Have you ever traveled Route 66? I mean the whole thing? Sonny has done it several times (before Carol Ann) and I have done it once with him.
Route 66 is an American icon. As we met people along the way, we found that a large majority of them were from other countries! It has become known as America when it looked like this 75 years ago.
The first half affected me more than the second half. I’ll explain that after I tell you what the route covers. It starts in Chicago, drops down through St. Louis and Springfield MO, then down through Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, ending in Los Angeles, CA.
There isn’t much traffic on Route 66 as the super highways have replaced it. Now, it has become a tourist attraction.
Now, for the first half. I felt I was in a time warp. I really did! It was exactly like I remembered my childhood. Two lane roads along well kept farms and houses with their lawns grown to touch the road, no power lines, no signs promoting just about anything, no traffic lights. Just a feeling of gentleness, of everything right in the world. It was a weird feeling but nice.
One place was fun—they featured replicas of cars from Disney’s movie “Cars.” The lady inside was a hoot, talked 40 miles an hour and had us laughing like crazy. This is in Galena Kansas.
Another is Cadillac Ranch near Amarillo, TX where ten vintage Cadillacs are buried in a row nose-down with their rear ends sticking up in the air. They have been spray-painted so many times with words and art that they have actually become beautiful. And there are trash cans overflowing with used spray paint cans.
The second half which included the Western states, didn’t feel as exciting. We saw old motels, old gas stations, dusty roads.
There are many guide books written about the iconic places to see along the way. I hope you can experience this or parts of it at least once in your lifetime.
Happy travels!
You will never be crushed by the adventures of life.