A chunk of the Internet is scandalized or even terrified over what appears to be a lot of blood splattered over the inside of one of the rooms of a long-closed motel at Roy’s in Amboy, California.
A Reddit user on a Route 66 trip photographed the motel building from behind a fence and apparently didn’t notice the motel room initially. Upon blowing up the photo, however, he or she noticed what appeared to be blood on the walls of one of the rooms.
Since the photo was posted on Reddit, it generated more than 700 comments in a day.
I’ve blown up a part of that photo to show the alleged blood splatters and enhanced it so it could be seen better.
Several big newspapers in Great Britain reported the oddity, including The Daily Star, The Daily Express, The Irish Independent and The Telegraph, to name a few.
A few Reddit users pointed out at least one of the abandoned buildings had been used for artist installations, while others said the Roy’s complex had been used for several films — both which are true.
And, contrary to a few media reports, Roy’s isn’t strictly abandoned. Juan Pollo restaurant chain owner Albert Okura bought the entire town in 2005. The Roy’s cafe building reopened a few years ago as a convenience store, and the gasoline pumps work again after being idle for many years. Hope springs eternal that the motel cabins eventually can be restored and reopened for business.
Roy’s in Amboy opened in 1938 through owner Roy Crowl. But the most well-known owner of Roy’s was Buster Burris. By the late 1940s, the Roy’s garage, motel and restaurant were open 24 hours a day. The famous Roy’s sign was erected in 1959.
The property’s business declined after the opening of Interstate 40, and Burris retired in 1995.
(Excerpted image of the splattered Roy’s motel room via Reddit)
I met Albert a few months back at his McDonald’s brothers museum when my wife and I were driving 66 and we talked about Roy’s quite a bit and he says he has no plans to reopen the motel part. He plans on keeping Roy’s from deteriorating and to keep it “pure” for future travelers. Albert is a super nice guy and we got to spend a couple of hours chatting with him at Juan Pollo’s, near the Wigwam, over dinner. The chicken is great BTW!
Awww man, I was looking into this, hoping the hotels were open to the public. Then I read your statement. 🙁