break stories.


Travel Channel: What’s your best Route 66 memory?

Ron Warnick: This may sound odd, but one indelible memory was when I drove a little-traveled section of four-lane Route 66 west of Erick, OK. Going into the setting sun, I saw something in the roadway a half-mile or so ahead. I thought perhaps it was a large dog or a cow. But as I approached, I realized it was a flock of wild turkeys -- probably two dozen -- leisurely strolling across the road. The turkeys didn't seem overly concerned about us, and they looked quite fat and happy after dining on grasshoppers in the fields. It was then I realized you could see just about anything while traveling the Mother Road.


Travel Channel: What would your picks be for the top five restaurants?

Ron Warnick: Tough to narrow down, but I would say Clanton's Cafe in Vinita, OK, Ted Drewes Frozen Custard in St. Louis, MO, Cafe on the Route in Baxter Springs, KS, Snow-Cap Drive-In in Seligman, AZ, and Bobcat Bite in Santa Fe, NM for unforgettable atmosphere and overall good food. My picks may change daily.


Travel Channel: What about top five attractions? Most bizarre attractions?

Ron Warnick: Best attractions are Santa Monica Pier, Petrified Forest National Park, Grand Canyon, Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK, and the magnificent skies and terrain of New Mexico. I realize I didn't include many man-made attractions, but the natural stuff leaves me in awe. Most bizarre would probably have to be the World's Largest Rocking Chair at Fanning Outpost in Fanning, MO; the wild burros of Oatman, AZ.; and the Cadillac Ranch of Amarillo, TX which acquires visitors on a scale almost as if it's a religious pilgrimage.


Travel Channel: Any best kept secrets of Route 66 you can share?

Ron Warnick: There aren't many secrets on 66. But the 17-mile gravel stretch of Route 66 from Glenrio, TX, to San Jon, NM, remains an obscure treasure. La Bajada Hill halfway between Santa Fe and Albuquerque was a 1920s alignment of 66 that can only be hiked today. The last time we were there, a white dog named Blanco followed us up to the top of the mesa. And there's a semi-obscure brick section of 66 near Auburn, IL, that's off a 1926-32 alignment of 66. And I certainly recommend a hike into Amboy Crater, a dormant volcano in the Mojave Desert, if temperatures and physical endurance allow.


Travel Channel: Anything else people should know about the Mother Road?

Ron Warnick: Route 66 is an alternative way of seeing America -- the good, bad and ugly of it, and the obscure land and people that have been abandoned or forgotten by interstate travelers. It changed my life when I traveled it for the first time more than 10 years ago; it probably will change yours.

http://www.travelchannel.com/interests/road-trips/articles/route-66-qanda

The new Route 66 Mural depicts the eight states where Route 66 runs through.  

A small black and white graphic map of Route 66 was inspiration for the much larger, more colorful depiction connecting the eight individual states of the route with icons from each. The text on the mural reads “Get your Kicks on Route 66” and “Mainstreet of America!”

Local freelance artist Kim Capp said she’s been working on the mural for more than a month. Capp has also painted local murals at the Mexican Restaurant Platas and a hill off Highway 58. She said she is not affiliated with the nonprofit Main Street Murals, which is responsible for the gallery of historical murals around town.

Be sure and stop by to visit us 

Route 66 Motel Barstow Website

Book a room with us

http://luningphoto.blogspot.com/search/label/Route%2066


I had the distinct pleasure of having my film “Route 66 –Ten Years Later” be a featured movie in the Julien Film Fest this past weekend 2012-04-21/22 in lovely Dubuque IA. Two screenings, two amazing Q/A’s and lots of smiley mouths and teary eyes.

The two screenings were at the Holiday Inn and a bar called "The Hug". And yes, I get the implications of playing the Holiday Inn in Dubuque IA…where can I go now that I’ve done it all…sleepless nights since, is all I can say. The Hub was Sunday at 11:30am…and they were serving…and everyone had a glass…and this is now my solution to any and all technical issues the film may or may not have.

The premier of the movie was at the Portage Theaterin Chicago…That event was a success for me, more because of the PR campaign that got 250+ people in the door over than the fact my movie was on the screen. I was spent, tired, and ready for it to be over by the time everyone saw it that night. The trip, the editing, the expectations, the let downs, and the scratching away to finally find the stories voice was a rough experience. Even now I find it hard to watch this movie and not get a little choked up. I’ve never looked for validation for my work beyond repeat clients and paid invoices…having a gallery show or entering contests to fish for praise has never been anything that interested me. The premier of 66 was different. I did the premier as a way to have closure to the project, an experiment in PR, a lesson in film making, and this was a universally worthwhile story, not an art piece, no interpretation needed. For the Film Fest I went back and fixed every technical issue I didn’t have the skills to fix before, added a few scenes to smooth the story and prove to my self that I have actually learned a lot about film making in the last 3 years and that I have so very much more to learn. Now it's finally time to burn a master Blu-Ray or two, take the hard drives, put them in a lead box and bury them in the back yard so I'm not tempted to "tweak" it. Time to let it be. But, it's also as good as it's ever going to be. Finally.

A few HS classmates came out and one even sent his folks in his place, everyone who hadn’t seen it really enjoyed the story, the visuals, the music and the emotional aspect of the movie. So far the movie has made over 300 people feel something significant. I’ll call that a success.

Hanging out with the other “real” film makers was inspiring. This was my first movie…period, I’m really motivated to do more and take what I’ve learned from that and the bunch of other motion projects over the last few years and do another movie. Keep watching.

http://www.route66tenyearslater.com/