| For many, Route 66 is in their blood - they grew up on | | | | are incredible. |
| the old highway, traveled the road with their parents | | | | If you long for the good ole' days with the buttery smell |
| when they were kids, or, perhaps, even pumped gas | | | | of popcorn at the drive in theater or a greasy burger |
| at one of those vintage filling stations that actually | | | | at the local diner, you will have plenty of opportunities |
| knew what the term "customer service" meant. | | | | at places like the Cozy Dog Drive-In in Springfield, Illinois; |
| For others, they are nostalgic like me - "old souls," | | | | Wrink's Market and the Munger Moss Motel in |
| some might say. And, if it's history, it's interesting!!! What | | | | Lebanon, Missouri; or the Snow Cap Drive-In in |
| the Santa Fe Trail is to us today, Route 66 will be to | | | | Seligman, Arizona. If your memory revives the days of |
| our future generations, and it's heritage and history can | | | | Stuckey's, Steak 'N' Shakes, and Burma-Shave signs, |
| no more be forgotten than those of the wagon train | | | | you'll be happy to know that these Route 66 icons are |
| pioneers. Yes, it was another era, but still, a giant step | | | | on their way back! |
| in the progress of a nation. | | | | If it's an older part of the west that you're looking for, |
| So, people say to me all the time, "I just don't get it." | | | | you'll find that too. Holbrook, Arizona was once said to |
| Well, if you travel this vintage pavement, I can | | | | have been "too tough for women or churches;" |
| guarantee that you will. Along this historic path, that | | | | Tucumcari was once referred to as "Six-Shooter |
| generally follows an even older one - that of the | | | | Siding," and Galena, Kansas was the site of much |
| railroads as they expanded westward, there is history | | | | bloodshed during its coal mining days. |
| that dates back far beyond the asphalt of the Mother | | | | Even though several interstates have virtually replaced |
| Road. It's not just about an old highway - it is so much | | | | the old highway, almost 85% of it can still be traveled. |
| more - an evolution from historic trails such as the | | | | Along the way, you will encounter the remnants of |
| National Old Trails highway that traversed much of the | | | | ghost towns killed by the super highways that replaced |
| same road in New Mexico, Arizona and California; or | | | | Route 66. Some of these are a ghost towner's dream, |
| the Trail of Tears that converges with Route 66 in | | | | such as Glenrio, Texas; Cuervo, New Mexico; and a |
| Missouri and Oklahoma. | | | | long stretch of ghost towns as you enter California's |
| Along this vintage road, you will not only find the "good | | | | Mojave Desert. |
| ole' days" that you may remember, but also a depth of | | | | Along this historic road, numerous lakes, state and |
| history that perhaps you can only imagine. From Civil | | | | national parks, and historical sites are abundant. Take |
| War sites in Missouri and Oklahoma, to outlaws in | | | | your time, as, all along the old Mother Road, there is |
| Texas and New Mexico, to the numerous gold mining | | | | something for everyone. |
| camps of Arizona, the sights along this old highway | | | | |