After more than a half century of traveling Route 66, I have yet to find boredom or tedium along the way. In fact, with each passing year there is a distinct sense that the old road is growing in regard to the opportunities for adventure it offers and as a result, our eager anticipation of the fall adventure is difficult to restrain.
The core of the Route 66 magic is the people, those who keep the roads essence alive through places like Afton Station or Henry’s Rabbit Ranch or the Munger Moss Motel, the people who come from throughout the world to immerse themselves in the rejuvenating spirit of the double six, and those who inspire others to discover the multifaceted charms of the highway through generosity, hospitality, and big face swallowing smiles that accompany the telling of tales about adventure along the way.
In recent years my various endeavors to chronicle the culture, the history, and the charm of the old road through this blog, our photography, and my books as well as feature articles, has apparently resulted in my becoming one of the roads attractions, something I find most puzzling and exciting as it provides endless opportunity for meeting some of the most fascinating people. Still, I can imagine few things in this life (aside from my family and grandchildren) that are more rewarding than to know that something I wrote inspired a voyage of discovery along Route 66 from the Czech Republic or France or Austria or Australia or …
In recent years I found a new way to promote the road, to encourage others to discover the people and places that make Route 66 truly unique and special, and that was by distributing a wide array of promotional material when we travel, and by accepting as many speaking engagements as possible along the way. Over time this has morphed into a fascinating and rewarding way to enhance our personal adventures along old US 66.
This year we will have rack cards and promotional material from various attractions in the Kingman area, the Wigwam Motel in Rialto, the Blue Swallow Motel, the California Route 66 Museum, Afton Station, and many, many others. We will also have the new Arizona Route 66 Passports available as well. And, of course, we will also have books as well as be pleased to sign any books you may have.
With that said here is our schedule at this time:
- October 14, early morning, El Rancho Hotel in Gallup –
- mid day, October 14, the Route 66 Cafe in Santas Rosa (we will be dropping off an updated picture of Cool Springs for Patricia) –
- October 14, 2:30 PM to 4:00 PM, Lile Art Gallery, 2719 SW 6th Avenue, Amarillo, Texas –
- October 15, mid morning, National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, Oklahoma –
- October 15, late morning, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma –
- October 15, late afternoon, Afton Station in Afton, Oklahoma –
- October 16, early morning, 4 Women on the Route, Galena, Kansas-
- October 16, mid morning, Powers Museum in Carthage, Missouri –
- October 16, mid morning, Boots Motel in Carthage –
- October 16, early afternoon, Route 66 Museum in the Lacalede Library in Lebanon, Missouri –
- October 16, late afternoon, Route 66 State Park visitor center –
- October 17, late afternoon, everywhere possible in Pontiac, Illinois –
- October 19, mid morning, Henry’s Rabbit Ranch in Staunton, Illinois
- October 19, noonish, Barrett Station Gift Shop, Kirkwood, Illinois –
- October 19th, late afternoon, Connie’s Shoppe, Wagon Wheel Motel, Cuba, Missouri –
- October 20th, Cuba Fest, Cuba, Missouri (details posted in the Route 66 Encyclopedia update page, see tab above) where we will share the spotlight with acclaimed authors and artists such as Joe Sonderman and Chris Robleski, and officially introduce The Route 66 Encyclopedia –
- October 21st, late morning, Mr. C’s in Lebanon –
- October 22nd, late afternoon, the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari –
- October 23rd, early morning, Enchanted Trails RV Park & Trading Post west of Albuquerque –
