Ghost Gas Stations

There are a lot of abandoned businesses along Highway 64, and most of them are gas stations.  I didn't count, but there might be a dozen.  146 miles, an empty filling station about every 12. The road runs between Cleveland, Tennessee and Clyde, North Carolina, a four lane highway that shrinks to two lanes when it runs along the rivers - first the Ocoee, then the Nantahala. I drive this road every time I go to Chattanooga. At least once a month, there and back. Today, I had my camera with me. It was colorful; it was morning; I pulled over. Here's some of what I saw.

No phone inside, just the booth.

Peering through the AC duct, things are eerily untouched. Signs still hanging.

And in a window, dishes on the tables. The price of pizza still on the menu.

Old trash bag, rotting.

Even though it's obviously in a state of neglect, the colors are still vibrant. 

Trees growing out of the old parking lot and loading dock.

I wonder how long this one has been out of business. Behind it was a trailer park. As I was making these images, two young kids drove by on a four-wheeler.