r/route66

This is an update from an earlier post about the mad dash my old suburban made across part of Route 66 and the Southwest.

I deleted the EVO steering system and replaced the water pump before heading west from Missouri via Dallas Texas.

I got snookered into downtown Dallas on the second night for a concert before going to Santa Fe.

It was 108* in Texas and the temperature gauge never went over 1/2 way (who knows how accurate that stock gauge is, haha)

I only wish I had more time to go all the way to Santa Monica and see that ocean!

Nice cactus cutout on the bottom !

I want to drive the Limo from the Florida Keys Mile 0 to the Mohave Desert in California with many stops like the grand canyon, the meteor strike in the desert, Burning Man, other attractions to end up at Wasteland Weekend.

It's Week long Mad Max party in the desert 🏜️🏝️

I'm looking for a few sponsors who wants to be apart of this type of journey.

I will be posting videos along the way.

Started a YouTube channel for the limo 😂

Thank you for your time and please let me know anything you can share.

This Route 66 Missouri State Park is about 21 miles west of Ted Drewes Frozen Custard (you can’t say you did Route 66 in St. Louis if you skip Ted Drewes!)

From their website -

https://mostateparks.com/page/route-66-state-park/general-information-route-66

“Route 66 State Park strives to keep some of the memories alive through its displays and memorabilia. The visitor center has a historical display area complete with Route 66 memorabilia. Wandering among the display items, visitors will see the rich architecture of the buildings and towns that graced the roadways of Missouri from the 1930s to the 1960s, and souvenirs that long ago travelers bought on their journey across Missouri on Route 66. A gift shop, specializing in hundreds of Route 66 items, is open seven days a week from March through November in the visitor center.”

You will not believe the history of “Times Beach”, where the Park Headquarters is located in a 66 Roadhouse built in 1935.

A detour on the way back from Vegas

Another map from the 1929 Highway Atlas which shows about 90% of Route 66 was unpaved in New Mexico at that time.

From a 1930 brochure for Rainbow Cottage Camps, includes a description of this chain of camps, Directory with prices and full maps of Arizona and New Mexico. Route 66 was 4 years old when this was printed.

I have had a couple of requests seeking better resolution of the areas around Times Beach and Eureka. Here it is, they are almost off the map.

Does anybody have any information on this place?
I have not been able to find any information on this 24 hour restaurant. Kind of boring as matchbooks go, but of interest is the mileage chart for people going east and west on 66. In Barstow, Route 66 and Main Street were one in the same, at least where this place was located.

Many folks doing the Route 66 adventure start in Chicago and get photos of themselves with the “Historic Route 66 Begin” sign. But many are not aware that there are actually 3 such signs. They are all relatively close to one another, so you might as well get a selfie at all 3 locations. I asked an AI chat to draw a map showing the location of these 3 signs. (Use this map diagram at your own risk, as I cannot vouch for its accuracy. AI can sometimes be very wrong.)

From Gallup’s Highway Atlas of the U.S.
Can you find Route 66?

I cannot locate a copyright year anywhere on this map. I date it circa 1950, as the discussion of the history of St. Louis indicates St. Louis is the 8th largest city in the nation. Based on 1950 census data, that placed St. Louis in 8th place. The map shows RT 66 went around the central city while “City 66” cut through the central city.

Copyright 1929 - Gallup Map & Supply Company
Kansas City, Missouri

The Saturday Evening Post (May 28, 1938)
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