View allAll Photos Tagged RoysCafe
A reported current population of 4, Amboy was once a thriving stop along the famous Route 66. Roy's Motel and Cafe next door were quite an attraction and in its hey day attracted some famous clientele. It has suffered the same fate as many small towns that get bypassed with the construction of new highways.
This scene somehow reminds me of a scene from a movie,
4x5 large format, fotoman 45PS + fujinon 150mm lens + kodak ektar 100. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: lenstagger.
as the sun slips below the hoizon, this classic route 66 sign beckons weary travelers searching for a cold drink and $5/gal gasoline in the middle of the mojave desert.
4x5 large format, fotoman 45PS + fujinon 150mm lens + kodak ektar 100. lab: the icon, los angeles, ca. scan: epson V750. exif tags: filmtagger.
kiev 60, zeiss-flektogon 50mm f/4. cross-processed fuji provia 100. lab: photoimpact west, santa monica, ca.
It was iconic, and laconic.
Spring rains had drowned and damaged parts of Route 66 in the driest part of the California Mojave, and the Route had been deemed closed in an effort to let it rest and repair itself, with help from the CADOT.
I was detouring once, detouring twice, and then stumbling down Kelbaker Road to the junction 11 miles away, the fingers of twilight grasping greedily at me as the Mojave flew by. Another 6-mile race brought me to Roy's, which was almost completely deserted. A screeching of brakes, a frantic search for the tripod, and some well-placed headlight beams netted this. I will do more and better next time. After darkness threw its blanket over us, it was another 17-mile crawl back to I-40, with its crazy and chaotic night construction.
The Crown of Roy (3149)
~~~~~
The famous Roy's Cafe sign, a favorite subject of night photographers everywhere. It's odd that I've only gotten around to photographing this iconic sign now. Backlit by a full moon, lit with ProtoMachines handheld flashlight during a fun week-long 1582-mile night photography road trip with Mike Cooper.
~~~~~
IG, Facebook, 500px, Flickr: kenleephotography
~~~~~
Nikon D750/Nikkor 14-24mm f/2.8 lens. 47 seconds f/8 ISO 200. March 2019.
~~~~~
#kenlee #kenleephotography #lightpainting #longexposure #nightphotography #slowshutter #amazing_longexpo #longexphunter #longexpoelite #longexposure_shots #supreme_nightshots #ig_astrophotography #super_photolongexpo #nightscaper #MyRRS #ReallyRightStuff #feisol #Nikon #westbysouthwest #travelzoo #mojavedesert #royscafe #amboy #abandoned #urbex #urbanexploration
Best to View On Black Large
Polaroid Colorpack II
Fujifilm FP-3000B
Getting kicks on Route 66 with Qsysue
Ivan at Roys Cafe & Motel , an abandoned Rt. 66 relic in the postmodern ghosttown of Amboy California
Shot just before sunrise at Roy's Cafe in Amboy, CA, after a night of star gazing at Amboy Crater. Single frame, hand held, editing in ACR and PS CC 2019.
*** Please NOTE and RESPECT the Copyright ***
© Gary Prince - All Rights Reserved
This image may not be copied, reproduced, published or distributed in any medium without the expressed written permission of the copyright holder.
Shot just before sunrise at Roy's Cafe in Amboy, CA, after a night of star gazing at Amboy Crater. Single frame, hand held, editing in ACR and PS CC 2019.
Shot just before sunrise at Roy's Cafe in Amboy, CA, after a night of star gazing at Amboy Crater. Single frame, hand held, editing in ACR and PS CC 2019.
when people let me photograph them, invite me into their lives for as long as it takes the shutter to open and close, they are at their most vulnerable — or at their most hidden. but somehow they trust me to take their picture and sometimes they tell me their story.
.
.
.
vern was sitting at one of the tables in roy’s cafe in amboy on route 66. i thought he was a traveler watching the game on tv with a couple of the guys working at the cafe. turns out vern was also employed at roy’s. “if it has to do with water or electricity, i take care of it,” he said. they all agreed vern was the handyman.
when i looked at him i motioned to my camera as if to ask if i could photograph him.
he smiled slightly so i clicked off a couple of frames. i looked at the screen and said “oops.”
“did you leave the lens cap on?” he asked.
“no,” i said, “the windows behind you are very bright and they messed up the exposure.”
yeh he nodded, he understood. i made a quick adjustment and when i looked up, vern was waiting, still looking at me. it was one of the most honest expressions i have ever seen, incredibly peaceful and moving.
he told me about the work he used to do, his words were measured and his big hands eloquent.
he worked in “sound” in the film industry he said. he talked a little bit about this and that, adobe illustrator’s fonts, famous people he had met, a relative that worked for NASA; wandering from one topic to the next, never quite finishing a thought.
he spoke about the accident that almost killed him; his vehicle crushed between two others. he mentioned head trauma and teeth being knocked out. he said he was embarrassed about his teeth.
i thought vern was beautiful.
every once in a while i come across a face and the face is important. i don’t know why, i just know it is. vern’s face was beautifully important.
.
.
.
.
I've been through the desert on a horse with no name,
It felt good to be out of the rain.
In the desert you can remember your name,
'Cause there ain't no one for to give you no pain.
Best viewed large on black View Large On Black
Shot along Route 66 near Roy's Cafe&Motel @Amboy,California
I am just back from my road trip on Historical Route 66 from Los Angeles to Arizona . A memorable travel with a lot of excitement. WEAVING ITS WAY THROUGH THE HEARTLAND OF AMERICA, historic Route 66 beguiles motorists with its promise of nostalgia and adventure on the open road. It harks back to the golden years of auto travel with a time capsule of scenic wonders and roadside treasures as American as apple pie.
We ( my friend Sebastian and I ) planned the trip from San Bernardino to Barstow, Barstow to Ludlow, Ludlow to Amboy, Amboy to Needles, Needles to Oatman, Oatman to Kingman,Kingman to Williams and Williams to Winslow. Approximately 1400 miles in all to and fro.
The Route 66 logo off the pavement is a common site in Arizona
With any luck, some of the Route 66 travellers will become preservationists for the beloved old highway and other icons of the past worth saving.
This photo was taken by Jonas Hansson, a very good Swedish friend of mine, on his trip with his father Hans in 2006 (via their vintage Volvo PV convertible) across the USA on Route 66. With Jonas' permission, I've been selecting some of my favorite photos of their road trip along the "Mother Road" and doing some post processing... enhancing, cropping, tone mapping, special effects, etc. This is a photo of the Roy's Motel and Cafe sign on Route 66 in Amboy, California. The original photo was underexposed so I tried to spiff it up with cropping and Photoshop enhancements and effects.
As the song by Bobby Troup goes:
If you ever plan to motor west
Travel my way, the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
Below is a link to Hans and Jonas' blog about their historic trip:
hanssonroute66.blogspot.com/2006/07/information-in-englis...
HISTORY AND INFORMATION ON: Roy's Motel and Cafe
Roy's Motel and Café is located on Historic Route 66 in Amboy, California. The town of Amboy itself is located in the Mojave Desert. Roy's is pretty much the only thing in Amboy, and Amboy is pretty much a ghost town. The new owner (see below) has done some general tidying up and painting. In 2007, the cafe was sort-of open – a couple of folks running the place, and selling t-shirts and bottled water (but no food). The cottages had a new coat of paint, but the interiors were still run-down.
Roy's Motel and Cafe is a landmark motel, cafe, gas station and automotive repair facility along National Trails Highway in Amboy, California, USA. Presently out of operation and under the private ownership of an individual who owns the entire town, Roy's is considered to be a major U.S. Route 66 landmark and is the most significant remaining complex in the mostly empty town.
In 1938, founder Roy Crowle opened Roy's as a service station along what was then U.S. Highway 66 in Amboy. At the time, Route 66 was the nation's main east-west thoroughfare. The construction of Roy's coincided with a more direct realignment of Route 66 between Needles and Essex. In the 1940s, Crowle teamed up with his son-in-law, Herman "Buster" Burris. They expanded the business to include a cafe, an auto repair facility and a number of small cabins for overnight use by travelers along Route 66. Burris himself almost singlehandedly created the town's infrastructure, some of which remains today. Burris even went so far as to run power to Roy's and the town itself all the way from Barstow by erecting his own poles and wires along 66 with the help of an old Studebaker truck.
Postwar business boomed as families discovered the joys of motor travel after years of fuel and tire rationing and the lack of availability of new cars. Crowle and Burris kept Roy's operating 24 hours a day and seven days a week; so busy was Roy's that Burris took out classified ads in newspapers across the country in the hope of recruiting help. By the start of the 1950s, Roy's employed up to 70 people; the town's entire population at the time was 700.
What was quite possibly the most significant change to Roy's came in 1959 with the erection of the now-famous neon sign on February 1 of that year along with the construction of the "flying wedge" office building/guest reception area.
The opening of Interstate 40 some distance north of 66 in 1972 meant what was quite literally the overnight loss of business; Burris himself was quoted as saying that his business "went down to zero" the day I-40 opened. Roy Crowle passed away in 1977 with Burris continuing the business for what comparatively few travelers now used decommissioned 66. Burris had strong views against rowdy bikers and men with long hair and chased off many an "unsavory" visitor at gunpoint.
During Amboy's decline, Roy's became the town's only business outside of the chloride works and post office and continued to attract visitors long after its decline, including some well-known names. Actors Harrison Ford and Anthony Hopkins had autographed photos on the walls of the restaurant and visited whenever their schedules allowed. Ford frequently flew in and landed his plane on a nearby landing strip, one of the first ever built in California. Though Roy's remains closed at present, both it and Amboy still beckon travelers to and from the Colorado River as well as those interested in Route 66 lore. Part of the 1986 motion picture The Hitcher with Rutger Hauer was filmed in Amboy while both the reception area and neon sign helped establish the setting for a 1999 television commercial for Qwest Communications. It was also used in the Enrique Iglesias music video for his hit single, Hero.
In 1995, Burris leased the entire town to Walt Wilson and Tim White, who saw the value of maintaining the location in weathered, worn condition as a film location site. Wilson and White purchased the entire town for US$710,000, Burris died later that year at age 92.
Wilson and White continued to sell gasoline, food and Route 66 souvenirs at Roy's, but the operating hours were sporadic, the menu limited, the management reportedly surly to many visitors and gasoline almost prohibitively expensive given the facility's remote location; even a single glass of tap water in the cafe cost US$1. They offered Amboy for sale on eBay in 2003, but it went unsold.
Burris's widow Bessie repossessed the town after it went into foreclosure and sold it to Albert Okura on May 3, 2005 after Okura convinced her because he pledged to restore and reopen Roy's and offered $425,000 in cash. Okura, owner of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain, has faced challenges in getting simple things like electricity and water restored. Most of Okura's hurdles have been in the form of the town's basic infrastructure, most of it laid by Burris himself as indicated earlier and not of modern building code. According to the first link listed below, Okura has a history of being a preservationist; he is also the owner of the world's first McDonald's in San Bernardino, California and operates it as a museum.
Unlike Wilson and White who wanted to maintain the facility and town in "weathered" condition for use as a film location, Okura plans to fully restore Roy's to its former glory as a tourist destination and rest stop for travelers to and from the Colorado River and has taken the first steps in doing so.
Source: Wikipedia