Get Your Kicks on Route 66!



September 18, 2012

We camped at the Texas Information Center in Amarillo last night.  They allow 24 hour parking and had a Barney Fife patrolling all night. Tonight we are in Taos, New Mexico, a small town north of Santa Fe.  There's a bunch of stuff to see and do here, so we'll be staying here a while.   

September 17, 2012

We made it to Amarillo, TX today after leaving Oklahoma City early to see some Route 66 attractions.  About 80 miles west of Amarillo is a restored gas station from the 60s, called Lucille’s Service Station.  It is listed as a National Historic Site by the NPS.  The price of gas, frozen in time, was 26.9 cents.  What is with the .9 cents?  Oil company’s stupid idea dated way back then, I guess.  If you are looking for this piece of history, it is on the north side of I-40 just beyond Hwy 58 on the service drive, which is Route 66.

Lucille's Service Station

We also drove a part of the old highway.  This thing is narrow, with no shoulder, at least in the section we drove.  It actually had a low curb on each side.  Route 66 is over 2300 miles long in total, going through eight states.  About 80% of it yet exists, although probably not drivable and as we have learned, not signposted either.



Old Route 66

In the town of Clinton is a Route 66 Museum, run by the state of  Oklahoma.  Each state seems to have their own Route 66 museum. The history of the highway began in 1925 when it was commissioned as a national highway.  It took the better part of 10 years to complete.  Its big years were right after WWII, when everybody wanted to see the USA in their Chevrolet, and Route 66 was it.  It was also used in the 30’s by people leaving the Midwest after the big Dust Bowl problem.  Ike’s new freeway system killed Route 66 and it lost its national highway designation in the 60’s.



The Valentine diner shown here were popular in the 50s & 60s.  It was like a business in a box.  You order it and they bring to site and drop it, no building.  The owner paid it off by leaving funds in a cash box, that were picked up by an employee of Valentine.  This one originated in Clinton, OK.

Valentine diner

The picture below is called the Cadillac Ranch.  What you see are 10 Caddys "planted", in a field about 20 miles west of Amarillo along I-40.  Is it art?  Is it entertainment?  Who knows, but you are welcome to bring your can of paint and add your bit of art to it.  We did learn the whole thing got started in 1974.  The paint is like an inch thick, and empty spray cans were all over the place.

Cadillac Ranch

Adding some "art"