Solo road trips aren’t something I typically do. I prefer to have the company of a friend as it makes the trip all the better. However, the final assignment for my digital photography class came up and I was trying to get out of my comfort zone. I used this as an opportunity to do so.

At the time, my favorite thing was to watch two different YouTubers (Justin Scarred and Adam the Woo) on their various travels across the country. They both stopped at the little roadside attractions that were off the main freeway and it made me itch to go traveling. 

The assignment was simple, it was to take 5 – 10 pictures for a subject of our choosing and to write out an artist statement explaining why we did it. We all had to get approval for our ideas from the professor before actually doing the assignment and we had 2 weeks to get it done. The original idea was “abandoned items along Route 66” and showing how it’s still alive. It ended up turning into something different. 

I had traveled parts of Route 66 before over the years, but didn’t have many memories of when I did. The most recent part I traveled was to one of my favorite places out here in California, Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch out near Victorville. However, this time I wanted to travel a little further and decided to head over into Arizona. It was one of Justin Scarred’s videos that inspired my destination for the overnight trip… Kingman, AZ.

The trip started it out with me driving from Southern California and the first day was mostly driving out there without much stopping. I did make a couple rest stops on the way out there, but I did stick to the I-40 until I got the other side of the where Oatman, AZ is. The first stop I made was at the Cool Springs station that is on the northern side. It was really worth the side trip before heading on to my stop for the night. Cool Springs is a former gas station that has been turned into a gift shop. If you have the time while passing through, I highly recommend stopping here. 

Before I continue on, a little back story needs to be given. On the first or second day of my photography class, my teacher gave a few recommendations. The one that is relevant to this story is that one should buy a unique camera strap. Mostly because it’s harder to tell what brand of camera you have, but also because it can lead to interesting moments. I had one such moment. 

While stopped at Cool Springs, one of the workers noticed my camera straps (it was black with multi-colored cartoon skulls on it) and said, “Wait right there I have something to show you!” He came back with a skull patch that matched the design of my camera strap and yes I bought it. The person helping me went by the name of Crazy Ray and he was the coolest person I met on this trip. He ended up taking people outside to get a picture with the Route 66 shield painted on the road with the gas station in the background. Yes, that meant standing in the middle of the street while posing for the photo. It was great stop and he made it all the better.

From there it was time to go to Kingman, AZ and check-in to my sleeping place for the night, the El Trovatore Motel. The owner was very kind and really informative about the area. At the time I went (back in 2018), I got to choose the room I stayed in since I got there early enough. There was a joke about how I was a woman alone for the night and could use some good company, so he gave me the James Dean themed room. The stay there was great. It had comfortable beds and nice warm blankets, which was nice because that night it dipped to about 30 degrees. 

Before I settled down for the night, I headed over to Mr. D’s Diner. At the time, I didn’t know that I had a serious gluten sensitivity, so I was eating an unrestricted diet. Dinner was a patty melt with fries and cookies & cream milkshake. I was so glad I went and really enjoyed myself.

The next morning, I ended up walking outside my room and over to where the main road was to catch the sunrise. The motel sits on the top of a hill, so when I walked a few yards away on the main street, it opened up to a clearing that gave the best view of the sun rising over the mountains. After enjoying that, I grabbed a sandwich from my cooler, ate, checked out, and was back on the road before 9 am. There was a lot to cover as I was going to be taking as much of the actual Route 66 as I was able to. I made a couple of stops on the way out of Arizona, but didn’t really get off the I-40 until I was back in California.

My jeep that I was driving at the time had a tendency to not start from time to time, rather it took a few minutes to get it started. I was worried this trip that it was going to happen when I was on the less traveled roads. It was because of this I didn’t really stop to get out and take pictures during those stretches. When I got out to Goffs, CA I only parked and took pictures from my car without getting out. One of the better pictures I got was during this part. I parked in the middle of the road and sat there for about 5 – 10 minutes without anyone coming by. I had decided to take a picture of my sideview mirror because the image was inspiring.

From there I had to take a detour and as most of it was under construction, but I did get to make it to Amboy. I also was able to make stops at Bagdad (I saw the Bagdad Cafe and stopped for photos), Ludlow, Newberry Springs, Dagget, and even made a side trip to Yermo to eat at Sue’s Diner. 

From there, my next stop was my favorite little place, Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch. The first time I had been there, I was lucky enough to see a “tree” being planted. On this day, it was pretty quiet, which was the best. The reason I like visiting here is because it’s peaceful and absolutely beautiful. As much as I wanted to stay there, I still had lots more road (and traffic) until I was able to get home.

After a long 36 hours away, I arrived at home and snuggled up with the kitties. I was really happy that I went on a trip by myself. It was an experience I’m glad I have, but I’m still of the opinion that having a travel companion can make things better.

The photos I got on this trip are posted here in this blog posting. Seeing how people have lovingly merged the abandoned aspects with the current day liveliness of Route 66 was a great contrast that I was happy to capture. I’m looking forward to some day traveling the full Route 66. 

Until next time, safe exploring everyone!