Route 66, Jay Leno and road trips, that sums up our first adventure in 2024. In retrospect there is a sense of unreality about all that we squeezed into a mere thirty hour day.

The Adventure Begins

For more than a dozen years, except for the year of the apocalypse, we have made an annual pilgrimage to Auto Books Aero Books in Burbank, California. Our appearance and book signing is a part of the road trip day event. This is the cornerstone for promotion of their expansive section on new, used, and vintage travel books.

This delightul little gem in a time capsule neighborhood dates to the early 1950s. But about ten years ago the store was moved several blocks to its current location.

It was on one of our first appearances that we crossed paths with Jay Leno. That is a rather bizarre and twisted tale for another day. It aptly illustrates most of the chapters in the story of my life. So, I will make that the topic of a future blog post. It is a long and darkly comedic story.

Suffice to say, we meet at the store often and occasionally text about the discovery of interesting vehicles. And when he stops by the store during the annual book signing, he is always driving an interesting vehicle that provides opportunity for discussion.

Route 66, Jay Leno, and Road Trips 2024

The 2024 edition of the Route 66, Jay Leno and road trip adventure kicked off late Friday afternoon. As Route 66 in the Mojave Desert is missing a few bridges, and as my day had kicked off at 4:00 in the morning, I sucked it up and drove I40 to Barstow.

We grabbed a quck dinner in Victorville, and continued to our destination for the evening, Palmdale, California. At this point I must make a confession. Over the course of the past few years I have become overly dependent on modern navigation tools, especially at night. Well, less than a dozen miles from our hotel the trusty Garmin that we have used for two decades developed a form of technological dementia.

The screen went white. Only the blue arrow remained. And then it began looping, “turn left, turn left, turn left, turn left.” It was like loosing an old friend and traveling companion.

And Now A Brief Rant

A secondary reason for selecting Palmdale as our destination was lodging costs. On Saturday morning we would only need to drive fifty miles, but we would save about $50 by not staying in Burbank.

The Doubetree was an older property but it was clean, and the staff personable as well as professional. Amenities were basic, but we just needed a place to sleep, shower, and shave (me, not my dearest friend). And it was conveniently located to freeway access.

The continental breakfast was standrard fare. Self serve muffins, instant oatmeal, yogurt, sausage, bacon, potatoes and something that appeared to be eggs. A refreshing change was real china plates instead of paper ones, and real forks and spoons.

But there on the counter next to the eggs was a small sign. Breakfast $15.99 per person! What the hell! End of rant.

The Adventure Continues

The drive into Burbank from Palmdale is surprisingly scenic. But it is a six, eight, and even ten lane highway that isn’t conducive for the driver to take in the sites.

Saturday morning traffic was deemed light even though it was more chaotic than the busiest street in Kingman during rush hour. As noted on many occasions, in any place with more than three traffic lights I start to feel cramped.

We arrived a bit early to ensure that there was time to set up a proper display. Casey Claypool of Illinois Scenic Byways, Rhys Martin of the Oklahoma Route 66 Asscoation and a few other folk had provided visitors guides and similar material for the event. That greatly enhanced our ability to inspire a road trip by telling people where to go.

I also had a sample kiosk from the narrated, self guided Kingman, Arizona historic district. And Marion Pavel of Touch Media had provided some of the latest Mother Road Route 66 Passports. So, I was kept busy demonstrating the walking tour, introducing people to the Route 66 Navigation app developed by Touch media, signing books, handing out goodie bags filled by my dearest friend, and answering questions.

Friends New and Old

Joining us for the event was author Steve McCarthy and his charming wife. He definitely had tales of adventures to share.

So we just had to purchase his book about a two month road trip in the UK. He had shipped a vintage sports car over from the states for that odyssey.

Shortly before the event wrapped up some old friends stopped by for a visit, which led to dinner and lively conversation. It is always a delight when we have an opportunity to visit with Scott Piotrowski, president of the California Route 66 Association. Rounding out the dinner party were Seigo Saito, and Toshi Goto of the Japanese Route 66 Association, and his charming wife Yoko.

As a bonus we all had the privilege of discovering a new restaurant that we could recommend to fellow travelers. The doors at the Coral Cafe in Burbank first opened in 1957. It was a living time capsule!

It also had the most expansive menu that I have yet to encounter. The food (Greek country salad for me) was delicious and modestly priced. Perfect on all counts.

A Hearty Thank you

I have to give a hearty thank you to Tina and Chuck, owner of Auto Books Aero Books. The invitation to be a part of such an amazing event was greatly appreciated.

And, of course, I have to say thank you for everyone that turned out. We enjoyed talking and answering questions. I do hope that the conversation, the goodie bags, and the books inspire a road trip or two.

Last, but not least, to the supporters of our Patreon based crowdfunding initiative, thank you. Aside from royalties derived from books sold there was no compensation for this apperance. It was your financial support that made it possible for the Jim HInckley’s America team to participate, to inspire a road trip or two, and to tell America’s story.