Why We Love Route 66

Sunday night, we finally came to the realization that we’ll be sitting in a sub-compact rental heading up Hwy 17 to Flagstaff, AZ in about 24 hours. We’ve had a crazy last few weeks between getting the site up and running, amongst working our day jobs (upwards of 50hr weeks?), amongst working our night jobs (we have about 700 photos waiting for us from the wedding we shot last night!). You could say we need a vacation! No rest for the wicked though as we’re sitting here scraping together the final details on the trip, a trip packed to the max with Route 66 awesomeness!

So loving Route 66 is an easy task. You’ve got 2448 miles to find something that piques your interest! Well in our case, everything peaks our interest and it’s really tough to squeeze everything in that we want to see. This was highlighted last night when trying to cram as much as we can into a 1153 mile loop in seven days. Before finding our new favorite things about the section of 66 neither of us have yet to travel, we wanted to give you a few of the places that are near to our hearts, just so you have an idea of what makes this trip so bizarre and beautiful. So in no particular order, here are seven key landmarks/aspects of the road that will be etched on our hearts forever!

Cadillac Ranch

Buried face-first into the dusty Texas plains, ten graffiti soaked caddies sit at what is known as the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo, TX, not too far from The Big Texan where you can get a FREE 72oz steak…that is if you can eat one AND shrimp cocktail AND a baked potato AND a salad AND a roll WITH butter. In any case, the man behind the madness sitting in the middle of a Texas ranch is Stanley Marsh 3 (because he thinks “the third” is too pretentious!) In the ’70s, Stanley asked artists from all over to help him build the installation. Because of the fast approaching city limits, Caddy Ranch was re-buried about 15 years ago in the spot it sits today…a spot completely surrounded by empty spray paint cans of course!

Catoosa Blue Whale

The Blue Whale of Catoosa, OK is one of billions of things that make Oklahoma 66 a killer stretch of road. Blue sits on a pond surrounded by wildlife (we saw a giant turtle and a snake…there might be alligators in the pond?!), as well as a family-friendly park complete with little whale stools. Blue recently got totally renovated from the last time we visited – new coat of paint and a gift shop to name a few of the upgrades. He even has his very own Twitter and Facebook page! Be a fin and go see Blue!

Glenrio Gas

Glenrio sits directly on the boarder of Texas and New Mexico. Like thousands of spots along the route, Glenrio once bustled with the life. Now a ghost town, all you see are a couple of perhaps still inhabited, but most certainly decrepit houses and several barking dogs. One night we rolled up to the pitch black town to do some light painting of an empty service station. One of us manned the camera while the other carefully crawled inside the building hoping not to disturb any rattlesnakes or whatever creatures live in Glenrio. Well, that didn’t work because after just a few takes, screeching sounds that tear at your soul burst from the corner of the room. We tried just one more time, but the shrill scream was just too much to handle and we were out of there. At least we got a good shot!

Tucumcari, NM is undoubtedly the last remaining town along Route 66 that still echoes the time when the road was alive. We rolled into Tucumcari near midnight and the neon splashed all over the two mile strip was reason alone to stop, not once but twice on our trip last year. In fact, we have a running joke where whenever we feel burnt out and over our lives one of us yells “F it! Tucumcari Tonight!!” Which, of course, would only take us 20 hours. The first night we stayed at the Blue Swallow, and as mentioned, it was pretty late! But the motel caretaker Bill, in his way cool overalls and grin brighter than the neon blue bird outside, welcomed us like family. He even showed us our room like they did back in the day! Bill’s wife Terri gave us some tips about the town the following morning as well as some history about the motel.

Tucumcari Tonight

Sadly for health reasons, Bill had to sell his desert oasis, but the new caretakers, Kevin and Nancy Mueller, a couple from Michigan, are super excited to grab the reins. On the way back through, we stopped in Tucumcari once again, this time staying at the seemingly-humble-from-the-outside Motel Safari. The rooms were all recently renovated with vintage charm (mod furniture complete with retro radio that plays Tucumcari hits) meets contemporary amenities (flat screen tv and most comfortable pillowtop mattress ever). We kinda wish there were more people like owner Richard Talley who take chances on old motels. We can’t tell you how many nearly blank canvases there are out there waiting for just a touch more than a coat of paint.

Twin Arrows

Speaking of coats of paint, the Twin Arrows Trading Post near Winona, AZ was yet another Route 66 spot filled with activity and is now nearly lost. Well, not as lost as it once was! AZ’s Historical Route 66 Association and the Hopi Tribe teamed up a couple years ago to restore the giant namesake arrows. Once totally trashed and stripped, each arrow has been repainted to its former glory. You can just tell that the abandoned cafe next to the trading post could also be restored, but someone just has to take a chance.

Route 66 Dinos

Spotting ALL the dinosaurs along southwestern Route 66 is a feat unto itself and Arizona is full of dinos! There’s Grand Canyon Caverns in Peach Springs and then Stewart’s Petrified Wood Shop, Painted Desert Indian Center and Rainbow Rock Shop all in/near Holbrook…just to name a handful!

Midpoint Cafe

We can’t list our favorite 66 places without mentioning our favorite eats along the way. If you ever find yourself on the Mother Road, don’t go any further without stopping at Pine Country Restaurant in Williams, AZ for the best pancakes in history, Boothill Saloon in Vega, TX for the best steak and coffee in the world, Jerry’s Cafe in Gallup, NM for crazy good Navajo Mex (sopaipilla with honey…whoa), Lilo’s Cafe in Seligman, AZ for some really cheap beers (and vodka OJs in the likelihood that a German biker gang stops by) and of COURSE Midpoint Cafe in Adrian, TX for a slice of the universe’s best ugly crust peanut butter pie. Go quick as Fran Houser–the inspiration for Flo in Disney-Pixar’s Cars–put the little diner up for sale a few months ago. What will 66 do without those insanely delicious pies?

So yeah, clearly we can’t wait to get back out there!! Even though there’s only technically three more hours of driving we missed out on during our last journey, California offers just as many thriving landmarks and abandoned gems as they do celebs and surfers. So excited!!! See you out there!