Last summer I was able to spend a couple days exploring part of Route 66, the Mother Road, in central Oklahoma. One of the many interesting stops I made was in Warwick, OK at the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum. Originally built as a gas station in 1921, it now houses dozens of vintage motorcycles.
What makes places like this, little bits of roadside America, so interesting to me is the people you encounter. While I was here, I had a really interesting conversation with the owner. He told me the history of some of the motorcycles, as well as the building itself. All the time we were talking, I kept thinking of one of my favorite song lyrics from Neil Young: "See the losers in the best bars, Meet the winners in the dives, Where the people are the real stars, All the rest of their lives." There's a human factor that you get in small town America that no longer exists in the big cities...
As I was wrapping up my visit, taking a look at the back side of the building, a motorcycle rolled in:
It was a ragged looking old Honda twin, with an Illinois license plate. The rider was a young guy, early 20's and he was on his way to California. He was doing Route 66 from one end to the other, on his own. I envied him a bit, as that's one very liberating personal journey to take. As I got into my rental car and drove off, down Route 66, that Neil Young song was stuck in my head. The people are the real stars on our journey through this world.
Route 66 to some is a symbol of a bygone era, the slow way to get from one place to another. To me it's a great reminder that life is about the journey, not the destination. Slowing down and looking around can freshen your perspective. As a photographer, it often leads to unique photo ops as well...
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