One part of my journey I am looking forward to seeing is the Cadillac Ranch, located on the Texas leg of the Route 66 journey. A spot where half-buried Cadillacs can be spray-painted on this roadside attraction. This past weekend, while at the hardware store, I picked up some spray paint to take on my journey, and I needed to practice.
I’ve never been one much to do my own graffiti work, and I don’t want to waste too much time once I get out to the Cadillac Ranch. First, I took an old sheet of plywood I had lying around to give it a couple of tries at painting the Route 66 sign.
After a couple of attempts, I took a short drive east of me, along Washington State Highway 26, where there is a side of the road spot known as “#ThatNWBus”. This is an abandoned bus that has been around since the 1970s in the small town of Washtucna, located at a junction between Highway 26 and Highway 261. It sees random visitors making their way towards Pullman or the Palouse Falls. It’s known for its ever-changing look, as travellers have tagged and spray-painted the bus hundreds of times. This felt like the perfect opportunity for me to test out painting on metal and out in the elements.
As I count down the days until my journey starts on August 17th, I am buzzing with excitement. I’m trying to ensure I have everything I need for the four-week journey that will take me down the West coast to Los Angeles, up Route 66 to Chicago, and back to Washington. It’ll be isolating and freeing to be out on the road, finding things that I feel are interesting, and capturing the moments with my cameras.
I’m not the best at writing, but the goal is to capture each day as a journal entry in this blog. I hope people find the stories and journey interesting. I’m hoping to find myself out there on the road and see who I really am. Until next time, friends.
-Anthony.