Get Your Kicks - Graffiti on an Abandoned Building, Route 66, California Beach Towel

Spotted with leftovers from a time when two-lane highways crisscrossed the United States, the old Route 66 (now known as the National Trails Highway in eastern California) is one of my favorite places for photography and exploration. This image of graffiti-covered ruins between Barstow and Needles California was printed for impact, not accuracy. High in contrast and saturation, this photograph pops off the page.

Route 66 is also known as the Mother Road, the Main Street of America, and the Will Rogers Highway. It was one of the original highways built within the U.S. Highway System in 1926. It is one of the most famous roads in the United States, running from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California and passing through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona. It was a major path for people migrating west, particularly during the dust bowl of the 1930s. Businesses were prosperous along US66 until the coming of the Interstate Highway System which bypassed...

I have been photographing the things I see for over thirty years. A resident of San Luis Obispo County, I'm lucky to have many excellent photo destinations within a few minutes' or hours' drive. Beyond the local area, I have traveled throughout California and the western United States, visited far away American destinations such as Chicago, New York, Florida, and Alaska, and international destinations in Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. My photography varies from Architecture to Industrial Art to Nature to Wildlife and I'm sure you'll find something suitable for your home or office. Visit my blog