Keep the Lonely Places Lonely - Abandoned gas station with mural in the far West Texas ghost town of Lobo, Texas - Ready to hang wall art

I was driving west on I-10 from my home near Houston. My destination was Amboy, California—a former ghost town on a long bypassed section of old Route 66. But I remembered that Texas had its own forgotten places, and just south of Van Horn lay Lobo, a Lone Star ghost town in the Chihuahuan Desert. It was only an 18-minute detour off my route, a small price to pay for the chance to capture another piece of the past.

Arriving at Lobo near sunset, the quiet was almost absolute. The town, if you could call it that, was little more than a collection of sun-bleached, dilapidated buildings scattered across the flat, open land. The dry air carried the faint scent of sagebrush, and every so often, the wind would carry the distant call of a bird. As an introvert, the solitude felt welcoming, like the landscape was an extension of my own need for quiet reflection.

I found myself drawn to the old gas station with its peeling white and rust-red paint. The mural on the wall stopped me in my tracks. In bold letters, it read, “KEEP THE LONELY PLACES LONELY.” I felt a pang of understanding, an unspoken bond between the artist’s message and my own affinity for these desolate places. It was a sentiment that resonated deeply with me. Perhaps this is why I love these long, solo road trips. There’s a comfort in solitude, in exploring places left behind by others.

The colors in the sky began to shift as the sun dipped lower, casting a vibrant, warm glow over everything. I set up my camera, waiting for that perfect moment when the sky would erupt in hues of pink, purple, and orange. The decaying gas station, the dried yucca plants standing like silent sentinels, the mural—everything seemed to align in a quiet beauty that was both haunting and peaceful.

The only sounds were the whisper of the wind against the cracked metal and the soft rustle of dry grass. As I clicked the shutter, I felt like I was capturing not just a photograph, but a piece of myself—a reminder of why I come to these forgotten places. For those who seek the lonely places, Lobo is a testament to stillness, a reminder of the beauty found only when you wander off the beaten path.

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Production and Shipping Time: 5-7 business days

Premium Photo Paper: 5 days for printing, 5 days for shipping.

Ready-to-Hang Canvas: 5 days for printing, 5 days for shipping.

There are 5 ways to print these images.

1) Premium Photo Paper are high quality, professional paper-prints.
Sharp, Vivid and rich Color sets this apart from a casual photo print.
You'll feel like you're there.
Premium Photo Paper will last a long time.
This option is available in 8x10 inches, 11x14 inches, 16x20 inches or 24x36.
They are designed to be placed in a glass frame, which can be purchased separately (starting at a few dollars at your local Target or online.)

2) Ready to Hang Canvas are ready to hang right out of the box with zero assembly required. Ultimate convenience.
Gorgeous finished look. It comes out of the shipping box finished and ready to hang with a simple nail in the wall.
Canvas Prints are a well-known, high-end way of displaying photographs.
0.75 or 1.5 inch thick (depending on which size that you order) wooden stretcher-bars that give it shape, in the same way an oil painting is traditionally assembled. There are no staples or ugly lines visible on the sides (very important.)
Estimated delivery time for printing, assembling, packing and shipping is around 10 days.

3) Ready to Hang Canvas (split into 3 panels)
This is for larger pieces, and the photograph is split into 3 even panels, 3 separate canvas panels which together make a single large image.
This gives a modern look, and allows spectacularly large sizes on your wall!

4) Aluminum Metal Prints
Create elegant wall decor that shines with high-end, exclusive and unique aluminum metal prints.
Create a polished addition to any home or office. 3/64" thick aluminum panel. Features a glossy coating and rounded edges.
UV resistant ink prevents fading. All metal sizes are ready to hang on your wall, right out of the box.

5) Acrylic Prints
Create eye-catching home decor with modern acrylic prints. Light refracts through the museum-quality acrylic bringing vibrancy and depth to your photos. The 1/8" thick, clear acrylic produces superb image quality from edge to edge and absolutely stunning, brilliant color!
UV resistant ink prevents fading. All acrylic sizes are ready to hang on your wall, right out of the box