on the way....

On my way to the workshops at Hill College I drove through and stopped in a couple of small towns last week to make a few pinhole images.

I like stopping in towns with astronomical names and the first place that caught my eye was a small bump in the road kind of town named Vega.

Vega is located west of Amarillo and is on old Route 66, so this was a double treat since I'm a big fan of all things about the "Mother Road". I've driven Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles over the years, but somehow missed Vega during these adventures.

Vega is also just about at the midway point on Route 66 between Chicago and LA.....but the city of Adrian has that official distinction and is about 10 miles away.

This first pinhole photo is a 4 x 5 shot of the Vega Motel.

It has the distinction of being one of the rare surviving intact motel complexes left in the small towns of the Texas Panhandle. Next time I drive through here, I'd like to stay in this little place.

Amarillo has several Route 66 motels, but only three are documented as intact survivors outside of the city and the Vega Motel is one of them. It was placed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2006.

The next pinhole photo (also 4 x 5) is the cafe across the street from the Vega Motel. It was packed the day I was there....too bad I didn't have enough time to eat there.  Next time I'll make it a priority!

I also think I might need to start shooting color in this 4 x 5 pinhole camera....it will show off these amazing skies that are so hypnotic!

Thanks for visiting and tagging along on my adventure. I always appreciate the company!