Route 66
Celebrate the centennial of Route 66 by getting your day, night and neon kicks on one of the most scenic sections of this historic highway. We’ll log close to 1,000 miles from Springfield to Albuquerque as we fuel our photographs on this classic Americana road trip tour. Experience the main streets and their murals, retro service stations, neon signs, giant statues, nostalgic cafes and diners, Cadillac Ranch, leaning water towers, the big blue whale of Catoosa, and a small ghost town relocated to a cornfield and brought back to life.
Tour Details
June 11-19, 2026 — Sold Out, Join Waitlist Below
This is a 8-night, 9-day tour. Your adventure begins on the morning of June 11, and ends after a farewell dinner on the evening of June 19.
$3,595 + applicable taxes.
Skill level
Intermediate and above. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals.
Group size
14, with 2 instructors — 7:1 ratio
NPS website
Tour Leaders
Registration
Hoping to get a spot? Sign up below for our no-fee waitlist.
| • Deposit of $800 is required to reserve your spot. |
| • Balance of $2,695 is due on March 13, 2026. → Pay balance here. |
| • You may choose the “Pay in Full” ticket if you desire to pay all at once. |
| • Last day for a cancellation request is March 13, 2026. (see cancellation and refund policy) |
| • The workshop fee does not include lodging, food, airfare, entrance fees, or transportation to or during the workshop. |
The Route 66 Experience
Who wants to take an epic road trip adventure along one of the best-preserved and longest continuous stretches of Route 66?
We’ve been researching, driving and photographing along Route 66 for over 30 years, and the resurgence and investment in the small communities, road-side attractions and historic towns is at an all-time high. In 2024 we offered our first workshop that included a piece of Route 66: the northern section from Chicago to Springfield, Missouri. Now it is time to continue where we left off, and guide you on a night photography adventure tour along the heart of The Mother Road.
We’ll start in Springfield, the birthplace of the name “Route 66” and home to the ribbon-cutting celebration of the Mother Road’s centennial celebration in April 2026. We’ll follow the original Route 66 as best we can, photographing during the day and choosing the best locations to gain night access and capture the stars.
We’ll guide you past historic markers, murals and museums that will cohesively educate about Route 66. We’ll also push you to connect with local communities and to capture memorable images of these bygone stops.
Behind the wheel, we’ll cover close to 1,000 miles through five scenic states: Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas and New Mexico. Our pace will be slow so that we can roll down the windows and take it all in. If you see something—say something and stop to take a picture!
Do you know that the National Park Service is partly responsible for the preservation of Route 66? There are more than 250 buildings, bridges and roadside attractions along Route 66 that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Our itinerary will also include group meals at specific destinations and plenty of dedicated night photo shoots. Here’s a look at some of the kicks we have in store for you:
day and night shoots at classic gas stations, as well as at several small towns with historic buildings, cars and ruins
lots of nostalgic neon signs to photograph during twilight
an evening under the stars with the Blue Whale of Catoosa
the Lighthouse rock formation in the second-largest canyon in the U.S.
the midpoint of Route 66, where we’ll get some darn good pie
getting our Route 66 passports stamped at locations along the way
authentic road food at iconic diners, cafes and restaurants
For our second-to-last night we booked one of the most celebrated motels on Route 66: the beautifully restored and neon-lit Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, New Mexico. This dusty little town is an oasis of neon and we’ll capture it all before returning to our 100 percent retro and “refrigerated air” rooms. This motel has to be seen to be believed!
Our last stop will be in Albuquerque, New Mexico, where we’ll drive and photograph most of the 18-mile stretch of dazzling and historic neon goodness. Our farewell dinner will be at the award-winning El Pinto, an authentic New Mexican cuisine restaurant set in an incredibly vibrant atmosphere.
So fill up your gas tank, charge up your batteries and get ready for one Mother of a road trip, filled with nostalgic sights, urban delights, and nine fun-filled nights along the middle section of Route 66.
What You Should Know
This tour caters to knowledgeable night photographers with an intermediate or higher skill set. Participants should have a firm grasp of the basic principles of photography and of their cameras, and have a comfortable understanding of night photography fundamentals. We will be happy to offer advice and answer questions about both day and night photography, but the focus of the tour will be shooting Route 66 Americana.
If you would like to join us on this trip but are unsure whether you have adequate night photography skills, we can offer pre-event tutoring to get you ready for your adventure with us. Additionally, a few of us have written books that may be productive pre-trip reads.
What You Will Learn
This tour will not have any classroom time. This is a road trip adventure and we will be creating photos day and night. While in the field, the instructors will demonstrate their own techniques and will work with participants one-on-one to make sure everyone gets the most out of the tour.
TOPICS COVERED WILL INCLUDE:
urban night photography, including light painting and star trails
rural night photography under the stars along Route 66
how to take advantage of twilight to balance neon lights in an exposure
HDR considerations for capture and processing
how to create car trails and emphasize other movement
how to use neutral density filters during the day and night for creative effect
and more …
Each participant will have the opportunity to work one-on-one with Gabe and Chris in the field.
Night Conditions
Logistics & General Info
Travel
This is a road trip. We’ll be driving almost 1,000 miles and staying in five different hotels.
Flights
Most attendees will probably want to fly into Springfield-Branson (SGF) and out of Albuquerque (ABQ).
Rental Car
A road trip is more fun when you share it. We recommend renting a car with other attendees, or at least putting your name on the list for ride-sharing.
You will need a one-way car rental, or you will need to drive a long way before or after the tour.
There is no need for four-wheel-drive.
If you are interested in carpooling or sharing a rental car, let us know and we will try to connect you with another attendee looking for the same.
You are responsible for arranging and paying for your own transportation.
Lodging & Food
We’ll be staying two nights in Missouri, two nights in Tulsa, Oklahoma, three nights in Amarillo, Texas, and our last night in the iconic Route 66 Blue Swallow Motel in Tumcacari, New Mexico. All of those places have restaurants and groceries.
Lodging
You are not required to stay at the official tour lodging, though doing so does make it easier to meet with the group each day.
Info and group codes will be sent once our lodging partners are ready to begin taking reservations.
If you are interested in sharing rooms, let us know and we will try to connect you with someone like-minded in the group.
Food
Route 66 has so much incredible road food!
The tour fee includes a farewell dinner on the last evening.
Other food is not included in the tour fee, but we will be having most of our meals together as a group.
Burgers, pies and classic American comfort food will sustain us. It’s probably going to be difficult to eat healthfully on this trip, but it’s gonna be fun. You may, of course, bring your own salad.
When on the night shoots, you may wish to bring snack food or a sandwich and plenty of water.
Weather
Expect daytime highs in the 80s F, and nighttime lows in the 60s.
Recommended Attire
Shorts or pants and short-sleeve shirts for daytime, pants and long-sleeve shirts for night.
A sweatshirt and medium-weight jacket might be useful.
Comfortable shoes are recommended for getting around.
Exertion Level
The exertion level of this tour is Easy. (See more about our classifications.)
No vigorous activity will be required during the tour, but please consider your physical abilities prior to registering. You should be comfortable carrying your own equipment over uneven ground in the dark.
Considerations
IMPORTANT: We encourage reading our FAQs page for more information about skill and gear requirements, and other information that pertains to all our tours.
If you have questions, please contact us—we're happy to talk it over with you.
Chasing the Blue Whale …
“We walked through the mouth of the whale and out to its tail. … Then the stars came out, and it was finally a dream come true.”
I’ve been fortunate enough to drive across the U.S. countless times to take in the vast and diverse landscapes, communities and cultural experiences of my home country.
One of those trips was my honeymoon with Nancy in 2006. On this particular odyssey our theme was baseball parks, as we took three weeks to drive 3,000 miles from New York City to San Francisco. It was an incredible ride, but the real adventure started when we slowed down and embraced the romance of the road trip: blasting music and taking the smaller roads that led to so many quirky and cool discoveries. It was only a matter of time before one of those side roads turned into Route 66.
Back then The Mother Road was going through a lull in popularity, so many of the locations were desolate and closed. Our biggest regret was when we drove past a giant blue whale on the side of the road. To this day, I’m not sure why we didn’t stop—it came up quickly, we only got a glimpse and we had many more miles to go that day.
But it ate at us. Like Ahab, we became obsessed. We vowed to hit as much of Route 66 as we could the rest of the journey, and we constantly wondered about that elusive Blue Whale of Catoosa.
Fast-forward to 2025. I was working on a big project for B&H Photo that required many hours over several months. I had a few days off and I probably should have stayed home and “charged my batteries,” but Nancy’s and my 19th anniversary was coming up and we wanted to celebrate.
Route 66 was on my mind, as the 100-year anniversary is 2026. For some reason, we had never found a way back to that blue whale. So we packed our bags and flew into the small airport of Springfield, Missouri, got a car, hit the road, and started the honeymoon all over again.
It took us over six hours to drive 180 miles that first day because we followed The Mother Road and stopped to take in everything. Our final destination that day was Tulsa, and we were not going to pass by the blue whale this time.
We made it just as the sun was setting, and it was the sweetest thing. We read the story about how a husband made it as a gift for his wife and family. He imagined a place for his grandchildren to swim and play. We walked through the mouth of the whale and out to its tail. We held hands as we went around the lake taking in all the reflections of this beloved landmark.
Then the stars came out, and it was finally a dream come true.
We came back the next day and were so happy to see so many people having picnics and celebrating with their family and friends next to a giant blue whale. We rolled down the windows, blasted the music and slowly took our time down the road.
Route 66 was built to connect the heart of America. What we can confirm is that the heart is still very much alive and kicking on Route 66.
