SEE THE EIGHTH WONDER OF THE WORLD – NEXT EXIT
There was a time not so long ago when the world was a bit less generic, a whole lot more colorful, and the adventure of the journey was often more exciting than the destination. In a nut shell, I suppose the hunt for this lost world is at the heart of what fuels the ever growing fascination with legendary Route 66.
I suppose that is also what makes the virtual world we build with assistance of the Internet so interesting. We set out with a destination in mind but our concentration is broken with a colorful, flashing website and then find ourselves taking the next exit with eager anticipation of what we might find.
My quest for information about the ghost towns along Route 66 has been filled with a wide array of detours. As with trips along Route 66 itself, a few have been rewarding, a few interesting, and many a complete waste of time. However, when seen in the context of the overall trip each and every one were just a part of the adventure.
The Legends of America website now rates very high on my list of “must see” attractions along the information superhighway. In the virtual world this site is The Thing, The World’s Largest Ball of Twine, Trader Jack’s Indian Trading Post, and the Mohave Museum of History & Arts all rolled into one.
If you are short on time but simply need to keep abreast of what is happening along the old double six its tough to beat Route 66 News. This is the closest thing I have found to a virtual morning newspaper.
To get a feel what it is like to be at the forefront of the dawning of a new era on Route 66 try this site. This blog has led me to place Afton Station in Afton, Oklahoma, high on my list of attrations to see when we make our trip east this spring.
For those to young to remember DeSoto was a Chrysler brand from 1929 to 1961. The cars built by this division were stylish, durable, and are relatively reasonable to purchase today. Apparently, if the DeSotoland website is an indicator, the owners of these cars are quite loyal to the brand.
Few things found on line have proved to be a bigger, more entertaining time sink that the vintage promotional films and commercials on Youtube. Check out this commercial for the 1957 Chevy trucks – I hope you enjoy kettle drums.
I can see some similarities between an adventure on Route 66 circa 1958 and “surfing the web” today. Still, there is nothing like the real thing and with that said, I hope that if you are not familiar with the exciting adventures that are only found with a road trip this is your year of discovery.
On a final note, if you find yourself in Oklahoma on this adventure stop by Afton Station, say hello to Laurel for me, and let her know that if all goes well we will be stopping by for a visit in May.
