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Route 66 Adventure Handbook: High-Octane PDF

467 Pages·2017·129.96 MB·English
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Serving hungry travelers in Amarillo, Texas. Copyright ©2017 by Drew Knowles All rights reserved. This book may not be reproduced in whole or in part or in any form or format without the written permission of the publisher. Published by: Santa Monica Press LLC P.O. Box 850 Solana Beach, CA 92075 1-800-784-9553 www.santamonicapress.com [email protected] Santa Monica Press books are available at special quantity discounts when purchased in bulk by corporations, organizations, or groups. Please call our Special Sales department at 1-800-784-9553. This book is intended to provide general information. The publisher, author, distributor, and copyright owner are not engaged in rendering professional advice or services. The publisher, author, distributor, and copyright owner are not liable or responsible to any person or group with respect to any loss, illness, or injury caused or alleged to be caused by the information found in this book. Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Names: Knowles, Drew, 1956— Title: Route 66 adventure handbook / Drew Knowles. Other titles: Route sixty-six adventure handbook Description: High-octane fifth edition. | Solana Beach, CA: Santa Monica Press, 2017. | Description based on print version record and CIP data provided by publisher; resource not viewed. Identifiers: LCCN 2016059903 (print) | LCCN 2016055734 (ebook) | ISBN 9781595807977 Subjects: LCSH: United States Highway 66--Description and travel. | United States Highway 66-- Guidebooks. | West (U.S.)--Description and travel. | West (U.S.)--Tours. | Automobile travel--West (U.S.)- -Guidebooks. | West (U.S.)--History, Local. | United States--Description and travel. | BISAC: TRAVEL / United States General. | TRAVEL United States / West General. | TRAVEL United States / Midwest General. | TRAVEL Museums, Tours, Points of Interest. Classification: LCC F595.3 (print) | LCC F595.3 .K67 2017 (ebook) | DDC 917.804/33--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2016059903 Cover and interior design and production by Future Studio Photographs by Drew Knowles. All other images and graphics were culled from the author’s personal collection. CONTENTS Foreword by David Knudson Introduction by Michael Wallis Author’s Preface What Is Route 66, Anyway? Why Travel Route 66? Get the Most from Your Route 66 Adventure How to Use This Handbook How to Find Route 66 Illinois Missouri Kansas Oklahoma Texas New Mexico Arizona California Bibliography & Recommended Reading Index Lots of Route 66 roadies are also classic car buffs. This book is dedicated to all of those individuals who, by setting out to explore even a small portion of Route 66, have kept its mystique alive. May that spirit of adventure never fade. —Drew Knowles At the Lake Overholser bridge, west of Oklahoma City. GPS: 35.51462,-97.66260 INTRODUCTION Iwas fortunate to grow up in the 1950s within easy striking distance of Route 66. Throughout the heyday of that fabled highway that Steinbeck appropriately dubbed “The Mother Road,” my family, like so many others, used the artery of concrete and asphalt to our advantage. It was a time when just the act of getting there was an important part of the vacation experience. We didn’t want to be gypped out of a single moment, so we made the drive an indispensable component of the overall trip. There was an assortment of manmade and natural attractions to visit, tourist traps to survive, detours to avoid, and truck stop meals to consume. Times may have changed, but Route 66—the highway some folks believed dead and gone—is alive and kicking like never before. The old road (at least a major percentage of it) survived the attempts of five interstate superslabs that tried in vain to take its place. Today’s rendition of Route 66 is a grizzled veteran—tried and true—but with the allure and prestige of an aging celebrity. Some time ago the highway achieved American icon status, and not just because of the physical roadbed or all the historical and cultural treasures that litter its shoulders from Chicago to Santa Monica. The road is a much-more-than-remarkable example of commercial archeology, diverse natural and fabricated attractions, and gentle curves tailor-made for a purring Harley or speedy Corvette. Most of all, Route 66 is about people. That is what the road has always been about, and that is why it remains active and relevant to this day. It is inspiring to realize that Route 66 truly is America’s highway, just as it has been ever since 1926. Other venerable roads, longer or older than Route 66, crisscross the land, but the reality is that none of them measures up to the Mother Road. Not even close. Through the years, this celebrated highway has persevered, despite attempts to do away with it. Route 66 has become a destination in and of itself. Postcards such as this one are highly sought after by collectors. Although it seems there is something for everyone on Route 66, there are some exceptions. It is not a road for those who like cookie-cutter culture, food in Styrofoam boxes, or sprawling shopping malls filled with indistinguishable people pawing through look-alike merchandise. Even though franchise restaurants, chain stores, and homogenized fast-food joints have invaded the old highway, the true Route 66 crowd does not fully embrace them. Route 66ers want kitsch that often is so bad it is good. They go for window decals, refrigerator magnets, salt and pepper shakers, and the other kinds of merchandise sold at the best tourist traps. They crave real hash browns, milk shakes, and berry pies made from scratch and on the premises. They like nothing but open road ahead of them. They do not mind taking chances. Since 1990, when the Route 66 resurgence really began, tens of thousands of enthusiasts from around the globe have discovered that this road is not just another American highway. Nor is it a romanticized corridor of nostalgia that only allows people to return to the so-called good old days. True, Route 66 serves as the definitive symbol of certain key segments of the nation’s past, but it is also very much part of the present, as well as of the future. Today, people from around the globe continue to take the open road—the free road. I enjoy showing these travelers the distinct layers of history along the highway. Their numbers are growing. I meet with them in diners and curio shops, at Smithsonian lectures, in university classrooms, and all along the old road. Through these many people and their enthusiasm, my sense of pure adventure and my passion for the highway and its people remains strong. The old road has again become an important part of the nation’s cultural scene. Route 66 fans range from commercial archeologists, historians, and American culture buffs to motorcycle club members, students, and the RV crowd. Still, after they have listened to my stories and words of advice, every traveler needs a good guidebook to help show them the way. Through the years, there have been many books published about Route 66, including guidebooks that have helped legions of travelers traverse the Mother Road. This particular book, so carefully written by Drew Knowles, is unlike any other. Drew’s writing is as smooth as a cup of fresh custard and captures the adventure and excitement of traveling the open road. The Route 66 Adventure Handbook exposes a true slice of America—a nation of movement and energy. This book shows us people living in secret corners and hidden towns that can still be found if travelers merely dare to exit the interstate highway. To do that, they have to believe that life begins at the off- ramp. Then, with the windows rolled down and the radio playing, they can open their eyes to the past and, just maybe, discover something of themselves. It is a journey worth taking. Enjoy the ride. Michael Wallis Author of Route 66: The Mother Road

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Route 66 Adventure Handbook is your personal guide to the vanishing American roadside, with all of its exuberance, splendor, and absurdity.For this updated and expanded fifth edition, Drew Knowles has included it all: magnificent architecture, natural wonders, Art Deco masterpieces, vintage motels a
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