Route 66, "The Mother Road". We all know what the the song by Bobby Troup says "...get your kicks on Route 66". It was also recorded by Nat King Cole, and The Rolling Stones, among others. We see the movies and T.V. programs. I have heard about Route 66 for all of my life, that I can remember. If one word had to describe it, I would say fun.
Route 66 was where you could go to have fun. Everyone I know who has driven the route, comes back with endless stories. Things they saw that you just wouldn't believe. Places that seem lost in time. Also, the other people there on the trip too, you meet people from all over the U.S.. There are no strangers on Route 66, only friends that you haven't met yet. They are all still looking for their kicks on Route 66, and still finding them, in abundance.
I was born in Chicago, and I always thought Route 66 was out west somewhere. Was I surprised to find that it starts in Chicago. Not only that it starts in Chicago, but its part of my past, and its also the beginning of the route. Wow! Where I live right now is the very heart of Route 66, Kingman Az. There is the Hill Top motel, the train station, Route 66 diner, so many unique restaurants, hotels, and motels, The Powerhouse Visitor Center, Canada Mart, gas with souvenirs. Be sure to see downtown Kingman, and Beale St., with all its little shops and cafes.
It's an antique lovers paradise. Pretty much as it was many years ago. There are historic hotels too. This is the home town of Andy Devine of movie fame. The main route through town is also Andy Devine Rd. Route 66 winds through states west of and of course including Illinois. Also, some of the cities and towns it goes through are St. Louis, MO., Tulsa, Ok., Amarillo,Tx., Albuquerque, N.M., Winslow, Flagstaff, and Kingman, Az., Barstow, Ca., and ends in Los Angeles, California.
Many attractions you find along Route 66 are found nowhere else. Thats because there is no other road, or route, where the point is not just to get where you're going. The trip is the point. The trip is the main attraction . Where you stop or how far you go is not the thing. Its the trip. Route 66. The very thought of it takes me back to another place and time. It's like turning back the clock to the a time when we were young and happy. We wore the poodle skirts, had saddle shoes, and ponytails. We wore a scarf tied around our necks, and drank those little bottles of Coca Cola. We were cool.
We talked about boys. Who had the fastest hotrod, the slickest hair, and how wonderful it would be, if we too could get our kicks on Route 66. I remember a television show by the same name. It was a time when Elvis was king, Sam Cook could make you cry, and Little Richard, and Chuck Berry made you want to get up and dance.
I feel bad for those who didn't live in the late 40's and 50's. Life was good. War was over. We had no where to go but up. Minimum wage was under $1. Women still didn't work outside the home too often. And, American women cooked. They made meatloaves, pot roasts, pork chops, mashed potatoes, and over everything was poured gravy. Heavy, delicious, greasy gravy. They made cakes and cookies for dessert. We loved it.
A salad in those days was lettuce and tomatoes, with a heavy mayonnaise dressing. But it was O.K. We moved our bodies and we were slim for the most part. It was an era. It was a time when most Americans were getting more money to spend, and spend it they did. They bought cars. Chevrolet, Ford, Plymouth, Buick.
And where did they go in those cars? On road trips. Motels went up all over, diners too. After all the people have to be fed. Somewhere, someone decided ordinary just wasn't good enough, so extraordinary, happened, and, Route 66 is the result. Bring plenty of film, or at least a digital camera, the attractions abound. There is no way you can resist trying to see everything. It got me hooked, and you will be too. Got some vacation time coming? You know what to do. Get your kicks on Route 66!
