In the 1920s, Highway 80 stretched from Atlanta to San Diego. Like Route 66, many towns and tourist attractions cropped up along the Highway 80. Jacumba, California was a resort in the 1940s. Its hot springs drew in the Hollywood crowd, including the likes of Clark Gable. It even has its own airport.

Times change. When Interstate 8 completed in the 1960s, Jacumba was bypassed. Although I can't speak with first-hand knowledge, the town is a shell of its former self. A few residences remain. In my short, early morning visit, only a general store and one restaurant looked to be still operational. Otherwise, Jacumba is a very sleepy town. One of many real life example of a Radiator Springs from the Disney/Pixar Cars movie.

However, Jacumba remains a town with a lot of character. Every remnant hints of days gone by and stories of old. An empty car wash in the center of town ... imagine a sharply dressed crew of boys in the 1950s springing to action to clean a passer-by's Chevy. Cracked, pink arches outlining an otherwise gutted, roofless building ... was it a dance hall or hotel? The vestiges of a railroad depot ... a lifeline for fresh foods, sundries, and other wares to keep the tourists in town one more day.

I spent most of my time at the train depot. There are several wooden rail cars slowly being reclaimed by the earth. I found these the most interesting. Across the tracks are more modern rail cars, one of them brightly tagged with graffiti.

North of the tracks, toward the distant hills sits a strange white pyramid. I didn't learn this until after I left ... it's part of an art commune, The Institute Of Perception. The folks over at hiddensandiego.net have a trippy story about it. I may make another visit and take in some of their in-desert art.

Technical Notes

Abandoned house:
- Nikon D7000 with Nikkor 18-70mm
- Single exposure, 1/40s @ f/8 EV -1.0, ISO 100
- Processed in Aperture and Perfect Effects

Railcar closeup:
- Nikon D7000 with Nikkor 18-70mm
- Single exposure, 0.4s @ f/8, ISO 100
- Processed in Aperture and Perfect Effects

Railcar interior:
- Nikon D700 with Tamika 11-16mm
- 9 bracket HDR, -4EV to +4EV @ f/8, ISO 100
- Processed in Aperture, Nik HDR Efex Pro, Perfect Effects, and DxO Perspective

Grafitti train:
- Nikon D7000 with Tamika 11-16mm
- Single exposure, 1/1600s @ f/8 EV -2.0, ISO 100
- Processed in Aperture and Perfect Effects