Ludlow, California provides a Motor Court with bungalow cabins, the streamline moderne Ludlow Cafe, a gasoline-service garage, and shade.
The Ludlow Cafe among Route 66 was the road more traveled in it’s hey day than any other major roadway. The journey began depending, of course, from what direction you started, either Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica California or the opposite direction. No matter what you would be stopping for certain in Ludlow for gas and food before taking the very long four hundred mile drive across the Mojave Desert. If you did not stop for fuel and food, for some incredibly foolish reason, then you, like several other people, were forced to abandon their cars when they ran out of gas. The Mojave Desert is a bizarre grave yard, of decaying carcasses of vintage vehicles, truly an amazing sight to see.
The Ludlow Cafe played an important part along Route 66, it was the very last stop before leaving town for the trek onto hot pavement and a desolate landscape. This part of Route 66 was more traveled not by families out touring, but more for the migrant workers who were slowly working their way west for new dreams and a new start. They were escaping the devastation of The Dust Bowl Days and the unrelenting starvation of their family. This drive across the Mojave was a must for the future, to go west toward jobs and to put a past to their hardships.
This great Fine art photo of the vintage neon sign of Ludlow Cafe was taken by, photographer, Martin Garfinkel. What is even more amazing is that Garfinkel did the four hundred mile drive across the Mojave on his Harley. Talk about feeling the cruel heat that radiated from the roadway, but there was the endless landscape of nothing, just a straight road void of any personality, except for the abandoned cars of generations past. Garfinkel has gone to extremes to film some his best work, this one he put his life on the line.
Director/Designer of Roadside Gallery
Debbi Fadli has lived in Carbondale, Colorado for 20 years after raising her two beautiful children in Morocco. She has a passion for fine art photography and for the past 7 years, besides doing sales, being chief marketer, she also has taken the work of photographer Martin Garfinkel and designs an astonishing range of fine art photo merchandise.