The Party's Over

This is all that is left of the famous Shoe Tree on Route 66 in Amboy, California. It collapsed some time in February/March 2010, maybe from too much weight. At one time it was a big beautiful tree (some sources say it was a Palo Verde, other say it was a tamarisk) that provided a rare bit of shade in this part of the Mojave desert. I had always meant to stop and photograph it every time I passed by, and when I finally took the time to stop one day in April 2010 it was too late.

There's a great article at Roadtrip America that has photos of the tree in all it's glory over the years, then it's sad decline as the tree could no longer handle all of the weight from the shoes.