Travel my way


 
Brad Olson

Brad Olson

TVWBB Platinum Member
Take the highway that's the best.

My copy of Route 66: Return to the Road with Martin Milner arrived today and we watched it tonight, and even though it's dated (filmed late '96 and early '97) it's a great way to knock 2-1/2 hours off the day. I'm not a diehard 66 aficionado like some, but I've driven quite a bit of it in Illinois, New Mexico and Arizona and the film stars one of my favorite actors, so when I stumbled across it a few weeks ago I went ahead and bought it. It could've easily been 2, 3, 4 or more times longer than 2-1/2 hours (what, no stop at the Ariston Cafe in Litchfield, IL?) but the filmmakers did a good job of fitting 2400+ miles and some very interesting people into 156 minutes.

While we were watching it I mentioned to my wife that since I'm currently unemployed, it could be the ideal time for me to run 66 from one end to the other (which isn't that easy, because it had multiple routes over the years). But as she pointed out, the virus that cost me my job has also shut down major parts of the country, so it's kind of a Catch-22.
 
Barb and I have traveled the portion from Ash Fork Az. to Kingman Az. when we used to live in Bullhead city Az. Lots of history on that road.
 
Now I've got that song stuck in my head.

I helped a friend move from here in DC to San Diego 16-17 years back and while we travelled mainly on highway, we had several stops near and on Rt 66. It was pretty cool. And you brought back some good memories of a couple things I did on that trip that are immortalized in songs:

1) "Standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona"
2) In LA, I "moved west down Ventura Boulevard"
 
My father is 85 years old and has had a love affair with Route 66. He grew up in rural Oklahoma and in his formative years his favorite memories are of going to California from Oklahoma on the Mother Road. Here in Oklahoma, Route 66 is definitely an iconic part of our history and is something we're proud of.

My dad doesn't get out of the house very much, but when he's up to it I get him in our convertible and we take a stroll down Route 66 from OKC to Prague and back. There is a great mix of restored landmarks and even what I'd call "ruins" of old roadside stops. It definitely makes my dad think of days gone by. I actually like hearing the same stories over and over of his travels on Route 66. My favorite is his very first trip was when he and my uncle were 8 and 10 years old and literally hitchhiked from Fairview Oklahoma to somewhere in Arizona before a cop picked them up and called my grandparents in the middle of the night. My oldest uncle and my grandfather drove straight there and picked them up. My dad and uncle both say that they didn't even really get in trouble and the drive home from Arizona was even quiet and laid back and all 4 of them seemed to enjoy the opportunity for a road trip that they never would have taken otherwise.

That started the relationship between my father and the Mother Road as he took the journey many times over his life moving back and forth from the plains to the west several times during his life. As a proud Okie myself, I definitely claim Route 66 as a part of my heritage and I love anything having to do with it. One thing that is amazing to me is how popular the lore of the Mother Road is in Europe. We hosted a German exchange student for 2 months after our son lived with his family in Germany for 2 months earlier that year. It was a program that involved about 30 kids from each country. One thing that struck me was that all the German kids not only knew about Route 66 but couldn't wait to see part of it here in Oklahoma. That blew my mind.

To me there is something very deeply American about Route 66 and how it encapsulates the frontiersman spirit of our national history and the idea of the modernizing and industrious nature of America, for good and bad. I think that's why people from Europe love the idea of it because it's something that is so very unique and different from the way their history was written.

As I get older I find myself gravitating to those things that are very uniquely American. Route 66 is definitely one of those things....

Route 66
Amusement parks
Hollywood and movies
RVs
Football
Backyard BBQing (especially with Weber Kettles and charcoal)
.....
 
MikeLucky said:
One thing that is amazing to me is how popular the lore of the Mother Road is in Europe.
Click to expand...
For a good part of 2017 I was spending a couple of weeks a month at corporate HQ in St. Louis, so I traveled every inch of 66 from Bloomington, IL to Illinois state road 203 in Granite City. One Sunday (I always left on a Sunday so I could take my time; once it took me 11 hours to make what's a 5-1/2 hour drive on the interstates) I had pulled over to read a marker when another car pulled up and stopped. A couple got out and mentioned that they would've missed the sign if they hadn't seen me, and my response was, "You don't sound like you're from around here." They were from London and were spending an entire month driving from Chicago to L.A. and back.

Oklahomans should be rightfully proud of their efforts to preserve 66. When my wife and I drove to Arizona and back in March we didn't spend as much time on 66 as we did in 2018, but if we make the trip next year there'll be some more of the Road involved. My parents have a 1930 Model A sedan and I just suggested to my wife that we should have it be made roadworthy and use it for a 66 adventure...

Here's a shot of Del's in Tucumcari, NM. That town sure loves its neon!

DelsRestaurantTucumcariNM20180310_1.jpg
 
Brad Olson said:
My parents have a 1930 Model A sedan and I just suggested to my wife that we should have it be made roadworthy and use it for a 66 adventure...
View attachment 4931
Click to expand...

That sounds amazing. If I had the resources, you and I would now be talking about doing a documentary series that would chronicle the vehicle restoration all the way through the cross country journey from Chicago culminating at the Santa Monica Pier. Hitting all the landmarks, restaurants, and cities. Going over the historical significance of the road to all the communities, and to the country. It would be part car restoration show, part food show, part travel show, part history lesson, and all America.

The Mother Road: Restoration and Rememberance of the American Soul.

Just saying.... Lol
 
That could literally be a lifetime project!;) A friend of mine told me how he and his family once took 66 from Chicago to St. Louis and back, and the westbound leg alone took 5 days because they tried to hit so many places of interest.

Are you familiar with Jerry McClanahan? He's just up the road from you in Chandler, where he runs a 66-themed art gallery. A few years back he wrote EZ66 Guide for Travelers and it's a good resource.
 
Brad, Mike, see if you can get a copy of the cooking magazine Taste of Home-June/July 2020. They have an 8 page article all about Route 66, with pictures of restaurants and the food they are famous for. They also have 5 recipes from readers trying to duplicate some of the food. I'll list them in case you might want to look them up on their site.

Corn Dog (Corn Dog Drive-In-Springfield, Ill.)
Mine Run Candy (Steve's Candy-Galena, Ks.)
Dr. Pepper Sheet Cake (Pops 66 Soda Ranch,Arcadia, Ok.)
Green Chile Cheeseburger (Santa Fe Bite-Santa Fe, NM)
Bacon & Eggs Chilaquiles (Oatman Sidewalk Egg Frying Contest-Oatman, Az.)
 
Thanks, Joan! My wife is a ToH subscriber and showed me the story last week!:giggle:

Her parents live in northern Arkansas and she's thinking about going to visit them, once they feel it's OK. Since I'm currently unemployed I suggested that I could tag along, and have already figured out a Route 66 trip from Bloomington IL to Lebanon MO.

I could go for a Cozy Dog or 5 right now...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

 

Back
Top