Sunset at Cadillac Ranch
I finally made it here after all these years!
Being in Texas, you would think I had already been to all the big spots in this fine state, but in fact it's so large that it is quite the opposite. While I have shot ALL OVER Austin - and even made an ebook about it - there is plenty more left to explore. And no, Amarillo probably doesn't come to mind first.
Amarillo is a smaller town way at the top tip of Texas, whereas I live in Austin which is more central to the state. In between you have about 8-9 hours of driving on back roads. So it's not exactly a day trip. You have to commit to this stuff to get there.
Over the years, I have passed through and around Amarillo a number of times, and have always wanted to stop and photograph Cadillac Ranch, which is just on the edge of town. However, we have always been passing through en route to someplace else (New Mexico, or Colorado normally) and never had time to stop.
However, we were coming home from Colorado, where we spent this past Christmas, and stopped there for a day to rest. My daughter was feeling ill so we decided to spend an extra day there, which happened to be New Year's Eve. Not exactly the place you dream of celebrating New Year's Eve, but it worked out.
The day had been nicely cloudy and I just felt like it might turn into a lovely sunset, and having already planned to visit this spot, I was holding out hope for a nice shoot there. As you can see, the sunset was quite stunning and I finally was able to photograph this place. While it's not a huge destination sort of thing, it's something that has been in the back of my mind for years.
I find these bits of Americana quite interesting, and have shot along various parts of Route 66 a few times in my life (this location is along Route 66 which skirts part of Amarillo). This was one that I just had to have, and it worked out perfectly. It was a great sunset to end the year on.
