Abandoned America: Twin Arrows, Arizona

On Interstate 40, west of Winslow, Arizona, you will find Twin Arrows, an old Route 66 trading post. Situated where the Route 66 alignment meets up with the Interstate, the trading post has a highway exit, but has been abandoned for some years, the price of a gallon of gasoline forever frozen at $1.36.

When open, the diner was popular with truckers, and the souvenir shop with tourists. Two giant arrows stick up from the ground as a landmark, cleverly fashioned from telephone poles and and some lumber, attracting travelers and travel photographers both.

Jersey barriers block off the site, but the Interstate exit is otherwise unused, so parking on the side of the road is not a problem.

I took these pictures in May of 2008; the arrows in particular were deteriorating. A site like this, close as it is to an Interstate exit, so easily accessible, won't last very long. Get the pictures while you can – this place is going fast.