If you ever plan to travel west,
Travel my way, take the highway that's the best.
Get your kicks on Route 66!
So enjoy the cool Route 66 links below. Enjoy your visit and use your browser's
"BACK" button to return to this page.
MikeyA's Thoughts on Route 66
I have not yet traveled the entire Route, but during many trips have seen about half of what's left. One of my favorite things to do when riding across the country is to exit the boring superslab and head for the two-laners that connect east and west, north and south. I have seen just about all of Old 66 from its terminus in Santa Monica to St. Louis with some areas that I need to go back and visit. Sometime in the next few years I'll have it all.
I have enjoyed every piece of 66 that my bike has taken me over, from the hot and desolate stretches of nothingness between Barstow and Needles, California, to the small and still very live farming towns scattered throughout Texas and Oklahoma. In places where Old 66 passes through large modern cities like Albuquerque, Amarillo and Oklahoma City, I have searched out the old road and the historic, original landmarks and have visited as many as I can. Cruising through the California desert's small deserted towns, like Bagdad, Amboy and Essex, the lone motorcyclist can feel what it must have been like to traverse the desert so many years ago when this was the road to California. The occasional open business in these parts allows the traveler to taste a bit of history and fame. Roy's Cafe/Motel/Garage in Amboy is still open for food a few hours each day and looks like it did 40 years ago when the owner (still there daily) ran a bustling main intersection business. And if you're a movie buff, you can recognize the complex as a location for quite a few movies, some as recent as a few years ago and some not so new.
The preserved and still-busy towns along the Arizona and New Mexico routes are some of my favorites. Most states along the way have some type of preservation association that keeps many of the old original businesses up and running, and the recent popularity of the nostalgic cross-country road has resulted in the dumping of many millions of dollars annually into many of these old towns and businesses. I usually go out of my way to visit and patronize the original sites. There are many great cafes and gas stations along the way that are still pumping out good food and fuel by the same folks that took care of the travelers that passed through in the 1950s. Most stops are good for much more than just a meal as the business owners and employees are generally very knowledgeable in Route 66 history and some are very good storytellers. Many of the original businesses have added museums or memorabilia and gift shops that are well worth a stop.
Some towns, like Oatman, Arizona, are fully restored, fully functional and very much in full bloom, probably experiencing a heavier tourist flow now than at any time in their heyday. Others are just wide spots in the road with abandoned and dilapidated structures and sometimes a faded sign or landmark indicating a once-occupied community. No matter where you are on this road there is a certain feel, a nostalgic twinge that indicates a desire to have been present during the times when this stretch of old asphalt was popular.
As it is with most travelers, I have my favorite "spots" along the way. As mentioned above, Roy's in Amboy is a place I like to stop, if not just for a Coke or a quick snack. You have to time this right as the hours are very sporadic. I'd say it's more like "luck" that will net you a visit to Roy's when it is open, but if you're much later than 2:00 p.m., you'll probably see the "CLOSED" sign. Of course Oatman, Arizona is a unique place and it is close to Lake Havasu and Laughlin for touristy things and gambling. It is best to see Oatman when there are few tourists as on a busy weekend it crowds up quickly. I'd also have to suggest you avoid Oatman during the annual Laughlin "River Run" as it is super-crowded and rowdy with wall-to-wall motorcycles and cops, unless your goal is to see this kind of thing. Seligman, Arizona has a great visitor center and it's hard to pass up the Sno-Cap Drive-In - you can't miss it. Of course the "Flagstaff" Harley-Davidson dealer is actually in Bellemont a few miles from town on part of the old road, and they now have an eatery next door. A real favorite of mine is the "Sixty-Six Diner" in Albuquerque, which is not a true "original" diner, but they try so hard to be like one and have the BEST food around. Try a "pile-up" (a bunch of food piled on the plate in memory of the many cars that piled up on the Road) and a peppermint shake. Another favorite of mine is sadly closed, apparently permanently. The "Club Cafe" in Santa Rosa, New Mexico, a true 66 original eatery had some of the best food on the Route but as it has been with many of the old establishments, it succumbed to the placement of newer and more modern eateries near the freeway exits. This place I will likely miss the most.
There are hundreds of famous places along the way - I can't name them all but the above are my picks for the Southwest. You'd be doing yourself a favor to pick up one of the many books about Route 66 at your local bookstore or library before you take any trips in the area.
No matter where I am along the road, way out in the middle of the barren desert nothingness or "standing on a corner in Winslow, Arizona" I'm always a lot more at home than when jamming down I-40 at 70 mph. If you haven't experienced traveling a stretch of the Old Road, you really owe it to yourself to get off the highway and see and feel at least a little bit of the road that was once just that...... THE road. Enjoy the links below.
California
Historic Route 66 Association - This great and informative website
contains everything from a travel guide and maps to stories from the road,
resource studies, and directories of businesses, attractions and organizations
along the Mother Road. Also included are lists of upcoming events, advertisements
from The Road and history lessons.
Swa
Frantzen's Belgium Route 66 Page - Strange but true, this most excellent
and complete 66 web site comes to us from Swa Frantzen in...... Belgium. Don't
ask me why, but he has one of the better websites going and is ten thousand
miles distant. An excellent and well thought out compendium of Road facts, this
web page has a complete state-by-state road description and lists of events,
associations, publications, and facts. There is a page for official Route 66
merchandise as well as road stories, travel advice, photo galleries and an explanation
of current threats to the Mother Road's existence. Those from other countries
planning to travel the Route will find Saw Frantzen's "Belgium" information
helpful and for those wishing to rent motorcycles for the tour, there is a link
for you, too. The "stories" section has a few excellent stories of travels and
visits of historic places and people.
Louisa's
Great American Road Trip - This day-by-day account of a young woman's
big loop road trip from Maryland through the Southwest and home again through
the north, contains several days devoted to Route 66. Louisa shares many
fine miles with the reader and her impressions of the road are very entertaining.
Do yourself a favor, though, and read the whole trip log, not just the
parts pertaining to Route 66. Also, she is gearing up for another road
trip in May 1997 and needs YOUR help to learn about places to visit along
the way. When you're finished with her story, send her some e-mail with
your thoughts.
MARTIN
MATHIS' Cool Route 66 Photo Lounge - Martin Mathis has posted a great
array of special Route 66 photos and a fine essay. There is also a collection
of Route 66 links for you to browse. Many wonderful pictures and great
reading for those who want to
see
Route 66.
Historic
Route 66 Association of Arizona - Located in Kingman, this association
has a web page full of historic information, a list of upcoming events,
and a directory of Route 66 businesses in Kingman and the rest of The Road.
You can join the Association and become a supporter of the Mother Road.
The
New Mexico Route 66 Association's website is newer than most and splendidly
done. Loads of information along with a current newsletter, stories about
the Mother Road in New Mexico, plus upcoming events and meetings. Check
this one out!
National
Historic Route 66 Federation - Concerned with the history and preservation
of Route 66, the Federation brings you historic information, current news
about The Road, preservation plans and a nice photo gallery to round things
out.
There is no homepage for Adrian Blake - no fancy pictures or links, either. But this Canadian motorcyclist is a true Route 66 fanatic, having ridden the entire stretch on his Yamaha Maxim. His stories of Route 66 travel have appeared recently in issues of several magazines, including England's Motorcycle International (March, 1997), Motorcycle Tour and Travel (July, 1996) and Canada's International Motor Cycle (volume 7, issue 1). I am proud to be Adrian's friend and he assures me that anyone wishing to send him e-mail will get a speedy reply. He is full of helpful info on traveling the Old Road and is always willing to communicate with others on the subject.
CHECK
OUT GRAEME WARE'S ROUTE 66 MOTORCYCLE TRAVEL STORY. Graeme
has laid out a great story in fifteen parts. A most excellent trip across
Old 66 is described piece by piece in a well laid-out fashion. It'll make
you want to hop on your scooter and hit the Mother Road. The following
link will take you to the first page of the trip and from there you can
branch out to the other trip pages AND also run off to Graeme's home page
where you can learn about his old hot rod and bikes and hobbies and even.........
SEX!
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/Gware/route66.htm
