Road Trips are an American tradition. Deciding to do an Epic Grand Adventure Road Trip for our 50th wedding anniversary celebration was a compromise between our aborted attempt, just after our retirement 5 years ago to hit the road in a travel trailer, and taking an expensive trip/tour to parts of the globe we really didn’t care that much about.
There’s plenty of interesting things to ponder, with gorgeous and unusual scenery to see in the United States. We’ve been all over the country in our working years but often had no time to linger in the places we liked best where we didn’t live. We’ve always loved to travel together on road trips. It’s time we cherish (mostly) where we have each other’s undivided attention.
The travel trailer didn’t work out because, basically, well, it’s a hell of a lot of work. Randy didn’t mind, but I’m pretty lazy with that sort of thing and I didn’t enjoy it much because of that. Rather, I like checking into hotels and letting other people clean up after me.
When we first started thinking about how to celebrate our 50th anniversary, the Alaskan cruise was tops on our list. We booked that over a year ago. But in planning that excursion, we had to decide how to get to Seattle to embark on the cruise. My best friend from the Air Force, Cindy, and her husband, Dan, live near Spokane. They’ve been to Florida twice to visit us already and I promised her we’d get up there in conjunction with the cruise to see the home they built on Loon Lake. After considering all the options for making that work, we decided to drive to Washington State, a distance of 2,928 miles. And that’s when it occurred to us that this could be an Epic Grand Adventure.
For several months we contemplated whether it made sense to buy a small travel van or motor home for the trip. We looked at new and used vehicles but ultimately decided that it would be less expensive in the long run to just stay in hotels for the trip duration. The cost of additional fuel and staying in campgrounds was pretty much a wash with the cost of hotels. To offset the cost of eating out all the time, which wasn’t particularly appealing anyway, we invested in an electric cooler with wheels. It’s easy to move it from the car to the hotel room every night, and we planned food and meals we can eat from the cooler. So far, a week into the road trip, this is all working out splendidly.
Randy’s sister, Lynn, who is also my best friend, and her husband Dave decided to come along on the first half of the road trip since they’re cruising to Alaska with us. They live about 20 miles from old Route 66 in Lebanon, Missouri where we also lived when we were at the Lake of the Ozarks. The history of Route 66 has always fascinated me. We occasionally participated in some events celebrating the iconic road over the years, but as we planned this trip, it made sense to head west, paying closer attention to the road trip delights available along the way because of Route 66 history.
This morning, we visited the Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK. I’ve never read The Grapes of Wrath or seen the television show Route 66 (well that I remember anyway, it was on when I was 6-10 years old). But I do remember stories about the road dubbed The Mother Road. There are quite famous places I’ve heard of along the route. The national lore tied to this famous highway is chock full of history and crazy, unique attractions. The road itself is littered with hopes and dreams, anticipation and heartbreak, joy and sorrow.
The building of the road is also pretty interesting. It was started in the 1920s with the help of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1921 and was commissioned in 1926. It came together by starting to combine existing local and state roads. Then, as a result of efforts by the U.S. Highway Route 66 Association, it continued to be built until it became the first highway to be completely paved in 1938. In the museum we saw photos of its construction. Some places were hand dug, planked with timbers, and the early concrete machines are something to behold.
During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Route 66 was the primary road for those who migrated west, seeking a better life. In the 1950s it was still the main highway for vacationers headed to Los Angeles. In 1956 the Interstate Highway system was conceived and began to be built. Interstates largely replaced or were built over the existing Route 66. In 1985, Route 66 was decommissioned. But Route 66 is a living piece of American History. We will celebrate its 100th anniversary next year in the towns, attractions, diners, motels and other nostalgic businesses that are still today tourist attractions and uplifting reminders of a simpler time in our history.
One of the attractions we thought we’d get to see today was Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, Texas. Sadly, we turned off on a road headed south to Clovis, NM before we got there. I’m including a picture here, though, so you can see some of the crazy things that folks have done along Route 66. This “attraction” is free. You are encouraged to bring your own can of paint to leave your mark on one of the cars. Looks like we missed out on a unique, fun experience. Bummer.
We’ll be following the path of Route 66 for the next several days. I’ll share some of the fun places we encounter along the way. Stay tuned!
P.S. In one of the exhibits at the museum, Lynn and I learned that in the 1920s, alcohol was called “giggle juice”. We’re adopting that moniker for all the spirits we plan to consume on this adventure. Fun, no??
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