Small, single story, boarded up adobe buildings sit just past a sign reading "Casablanca Inn"

The Remnants, Remains, and Random Snapshots of 2022

February 1, 2023, 1 Comment

Sometimes when Patrick and I go out we find ourselves pulling over when we spy a vintage sign, or a unique or abandoned building. Often these places never have enough meat to them for their very own post (and more often than not, the photos get forgotten about as a result), or they get relegated…

A blue and red roof tops off a stone wall with a carved wood sign that reads "Jenny Rose Restaurant" In the distance a large neon heart frames a sign that also reads "Jenny Rose Restaurant"

The Deserted Jenny Rose Restaurant of Yermo

April 22, 2022, 2 Comments

En route to Calico Ghost Town you pass by the Jenny Rose Restaurant. With its massive neon heart sign, it certainly catches the eye, whether you’re on Ghost Town Road or on Interstate 15. But don’t expect to grab a bite to eat here, as a burger hasn’t be served here for sometime, and the…

A red painted building sits behind overgrown bushes. A large sign out front reads "Gene Valla's Blue Gum Luncheon-Dinners." A neon martini glass tops the large sign.

Photo Essay: Americana Through the Eyes of a 16 Year Old

January 26, 2022, 8 Comments

Recently Patrick and I went did a massive clean out and reorganization of our garage. Part of it involved me sifting through boxes of photos. Yes, real, glossy, shot on film type of photos. Growing up in the infancy of digital photography means my early memories were captured on film, and I learned the ropes…

A yellow building features a yellow and white sign next to it reading "Nick's Liquor Parking Cigars" and features a small arrow.

The Vintage Neon and More of Highway One: From Santa Monica to Dana Point

August 4, 2021, 1 Comment

California has many legendary roads criss-crossing the state. From the fabled Route 66 to the infamous Sunset Strip, there is plenty of history along these stretches of blacktop. One of these is the Pacific Coast Highway (often abbreviated to PCH) also known as Highway One. It stretches nearly the entire length of the state, often…

A green neon sign reads "Wool Growers Restaurant Cocktails" and features a sheet by a fence.

Neon Sheep! A Giant Shoe! And More! Exploring Bakersfield’s Americana Gems

May 19, 2021, 4 Comments

As mentioned in my last post, Bakersfield has a lot of vintage neon still out in the wild, plus a few pretty amazing backlit plastic signs, which was one of the reasons we wanted to visit. And boy did we find some great signs, plus we stumbled upon some abandoned locations as well. “John’s” 14441…

Faded blue neon sign for the Frontier Motel and Restaurant. A mural painted on the side of the building features a chef and the word "Cafe"

Fading Icons of Arizona’s Route 66

September 27, 2019, 9 Comments

As mentioned in earlier Arizona posts, most of our journey took us along the Mother Road, Route 66. The legendary stretch of blacktop is dotted with a combination of still functioning tourist attractions and long forgotten buildings, all begging to be photographed. So, in my concluding Arizona post, I share with you a sampling of…

Art Installation - a faux billboard reading "The Last Stop For The Bombay Beach Resort" but with most of the letters fallen off, so it reads more like "The Last Resort"

Abandoned Resort Town of Bombay Beach Now Weird Artist Paradise

June 5, 2018, 1 Comment

Over the last couple days I have been entertaining one of our friends visiting from Portland. It was a whirlwind few days hitting up various tourist and not-so-tourist spots. We spent Sunday in the desert including a visit to the Salton Sea. I’ve been several times now, but it’s always worth revisiting as it is…

Americana Along Beach Boulevard

April 9, 2018, 4 Comments

Photographing old signs has long been one of my favorite passions. And California has a plethora of them. Just the other day I decided to drive down Beach Boulevard (also known as California Route 39) through Buena Park, Anaheim, Stanton, Westminster, and Huntington Beach to take pictures of the fair amount of signs this short…

I Brake for Vintage Neon

April 20, 2017, Leave a Comment on I Brake for Vintage Neon

Throughout our entire trip there was lots of yelling “I’m pulling over!” or “Pull over!” depending on who was driving. Sometimes it was quite frantic. I have been called “dramatic” at times. But I just can’t help myself when I see a good vintage neon sign! And boy were there a lot of good ones!…

Abandoned along the Highway

April 19, 2017, 4 Comments

As mentioned in my post about Rock-a-Hoola, I love photographing abandoned locations, and we stumbled upon quite a few during our road trip, dotted in between tiny towns, and miles of fields. So here is quite the picture heavy post of what happens when buildings get left behind… The next 11 photos are from what remains…

Atomic Redhead

abandoned Americana

The Remnants, Remains, and Random Snapshots of 2022

The Deserted Jenny Rose Restaurant of Yermo

Photo Essay: Americana Through the Eyes of a 16 Year Old

The Vintage Neon and More of Highway One: From Santa Monica to Dana Point

Neon Sheep! A Giant Shoe! And More! Exploring Bakersfield’s Americana Gems

Fading Icons of Arizona’s Route 66

Abandoned Resort Town of Bombay Beach Now Weird Artist Paradise

Americana Along Beach Boulevard

I Brake for Vintage Neon

Abandoned along the Highway