Midpoint
000 Adrian, Texas
Tanks and Cars • Adrian, TX • Day Four
As you may have deduced from the title, the midpoint on Route 66 is Adrian, Texas. Specifically, a painted stripe in the road with a marker in Adrian telling you it is 1139 miles to Los Angeles heading west, and 1139 miles to Chicago heading east.
Any Route 66 guide will point you to Adrian’s Route 66 attractions like the Midpoint Cafe, the old Bent Door Cafe / Midway Station, and the old 1920s Knox Phillips Station, which had been relocated to its current location from somewhere else in town. There are others too, like the two 1930s garages across from one another — one apparently someone’s home now.
What caught my eye initially was none of those. It was the oil tanks with the Phillips 66 sign surrounded by various motor vehicles and the grain silo in the background. I thought the Jeep looked a little out of place in the wide shot, but then I remembered I’m pretty old. That jeep from the 1990s (I think) is probably considered vintage now. Regardless, I liked the scene.
I photographed both of the ’30s era garages, although I had no idea what they were at the time. One was, as mentioned above, now someone’s home by all indications. The other more run down. The bench in front of the building struck my eye, as did the fire engine on the east side of the building.
We hit Bent Door and the MidPoint Cafe as well as the garage next door. Before hitting the road, we took a selfie.
Fire Engine and 1930s Garage
The Front of the 1930s Garage
Midpoint Selfie • Left to Right: Me, Mike Tully, Rick Louie, Mike Criswell (Photo courtesy of Mike Criswell)
Bent Door / Midway Station
Bent Door / Midway Station
Knox Philips 66 Gas Station
The Other 1930s Garage / Someone’s Home
000 About This Series
From April 12 through April 20, 2025, I was on a Route 66 Photography Adventure (The Trip) with three good friends and like minded photographers. This series is recap of The Trip in stories and images.
All of the images were shot on that historic road or within a couple of miles of it. Neither the images nor stories are necessarily presented in chronological order.
Enjoying the series? Drop a comment.