Saturday, September 12, 2009

Small Town USA...

One last post to my Labor Day weekend road trip. I like to take the back roads on my little trips, so I took a few pictures on this one. I'm a nostalgia/Route 66 kind of gal and like the old motels and diners that I find along the way. I'm finding there are less and less picturesque opportunities as the historical places are being torn down (or left abandoned) and replaced by fast food restaurants and new motels...or are replaced by nothing at all.

There are many Texas small towns with old motels...like this one...



















Although this was probably a totally respectible place in its day, it looks pretty sad today and is apparent that almost no renovations have been done.














Here's another. The weird thing is that these hotels are still open but look the same as when they opened back in the '50s. You really wonder what the rooms look like. The toilets in the front really add to the aesthetic value of this property.




















Interesting what they did to the pool...



















Prices are good, though...























Even though they're still open, they haven't bothered to fix the signs...


















































I came upon other old abandoned buildings like this one...













Graveyards...
















And dead gas stations...

















































Kind of an interesting mission-style church...




















I've done road trips in other states, but the ones I've done in Texas are pretty depressing. I don't know how people in small towns here in the middle of nowhere can make ends meet. And that fact is pretty obvious when you drive though them. A lot of the homes are in very bad shape and restaurants and businesses are closed down with no new businesses taking their place. I think it's a very bad state of affairs for small town America.

So, on that sad note, I came upon this poor guy out of his luck while minding his own business. I'm out of the ordinary because this is the first time I've seen one of these in the five years I've lived here...most people have become accustomed to seeing this a lot. Poor thing. They really are strange little creatures...nature's little tanks. A sad end to my Labor Day weekend road trip. The end. :-(


















7 comments:

Billie Mercer said...

Dead Gas Stations....great name for a photo project.

Life's a Beach! said...

Deb, that pool is crazy! Love all those photos! And the armadillos have migrated north (global warming) and my mother in Kansas now has them digging holes around her foundation! Love all your photos!

Vee said...

Excellent post, Deb. You might enjoy the "abandonment" feature just posted on a blog here:

www.goodnightraleigh.com

barry said...

Yes,,its like a different time zone Deb...set your watch back 30 years,,, now regarding Senor Armadillo...Well that's So locals can have Gourmet Eats....Opossum on the Half Shell,, . .hasta

Melissa said...

The building look like they are right out of the Tweilight Zone!

Melissa said...

This is too funny, I read your Progreso, Mexico blog after the Route 66 blog and you made reference to the border as the Twilight Zone as well!

Isla Deb said...

Billie - Yes, it would be a good photo project...especially considering all the closed gas stations around the country.

Beck - Thanks...and I can't believe there are armadillos in Kansas!

Vee - Yes, I did enjoy the abandonment link you posted...thanks!

Barry - "Possum on the half shell"...lol.

Melissa - That's funny...I thought the same thing when you mentioned "Twilight Zone"...ha!