When I was 4 we took Rt 66 all the way out from Chicago to Seligman, AZ; almost the entire road. No interstates then. Unfortunately I only have a few pictures from that trip to compare.
When Linda and I went on our honeymoon way back in 1971 we took Rt 66 from mid-Illinois all the way out through Arizona and then back on again into California. Some of it had been displaced already, especially I-44. But all the towns in Texas, New Mexico, and Arizona along the route were still open for the travel business and the sections of interstate completed stopped before the towns.
I have read many of the Rt 66 "Mother Road" books over the years. The pictures in the books bring back many memories and make you want to go drive the route. But, reality is somewhat harsher.
Sure, there is still Ted Drewes selling soft serve ice cream in St. Louis. Still a Stuckeys here and there with pecan rolls, and of course we did Stand on the Corner in Winslow Arizona yesterday.
But today, we drove through Tucumcari, NM. Linda and I stayed there in a Friends Inn back on our honeymoon 41 years ago so I wanted to see if it was still open. Friends Inns gave you a token to use at another motel good for $1.00 off. Not a bad deal when motels were $8.00 - $10.00.
Tucumcari unfortunately represents what happened to a lot of small towns that the interstates bypassed. The downtown area is wall to wall court style motels, almost all closed, falling down, shuttered, etc. There are some exceptions, but not many. The Friends Inn was still there. But closed and in major disrepair. The town is one bad day away from being a ghost town. Now everyone stays at the chain motels at the interstate exit and never takes Rt 66 through town.
I was tempted to stop and take a picture of the motel for the trip. But I have a good picture in my memory of what the motel looked like on my honeymoon. I decided I would just keep that photo. Maybe I'll go home and read those books with the pictures again.
Curt
Curt, Thanks for the good post. I used to travel a lot when I was a kid with an aunt who was single. We would spend the night in the travel court motels, but only if they were AAA approved and had tile bathrooms! We ate at many of the ice cream stands. I had some Ted Drewe's a month ago at the original place on the old Rt. 66 in St. Louis. Have you been to the Smithsonian? They have a good display of early motoring in the U.S. and the old highways like 66.
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