THE MAGAZINE

Stories From The Road

On Film

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STORIES

Wilmington, North Carolina's Port City

Nestled along the Cape Fear River and the pristine shores of the Atlantic Ocean, Wilmington, North Carolina, boasts a rich tapestry of history and culture that beckons visitors from far and wide. From its colonial roots to its vibrant present-day arts scene, Wilmington offers a captivating blend of the old and the new.

The Blue Whale of Catoosa

The first thing you see when driving down a special section of Route 66 in Oklahoma is hints of blue through the trees. When you get a little closer, an image begins to take shape: the sharp lines of a whale's tail, a large gregarious smile, and a bright-blue rounded body topped with an adorable little hat. You are looking at one of Route 66's most famous attractions, the Blue Whale of Catoosa, a Mother Road icon that evokes childhood nostalgia and was born out of one man's love for his wife and his community.

Here It Is

Anyone who recalls traveling on Route 66 in the 50s will fondly reminisce that one of the highlights that they remember the most were the mysterious Jack Rabbit signs that dotted the old road — huge billboards strategically placed all along the route that featured a black, almost sinister, jackrabbit silhouette over a bright yellow background, with the remaining mileage to the advertised ‘destination’. Travelers were intrigued. The destination was the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, an iconic stop on Route 66 in Arizona, that has become a living part of Route 66 history, and one that continues to capture the imagination and instill the thrill of traveling the Main Street of America.

Santa Barbara: The American Riviera

Backdropped by the Santa Ynez Mountains and located just 95 miles north along the coastline from the western terminus of Route 66, Santa Barbara is doubtlessly one of the most beautiful cities to sit along America’s western coast. Characterized by white stucco buildings with red terracotta roofs, pristine white sandy beaches, Mediterranean influences, and a rich and vibrant history, this coastal haven invites you to explore its past and revel in the beauty of its present.

Texan Style

You’re sitting at a cowhide table on a raised platform in front of two hundred other diners. In front of you is a perfectly grilled, sizzling 72-ounce steak, shrimp cocktail, a baked potato, salad, and a bread roll. A musician strums a guitar in the background, while a live rattlesnake and a 12-foot bear statue look on disinterestedly; they’ve seen this almost 100,000 times before. The clock begins to count down, and you have an hour to eat what is on the table.

Santa Fe’s Gem

In Santa Fe, New Mexico, a huge complex the color of warm desert sand occupies a large and prominent corner in the city’s Old Town. If it weren’t so constantly filled with activity, and if it weren’t so immaculately maintained, it might look as if it had sat there for hundreds of years, an adobe emergence out of the timelessness of the Southwestern desert. In truth, it has now stood there for 100 years, while other adobe creations preceded it on this spot for nearly three additional centuries.

America’s Finest

The American road trip — those very words get your immediate attention and inspire idyllic daydreams of sunny days spent rolling down picturesque highways on the way to attractions and landscapes that you’ve only read about. But the romance of the road inevitably collides with the stuff of everyday life — the need for another tank of gasoline, the search for a clean restroom, the desire for a cup of coffee and a sweet treat, and the little niggling at the back of your mind that you promised to bring home a souvenir or two for Aunt Betty. Sure, there are modern travel stops along all the major routes that check those boxes, but once upon a time, there was a chain of roadside travel stores that served up sweet treats, inexpensive good food, kitschy souvenirs, and travel services better than anyone else.

A Bend in the Bridge

With the Mississippi River being one of the largest dividing lines across the United States, naturally any national highway would have to cross it. In fact, throughout its life as an active highway, Route 66 crossed the boundary between Illinois and Missouri no fewer than four different times. The first crossing, in 1926, was via what is now known as the McKinley Bridge. Three years later, the Mother Road was rerouted over the Municipal Bridge, known today as the MacArthur Bridge. In 1936, it was rerouted again across the Chain of Rocks Bridge, and then it traveled across a pair of parallel bridges called the Veterans Memorial Bridge and Eads Bridge in 1954.

A Ghost in the Desert

For several decades, a solitary booth stood in the middle of the Mojave National Preserve, miles away from civilization. Riddled by bullet holes and carpeted by broken glass, it looked like it had seen better days. Long before the proliferation of smartphones and social media, such edifices were the only way to call strangers and friends when you were far from home. It had been placed there in 1948 to service cinder miners, but no one knows exactly by whom. Its only neighbors were desert plants, telephone poles and—if it was lucky—a passing coyote. Over all those years, it was silent, with only the wind breaking the quiet of the desolate landscape. But then one day ... it began ringing. Like many legends, though, this story begins not with an object, but with a man.

Rockin’ On

Stroud, like many of the little communities constellated along Route 66, emanates a quiet presence of a simpler time, when children played on the street from sunup to sundown, and people greeted each other like old friends at the local diner. A growing town at the dawn of the 20th Century, with four cotton gins, two newspapers, and two banks, Stroud, which once was known for its rough and tumble taverns, made headlines with the capture of outlaw Henry Starr and his cohorts who had attempted to rob the town’s two banks, the First National Bank and the Stroud National Bank, at the same time.

Mystery in the Desert

Arizona harbors the unique ability to take people both back in time and high above the sea—sea level, that is. The state is landlocked, but its famous mountain ranges like the volcanic San Francisco peaks north of Flagstaff and the Chiricahua Mountains in the southwest jut out unforgivingly from the arid, mahogany deserts that surround them.

A Night at the Museum

On the western edge of Oklahoma City’s burgeoning, 27-year-young downtown, the Ford Motor Company built a Model T assembly plant in 1916. A gargantuan four-story building to the tune of over 186,000 square feet, its American Commercial exterior looked down on the beginnings of the city’s industrial district. The whole thing occupied half a city block, its brick-and-glass facades spreading right to the sidewalks. Into this imposing edifice walked 24-year-old Fred Allison Jones, fresh off a Rock Island train from Georgia and looking for a job. Throughout the next half-century, Jones’ career soared, and in 1967, he finally purchased the building where he’d started his career.

El Vaquero Hotel

Dodge City, Kansas, best known for its history as a wild frontier cowtown dating back to the 19th Century, is once again in the spotlight, as history hunters flock to the welcoming area to take in some of the Old Western culture and heritage that still color this Kansas gem. Even the name is romantic. Dodge City.

Under the Radar

When you have a restaurant with a name like The Roadkill Cafe, you might expect most people to appreciate the quirky slogan for what it is; but some people may just take you seriously.

Reviving a Giant

Serendipity never fails to reach its hand into the countless tales of wackiness and happenstance that define Route 66. There’s something about the magnetism of the Mother Road that reels in folks from the most arbitrary of circumstances, blends them together, and produces some of the most random yet awe-inspiring creations this country has ever seen. Every so often there comes a story with a perfect medley of redemption, camaraderie, and, of course, a healthy dose of American kitsch. Among this tapestry of triumphs and losses looms a surreal figure who has watched over the Route and all its sagas for nearly half a century.

American Giants

Marketers have long tried to raise their voices above the din. From the smallest mom-and-pops to the biggest corporate conglomerates, it has always been about cutting through the clutter and being heard or seen. From the retina-burning neon, swooping arrows, and flashing chaser bulbs that reached their zenith in the 1950s, to television ads that make us laugh or pull at our heartstrings in the 21st Century, the message is implicitly the same: “Look at me! Look at me!”

The Largest Antique Ever Sold

“The London Bridge is a testament to the indomitable American spirit of innovation,” Terence Concannon, President/CEO of Go Lake Havasu said of Lake Havasu City’s oldest antique. “We are proud to have this iconic landmark in our city. The London Bridge not only honors the American spirit of innovation and creativity, but also the historic relationship between the United States and Great Britain.”

The Legend of the White Dog

Nelson King may never have opened his wildly popular restaurant White Dog Hill in Clinton, Oklahoma, if he had ignored the ghostly messages coming from the glove box of his sister’s car. He might have named the Route 66 establishment something boring if he didn’t adopt that white dog that he didn’t really want. He may have hired less talented chefs if Jacqueline Davies-Thunderbull didn’t have a wild vision one night that led her from Bond Street in London to Cheyenne, Oklahoma, (although, looking back, the vision might have intended her to go to Cheyenne, Wyoming).

Wigwam Mania

Behind every threat lies a golden opportunity for those willing to look beyond the obvious problems. When cars replaced horses and bicycles as the preferred form of transportation early in the 20th Century, it spelled doom for farriers and vendors of two- wheeled conveyance. Suddenly, people could travel great distances in a short period of time. But shiny new cars also spelled opportunity for others. Gasoline stations, the first of which had sprouted in 1907, quickly popped up across the country, allowing motorists to travel without carrying a jerry can full of fuel. Cafes opened, feeding hungry tourists along the way.

Miracle On 11th Street

Tulsa is a Route 66 town with a storied past and a vibrant future. From oil boom to music mecca, the town has ridden multiple crests of popularity and remained rock solid through it all. Never mind that the Father of Route 66, Cyrus Avery was from Tulsa, which he insisted wind right through the friendly city.

Myrtle Beach - America’s Finest Strand

“Miniature Golf Capital of the World” is probably not the first thing that comes to mind when you think of South Carolina’s Myrtle Beach but prepare to be amazed at the sheer number and diversity of mini golf options available; it really is impressive. And if the sound of the surf and calls of seagulls are already filling your post-winter dreams, it might be time to plan a visit.

A Saloon With A Story

New Mexico is a state unto itself — built upon the bones of ancient mythology, deep-rooted history and utterly breathtaking scenery. Poets, painters, and writers have continuously been inspired by its mythical aura, which is reflected within every inch of its curving, twisting landscape. The colors that sweep across its mountainous ridges and curved desert plains are astounding.

11 Must Watch Movies

No American road is as iconic as Route 66. Starting in Chicago, Illinois, and snaking cross-country to Santa Monica, California, Route 66 originally consisted of 2,448 miles of highway, rich with neon-lit motels, quirky roadside attractions, and stretches of deserted landscape. With such a wealth of inspiration, it's no surprise that so many filmmakers have used Route 66 as a backdrop for their films. One of the pivotal scenes in the 1988 film Rain Man takes place at Route 66's Big 8 Motel in El Reno, Oklahoma. Rain Man went on to win numerous accolades and prizes, including four Academy Awards. While not every movie filmed on Route 66 goes home with an Oscar, there are many that are worth a watch. So pop some corn, get yourself comfy, and binge watch these eleven must-see movies on our list.

The Main Street of Canada

Often equated to America’s Historic Route 66, the Trans-Canada Highway (TCH) threads across the south of the vast country, through all ten provinces, connecting communities from the east to the west coast. Every year, countless people travel this great transcontinental road. Those who trace the footprint of this great national highway as an attraction, rather than a long, boring stretch to be crossed in a hurry, are rewarded with small-town charm, fascinating history, and one-of-a kind roadside attractions.

Gem of the Ozarks

The saga of the mom-and-pop motor court, designed and located strategically to lure in the motorist of yesteryear, is truly an American story. Some courts have survived, evolving from a handful of simple cabins, to quaint cottages joined by garages, to multi-unit motels kissed with neon. Many courts have perished, perhaps to a fire, or simply abandoned to time and entropy after being bypassed by a newer, faster highway.

Route 66 Extraordinary Women

What does it take to be a Route 66 Extraordinary Woman, you ask? Well, it takes compassion, enthusiasm, and generosity. Route 66 Extraordinary Women are joining together to help support the businesses and attractions along America’s Highway that are owned and/or operated by special women.

The Trees of Travel

The road trip spirit has always been one of freedom, spontaneity, and whimsy, and nothing demonstrates this better than the shoe tree. No, this is not a device to preserve your shoe’s shape or store them in your house - it is a living tree adorned with the cast-off footwear of intrepid travelers. It begins with a dreamer and multiplies into a blooming facade of rubber soles and knotted laces.

Little House: To the Prairies and Beyond

From the deep woods of Wisconsin to the rolling hills of South Dakota, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s life defined the frontier experience. Meet the extraordinary women behind one of the world’s most beloved book series and discover the indelible mark that she made upon the American imagination.

Ka-Chow!! - The Cars Story

There is perhaps no better, no more powerful metaphor of human progress than that of the windshield. That wide piece of glass is our eyes not only to what lays ahead, but also what lays within. It took a harried Pixar executive loading up his family for a cross-country road trip to figure this out and share the undeniable truth with the rest of us: life is a highway. Hot on the heels of blockbuster hits like Toy Story, A Bug’s Life and Toy Story 2, Director John Lasseter found himself in need of a new tale to tell. It took the stress of overlapping release and production schedules to cause his wife, Nancy, to insist that John slow down and enjoy his kids, before he woke-up one day and found them all grown.

THE YEAR OF 1926 - THE LIVES OF BONNIE AND CLYDE

Mother Road enthusiasts fondly think of 1926 as the golden year that birthed the legendary Route 66. The numerical designation 66 was assigned to the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route in the summer of 1926, and the US Highway 66 was established later that year on November 11th. But what else was happening in 1926? This series takes a look at the cultural and social milieu from which Route 66 emerged - the famous, the infamous, the inventions, and the scandals that marked 1926 as a pivotal year. In this issue, we bring you the story of the notorious gangsters, Bonnie and Clyde.

THE YEAR OF 1926 - LAUNCH OF THE NATIONAL BROADCASTING COMPANY

The numerical designation 66 was assigned to the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route in the summer of 1926, and US Highway 66 was established later that year on November 11th. But what else was happening in 1926? This series takes a look at the cultural and social milieu from which Route 66 emerged - the famous, the infamous, the inventions and the scandals that marked 1926 as a pivotal year. In this article, we bring you the beginnings of the National Broadcasting Company.

BYE BYE BEDROCK

Before The Simpsons became the longest-running primetime animated TV series in history, this proud title belonged to The Flintstones. The Flintstones originally aired on ABC on September 30, 1960 with an episode titled “The Flintstone Flyer,” in which Fred Flintstone and Barney Rubble fool their wives, Wilma and Betty, to avoid spending a night at the opera in favor of a trip to the bowling alley. And thus, America was introduced to the peculiar antics and never-ending sarcasm that defined one of the most successful animated series in television history.

THE YEAR OF 1926 - BESSIE COLEMAN IS KILLED

As Route 66’s establishment in 1926 would come to pave the way for cars to carry passengers from the Midwest to the Pacific coast via asphalt, the air, without any highways, had been — for over twenty years — a prime and novel location for traveling, fighting and performing tricks via airplane. Yet, from amongst the growing number of aviators to populate the sky, one pilot stood out from amongst her peers. 1926 would see the tragic accidental death—caused by an unfastened seat-belt—of nationally celebrated pilot, Bessie Coleman.

A Different Perspective

I first created my pop can pinhole cameras in 1998 while visiting my mother’s fifth grade class in southern California. A pinhole camera uses a tiny round hole – literally a pinhole – to act as a lens to create an image on a piece of film. Each of my cameras consists of two soda cans, with one sliding over the other to form a light-tight container. The pinhole is on one side of the can with the film curving around the opposite inside of the can. A paper flap slides over the hole to keep out the light until I am ready to make an image. I then hit the road to Chicago and used the cans to take photographs along the way.

Main Street - The Lost Dream of Route 66

Assigned by The New York Times Magazine to photograph Route 66 in May 2000, I continued on the project after the piece was published for another eleven years, documenting the road’s demise and the social conditions of those who were living out their lives on the lost highway. Contrary to the myth of Route 66 being a place of postcard fun and adventure, what I found on my trips across the ‘Mother Road’ was a road and a culture in distress.

The King

Elvis Presley is arguably the most “American” icon of all time. The classic rags to riches story of a poor country boy from Tennessee who became one of the biggest stars on the planet resonates with so many as the embodiment of the American dream.

6 Living Ghost Towns in Arizona that Deserve a Visit

The state of Arizona is packed with picturesque places to stop and stretch your legs while on a road trip or a longer visit. ROUTE offers some suggestions on a few of our favorite.

A Moment in Route 66's History

Many significant historical events have occurred along Route 66 over its long history, and the 1932 Los Angeles Olympics is particularly noteworthy: although the Games were put on during the Great Depression of the ‘30s, they functioned as a beacon, highlighting Route 66 in America and placing Los Angeles on the global map.

The Ghosts of the Goldfield Hotel

On a lonely stretch of Route 95, cast haphazardly against the sagebrush of Central Nevada, is the tiny ghost town of Goldfield. Home to only 268 people, its main industries are tourism and gold. To the south of town the “International Car Forest” is the main draw for travelers. But this is a recent attraction, for most of the town’s history, its showpiece was the legendary Goldfield Hotel. A four-story classical revival building built in 1908. The yawning façade still dominates the town’s main square. It caused a sensation upon its opening, as it was one of the first hotels in the west to use electric lights and supply running water to every room.

The Masterpiece

With its subtle color palette of soft, natural grays, black, white and Ganado red, and featuring traditional Navajo symbols and patterns, the Hubbell Rug is remarkable to behold. At 22 feet by 32 feet in size, and weighing in excess of 250 pounds, this gigantic specimen of the 1930s gives a rare glimpse into authentic Native American weaving. The Hubbell Rug is the world’s largest single loom Navajo textile in existence.

The Most Famous Ranch in the World

The journey begins in the Windy City of Chicago, and ends 2,400 miles away in the Golden State of California. Known as the Main Street of America, Route 66 crosses the grand open landscapes of the United States. Broken and disconnected in some stretches, Route 66 remains the most enigmatic route accessible to curious road travelers in search of the unique as they seek the freedom of the open road.

The Mystery of Shipshewana

In today’s hectic, busy world, where we are inundated with emails and phone calls, text messages, Facebook messages, FaceTime requests and a myriad of other stimuli, it is hard to take a break and simply check out, even on a road trip. But when life has worn you down and you decide to hit the open road, especially when that road is Route 66 and you are on your way, heading west to the Windy City, where The Mother Road traditionally begins, there is a gem of a stopover that welcomes everyone.

Castañeda: Act II

For a growing number of savvy travelers looking for a more authentic hotel experience, a restored historic hotel may be just the answer. And the restoration of La Castañeda — the Queen of Las Vegas — is poised to be just that. The venue’s restoration by the Winslow Arts Trust is set to put the classic venue back on top.

Bigger, Brighter - The History of Advertising on Route 66

One of the things that makes Route 66 so special is its uniqueness: there’s nothing else quite like it in the world, and its magic cannot be replicated. One of the key driving factors that formed the persona of the Mother Road was, as Oklahoma Route 66 Association member Rhys Martin put it, “the advent of station-wagon tourism.” The creation of the route coincided with the new wave of automobile culture. With the development of more affordable cars, beginning with Ford’s Model T in 1908, and the rise of expendable income after WWII, family road trips became the norm, and every business along the route was vying for these potential customers’ attention.

Cattlemen's Cafe - Where Cowboys Eat

You might not believe Joy’s full name the first time she tells it to you. When you initially ask her, she’ll say something like, “If I told you my name, you’d just die laughing.” You’ll probably think she’s making it up, but honestly, her full name is Joy A. Weed.

Friends For Life

The humidity hangs thin over southwest Missouri, near where the land starts to open up to the west, and things begin to dry out. It is lush and green most years, and always hot in the summer. It is the place of small quaint towns every few miles, with buildings constructed in the vernacular style of native stone and rocks. Families sit on front porches after supper, swatting flies and reflecting on the day’s events.

Women On the Route

The history of the Mother Road can, ironically, often seem to be dominated by male protagonists and male storytellers. However, while less prominent in literature, women have certainly played an integral and fascinating role in the life and development of Route 66.

The Clown Motel

Tonopah's Clown Motel sits midway between Las Vegas and Reno, eerily cheerful against its muted desert backdrop. Clowns wave and smile strangely from the road; they line the lobby walls; they hang above the beds. An elephantine Ronald McDonald welcomes you at the check-in desk. Oh, and there's a cemetery next door that's home to 300 long-deceased miners.

Simple Days in Pontiac, Illinois

Few towns along Route 66 represent the Mother Road more magically that Pontiac, Illinois. Located in the lovely county of Livingston, the small town paints the perfect picture of middle America with its idyllic parks and swinging bridges that cross the Vermilion River. The town was even honored to be the chosen location for the 1984 film, Grandview, USA.

The Saddest Trading Post on 66

Even in its heyday, Route 66 was not the continuous benign bright ribbon that some might imagine. Almost without exception, life was as hard as anywhere else – sometimes harder – and highway traffic was comprised not only of the military, the commercial traveller and the tourist, but of darker elements. Some places seemed to attract sadness and tragedy more than others, and one such place was Toonerville in Arizona.

Small Town Usa

Cuba, Missouri, is one of those Route 66 towns that no matter how many times I’ve been, it makes me want to spend even more time there. Recently, I spent two and a half weeks in the town on assignment, exploring Cuba and getting to know the friendly local folks, and of course creating photographs. Cuba has quite a bit to offer the roadtripper. From one of the top stays on the road, to an extensive collection of murals, a winery on top of a hill, with a fantastic view, tasty treats from a sweet retired lady, living her dream of owning a pie shop, to the delightful culinary experience that is set in an old Phillips Cottage style gas station right on old 66, and much more.