The Main Street Of America–The End

So there I was near the end. With only Las Vegas (not a part of Route 66 but a small detour) and Los Angeles in my way. Time was passing fast. And I can only remember when at the beginning I was foolishly thinking that three weeks of renting are going to be way too much. Dreading that i wouldn’t know what to do with my spare time. I could have easily spent three months exploring and searching. There is something about the open road, listening to good music, eating crappy food, sleeping in questionable motels, meeting new people, seeing new places and the ability to steer wherever your heart desires that just feels so right. And what could be better for the end then getting lost in the City of Lights and finishing in the City of Angels. Though to be honest the first one looses a lot of it’s glamour when the first sunrays of the morning sun hit the city streets. And the second really doesn’t have much in common with any kind or form of angels.

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Nice refreshing soak before hitting the road… errrr on second thought maybe not.

Your hero for a buck…

Even McDonalds is pimped up in Vegas. Look at all that bling…

Scattered dreams…

                                                                 Seriously which couple reads this sign and goes hmmm yes this is the place…

Bitter sweet end…

The Main Street Of America–Part III

Heading on in search of a rabbit. For miles before you could see it silhouettes of a rabbit with miles left appear a long the way. When you finally arrive in to a town conveniently named Jackrabbit you find your prise. A big bunny on a bill-board.

Before turning slightly off route to visit an Indian village on the bottom of a Grand Canyon. I stopped in one more ghost town. I pulled up next to the fence with a big DO NOT TRESSPASS sign bolted on to it. Had a quick look around haven’t seen anything really interesting so I decided to move on. But when I was driving away I see this big pillar with a cowboy waiving two guns in his hands. So I sad to myself why not. I stop the car put it in reverse and back up to the fence and stop just in-front of it. I get out of the car and just when I was about to casually snap away this big burly man comes rushing through the trailer doors. All fine until I noticed a gun, a freakin huge gun in his hand. Then he said to me in a thick southern accent. ‘’Do you know I was just about to shoot you?’’ And since I was totally caught off-guard all I could muster up was ‘’Really’’ Apparently some other folks have done that in the past and he wouldn’t let that happen to him again. Gun aside he turned out to be a nice guy and allowed me to snap away even told me about couple of nice spots along my way. I still wasn’t brave enough to take his portrait though. Oh the town name was Two Guns, go figure.

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Is this photo worth eating a bullet… I’ll let you be the judge of that.

The beginning of a nice 20km walk to the Havasupai Indians on the bottom of the Canyon.

My trusty companion Fido accompanied me from about half way all the way to the end. (And no that’s not his real name)

The Main Street Of America–Part II

Leaving Missouri the road takes you through most enchanting places that look like abandoned movie scenes straight from a thriller. You can find ghost towns all along the once famous route. And there is something about those places. They don’t offer much at first glance. But the more you explore and look at them the more unveiling they become. Their mystery is transformed in to some kind of strange beauty. From Oklahoma to Texas, New Mexico and Arizona mile after mile you become more and more attached to the road and the places around it. Magical Santa Fe with it’s Adobe style, two day mountain biking adventure in Taos, Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque and petrified wood forest in Arizona. And the road still goes on and on…

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The Main Street Of America–Part I

This is not going to be a detailed description of Route 66. It’s not going to be a geography lesson. It’s not going to be a history lesson either. Nor is it going to be a professional reportage of any kind. It is just a piece on a guy in a car with a desire to have an adventure along his explorations. For those of you who were hoping on getting a turn by turn guide… Well there’s plenty of information on the web and there’s a ton of books ready for your fingertips. I would start with wiki site.

I have left all my professional gear back at my base camp and continued with my digital compact and film camera. I didn’t want to be held down by my profession. I just wanted to have a drive, to have a road trip, to have fun. It is for that reason that is hard to explain what Route 66 is. It is an individual experience. A feeling only familiar to the ones who actually got in to a car and drove it. And it is also for that reason, that is almost pointless to try and put the trip in to words or even pictures. Each individual would and has experienced it differently. Seen different things on the same road. And at the end of the road discovered different things mainly about themselves.

This is my story, my feelings, my Mother Road…

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