Until we moved here, I knew a bit about Route 66 but it wasn’t something I was terribly interested in. When we lived in Missouri from 2007 to 2011, we often drove past Route 66 signs but I’m not sure we ever traveled on it much, maybe never.
Now we seem to find ourselves on Route 66 almost every single day.
Yesterday Vince was taking our two SUVs to be inspected in order to get new stickers for the license plates. The guy who works on our vehicles is right off Route 66. I told Vince instead of him having to take my car, bring it home, take his car, then go to the DMV to get the tags, I would take my car, wait for it to be inspected, then bring it home. He could then get his inspection, go to the DMV and come home.
I love driving on Route 66 and imagining what it looked like back then. There are still older homes that are well maintained but there are many in disrepair. There are old gas stations falling apart. I’m sure many of the buildings that were bustling back then are completely gone.
We actually live only two, maybe three miles from Route 66 so almost any time we go to Carthage, we’re on Route 66. I told Vince today that I’d love to find a little homestead on Route 66. He totally ignores my craziness. That’s probably a good thing. 🙂
Claudia says
My husband and I love to do road trips all over the country. Anytime we are close to part of Route 66 we drive it. It is a very lonesome road in some places.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
I can imagine – especially since many of the businesses have dried up. It’s sad to think of what these little towns once were and what they are now.
Dottie says
I’m fortunate to having lived “on” Route 66 from the time I was born until I moved away at 19. Now, I’m back on the mother road, albeit in town (Amarillo). After I-40 went in, all the small towns on 66 have pretty much shriveled up except for a few high points in the Texas Panhandle.
judy.blog@gmail.com says
Did you realize what a big deal it was when you were growing up?
Dottie says
No, I didn’t. Thought the tv show, Route 66 was really neat and loved the song “Get your kicks on Route 66”, especially when it came to the lyrics listing Amarillo, LOL.
Debbie says
I grew up on Route 66….. My father was a State Trooper and his district encompassed about 100 miles of Route 66. I-55 was devastating to the towns and cities along the old 66 route…..but I don’t see the attraction to the route, never did. It was a bumpy deadly messy road we all tried to avoid. It was also the main route for nefarious people between Chicago and St Louis and a nightmare to drive each Friday and Sunday. The magic was the fact it went from middle America to California, but not much more. I guess it is all in how you were brought up and the perspective from that.
Rebecca L says
..I once drove (rode) from Springfield to St. Louis, and a lot of that was on Route 66. It was mostly modern interstate type highway; not much like the original.
Last month, when I was skirting LA, Google maps told me at one point to get off the 210, go a couple blocks north, and drive along what turned out to be Route 66, and return to the freeway at the next entrance. I didn’t do it, so missed a “chance” to drive along another part of Historic Route 66. (Do they have those brown signs all along it?)
judy.blog@gmail.com says
We have the signs but I was thinking they’re blue. If we go to Carthage (which is where we mostly go), most of the route is on Historic Route 66. If we go to Joplin, we cross over Historic Route 66. I was going to say I have to go Carthage AND Joplin on Tuesday so I’ll check but then I remembered I took a picture of one of the signs and it’s in this post (that you commented on!) and our signs are blue.