Route 66 Adventure Handbook: High-Octane

467 Pages·2017·129.96 MB·English

by  Drew Knowles

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.
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Santa Monica Press LLC
P.O. Box 850
Solana Beach, CA 92075
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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