Believe it or not, I just did it this weekend...accidentally, sort of. My parents begged me to go on a last minute trip to our families reunion in Oklahoma. I hopped on a plane in LA, flew to Phoenix, and then began a LONG trek across Arizona, New Mexico, Texas, Oklahoma, and (ultimately) Kansas.
We pit stopped in a small town of Tucumcari, New Mexico and "accidentally" stayed at the Blue Swallow Motel. It was cheap and cute and we were dead tired. We marveled at all the old businesses that had closed, the neon signs, and the uniqueness of the town. I started doing some "travel reading" on my Sidekick while we drove and my parents and I discussed how sad it was how all these towns died with the introduction of the Interstate system. On Monday night, we went to see the new Disney Pixar movie "Cars" with my children...not knowing that it was a movie about Route 66. WOW! I was soooo into that movie and so wishing we had made more stops along the way. I even got misty eyed over the poor towns that were now reduced to near-ghost towns...very sad how much culture was lost and how many story they still have to tell.
We've now planned a 2 week road trip in the fall to take in all the sites along this historic route. I hope that it will help my children and myself understand the significance of the route and breathe a little life back into these little lost gems.
I HIGHLY recommend you make the trip (and see the movie!)
