Spotted Wednesday on a photo road trip: this Barstow building once known as the Hacienda Tequila Restaurant. The food is gone. The staff is gone. The only thing left? “Tequila” And frankly, that feels like a solid business model for the Mojave.
Bright yellow stucco and fresh green trim suggest someone’s trying to bring it back—or at least make it look like they might. There’s no menu, no hours, no explanation. Just a sign, blazing in the desert sun, whispering: “Tequila”.
Is it coming soon? Is it performance art? More roadside mysteries, faded ambition, fast food and eroticism on my website at http://SecondFocus.com
May 10, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: abandoned buildings, Barstow, California desert, desert travel, Hacienda Tequila Restaurant, Highway 58, Mojave Desert, photo road trip, quirky landmarks, repainted building, restaurant revival, roadside Americana, roadside architecture, roadside photography, Route 66, satirical commentary, stucco architecture, tequila sign, travel photography, visual storytelling | Leave a comment
Some examples of the graffiti at Rock-A-Hoola, an abandoned waterpark east of Barstow in the Mojave Desert.
From a photo excursion in June 2018. Camera was a Fujifilm X-T1 using the Velvia film simulation. Lens was the Fujifilm XF 16-55 f/2.8.

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert

Abandoned waterpark in the Mojave Desert
July 28, 2020 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: abandoned buildings, abandoned waterpark, FujiFilm X-Series, graffiti, graffiti art, Mojave Desert, Palm Springs photographer, photo excursion, Rock-A-Hoola | Leave a comment
Just Tequila: Maybe That Works!
Spotted Wednesday on a photo road trip: this Barstow building once known as the Hacienda Tequila Restaurant. The food is gone. The staff is gone. The only thing left? “Tequila” And frankly, that feels like a solid business model for the Mojave.
Bright yellow stucco and fresh green trim suggest someone’s trying to bring it back—or at least make it look like they might. There’s no menu, no hours, no explanation. Just a sign, blazing in the desert sun, whispering: “Tequila”.
Is it coming soon? Is it performance art? More roadside mysteries, faded ambition, fast food and eroticism on my website at http://SecondFocus.com
May 10, 2025 | Categories: Uncategorized | Tags: abandoned buildings, Barstow, California desert, desert travel, Hacienda Tequila Restaurant, Highway 58, Mojave Desert, photo road trip, quirky landmarks, repainted building, restaurant revival, roadside Americana, roadside architecture, roadside photography, Route 66, satirical commentary, stucco architecture, tequila sign, travel photography, visual storytelling | Leave a comment