Wednesday, December 28th 2005


Top Route 66 Links
posted @ 4:24 pm in [ Tips ]

Visit these other fine web sites on info, photos and more on Route 66:

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Sunday, December 18th 2005


Route 66 Map
posted @ 9:21 am in [ Maps ]

Route 66 Guide Map

Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926 and runs from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica, California for a total distance of 2,448 miles.

Major Cities: Chicago, Springfield (IL), St. Louis, Springfield (MO), Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Albuquerque, Flagstaff, San Bernardino, Pasadena, Los Angeles.

Visit the California Route 66 Museum which maintains and displays a collection of historic photographs and artifacts related to the history of Route 66 and it’s communities. The displays include automotive history, cultural and economic impact as well as the development of the highway itself. Exhibitions incorporate corresponding topics such as early pioneer trails and the railroad.

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Sunday, December 4th 2005


Benefits of Guidebooks
posted @ 3:54 pm in [ Tips ]

Being prepared for a trip gives you a better chance to enjoy your upcoming trip even before you head out the door. In most countries there are tourist information services that can provide you with guide books, as well as a great variety of planners, booklets, brochures, maps, and everything necessary to make your trip a unique experience to have as much fun as possible during your stay in what ever destination you chose.

In fact, not only through official and service channels can you get guide books, maps and other material to plan your trip but also through books stores where there are a wide range of resources and advice for anyone, whether you are traveling on luxurious budget or on a slim budget. One of these notorious resources which has attained fame for its commercial success is Route 66, Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion by Tom Snyder.

“It’s tempting to think of old Route 66, stretching from Chicago to Los Angeles, as a happy accident”, introduces Bobby Troup to which is considered the first modern guide to driving Route 66, a USA Highway became the most famous road in the American highway system and possibly the most storied highway in the world, that originally ran from Chicago, Illinois through Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California before ending at the beach at Santa Monica for a total distance of 2,448 miles (3,940 km).

This Traveler’s Guide depicts the importance and use of Guide Books, being such a long way to follow up, it would be hard to make the whole route 66 without maps and other useful readable tools to complete the trip satisfactorily. Tom Snyder not only compiled the main points and attractions alongside the road from its starting point to its opposite end, but he has thoughtfully separated the driving directions.

Guide Books like these include his trove of route 66 related anecdotes named as “Roadside Companion” to make the guide even more useful. Additionally to this fact, one of the book’s most distinctive features are several reproductions of period maps from the Automobile Club of Southern California, but over which the route of the modern Interstate was superimposed, giving to the reader at a glance a perspective of the road ahead before start the trip itself.

If your are wondering how guide books may serve you, have a look at Route 66, Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion to find the answer, though a book that is fun to read and totally helpful for planning a Route 66 drive, to use as an example to learn how to plan for many other travels to any other location worldwide.

About the Author
Eric Odom is owner of http://www.backpackearth.com

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Friday, December 2nd 2005


Route 66 – What’s All the Fuss About Anyway?
posted @ 12:59 pm in [ Articles ]

For many, Route 66 is in their blood – they grew up on the old highway, traveled the road with their parents when they were kids, or, perhaps, even pumped gas at one of those vintage filling stations that actually knew what the term “customer service” meant.

For others, they are nostalgic like me – “old souls,” some might say. And, if it’s history, it’s interesting!!! What the Santa Fe Trail is to us today, Route 66 will be to our future generations, and it’s heritage and history can no more be forgotten than those of the wagon train pioneers. Yes, it was another era, but still, a giant step in the progress of a nation.

So, people say to me all the time, “I just don’t get it.” Well, if you travel this vintage pavement, I can guarantee that you will. Along this historic path, that generally follows an even older one – that of the railroads as they expanded westward, there is history that dates back far beyond the asphalt of the Mother Road. It’s not just about an old highway – it is so much more – an evolution from historic trails such as the National Old Trails highway that traversed much of the same road in New Mexico, Arizona and California; or the Trail of Tears that converges with Route 66 in Missouri and Oklahoma.

Along this vintage road, you will not only find the “good ole’ days” that you may remember, but also a depth of history that perhaps you can only imagine. From Civil War sites in Missouri and Oklahoma, to outlaws in Texas and New Mexico, to the numerous gold mining camps of Arizona, the sights along this old highway are incredible.

If you long for the good ole’ days with the buttery smell of popcorn at the drive in theater or a greasy burger at the local diner, you will have plenty of opportunities at places like the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois; Wrink’s Market and the Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri; or the Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, Arizona. If your memory revives the days of Stuckey’s, Steak ‘N’ Shakes, and Burma-Shave signs, you’ll be happy to know that these Route 66 icons are on their way back!

If it’s an older part of the west that you’re looking for, you’ll find that too. Holbrook, Arizona was once said to have been “too tough for women or churches;” Tucumcari was once referred to as “Six-Shooter Siding,” and Galena, Kansas was the site of much bloodshed during its coal mining days.

Even though several interstates have virtually replaced the old highway, almost 85% of it can still be traveled. Along the way, you will encounter the remnants of ghost towns killed by the super highways that replaced Route 66. Some of these are a ghost towner’s dream, such as Glenrio, Texas; Cuervo, New Mexico; and a long stretch of ghost towns as you enter California’s Mojave Desert.

Along this historic road, numerous lakes, state and national parks, and historical sites are abundant. Take your time, as, all along the old Mother Road, there is something for everyone.

About The Author
Kathy Weiser is the owner and editor of LegendsofAmerica.com – http://www.legendsofamerica.com – a travel site for the nostalgic and historic minded. As part of this historical website, she has recently completed the history of Route 66 online from Chicago to Santa Monica. Legendary Route 66 - http://www.legendsofamerica.com/66-Mainpage.html - includes not only the history of the Mother Road, but also, additional history predating Route 66, legends, hundreds of vintage and current photographs, and more. If you love history and traveling, Legends of America provides it all.

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