oregon trail [2.0]

i love route 66.

there's something so romantic about it.  as cars became more of a staple rather than a luxury, people needed a route to explore their new found freedom.  a road to leave the congestion of the cities back east behind them and direct them west into adventure and discovery. this new type of travel and lifestyle began to influence architecture, city planning and signage.  as roadside attractions began to be lit by neon obelisks and motels became mid-century monuments, this lifestyle became a culture.

last weekend i was lucky enough to spend a few miles on route 66 as friends and i headed to a float trip.  taking a few pictures along the way, i began to think how much our culture has changed.  the interstate of course killed route 66 and the culture associated with it, as people wanted to get to their destinations quicker with less stops.  all we have now are rusted relics of what was.  neon's in the middle of nowhere.

riding in the back of my friends car, i began to imagine what it must have been like to travel the "main street of america" during it's prime.  catching myself thinking about time travel i humored myself and wondered if there was someone like me in the 40's driving down route 66 in the back of his friends chevy, who asked if they could stop so he could take pictures of the old oregon, sante fe, or chislom trails.  as this guy took photos he would think about how these trails had offered people a new found freedom and the promise of a better life out west.  how this pioneering lifestyle had influenced the way people planned and built cities.  how when you have enough people doing this lifestyle, it becomes a culture.  he would reflect on how steam engine trains eventually killed off the trails because people wanted to get to their destinations quicker. he would look around and think how all that was left of this way of life, were rotting old outpost buildings and ruts worn into the ground.

i'm sure there were people like me back in the 40's and 50's reminiscing about days gone by, and how much times change.  the only real difference between me and them being the fact i can put the photos on instagram.

make it [rain man]

 

looking for a reason to get out of town for a few days, a group of us traveled to las vegas last friday for a fun filled weekend in the desert.  i had passed through vegas once before, but only for one night during a college road trip.  since then, i had always wanted to travel back and really immerse myself in the casino culture.

in my head, i had visions of rolling into town looking, acting, and gambling like danny ocean from "ocean's 11".  little did i know the level of sensory overload i would encounter on the strip.  trying to take in everything around me, i ended up looking, acting, and sounding more like rain man.  just shuffling my feet down the sidewalk and repeating "very shiny, very sparkly".

some highlights of the trip include staying at the very modern and well designed "vdara" hotel.  heading down to "old vegas" gambling amongst people who like to kick it "old school".  taking in the cirque du soleil show "ka", which was absolutely mind blowing.  hitting up the "gold lounge" for a late night dance party..  betting and winning on my first college basketball game, even though it was ku.  enjoying one of the best meals i've ever had, with wonderful company at "mix".  watching the fountains at the bellagio dance to "time to say goodbye", and traveling to the far end of the strip to see the "las vegas" sign in all of it's googie grandeur.

although a good time was had by all, we also learned how tiring three days in vegas can be, and were more than ready to head back home and relax.  now it's time to recover, and maybe pick up some boxer shorts at k-mart.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

[signs] of summer

the other week found me taking a road trip to visit some friends at the lake of the ozarks. with the summer of 2011 producing a sweltering number of 100+ days, it didn't take much convincing for me to drive the 5 hours east. as enjoyable as a few days wading around in lake water is, the best part of the weekend was the company. time was spent catching up, and reminiscing with old friends, getting to know a few better, and making new ones. all of them wonderful people.

i had driven this road to the lake three years ago and had fallen in love with the little rural towns dotting its path. wanting to extend my weekend a bit longer, i took my time driving back home. stopping in any little town that looked interesting, i wondered the streets searching for old signs to photograph. just like my friends, some of the signs were familiar, a few i got to know better, and a few were completely new. all of them were wonderful