Getting Our Kicks On Route 66

When planning the movie Cars, the director, writers and relevant crew cruised Route 66 looking for real locations and characters on which to base the fictional town and inhabitants of Radiator Springs. That fictional history added an extra layer of interest to the real history of the route. 

The warm hearted generosity evident in the character of Tow Mater was especially evident on the Route. 

Our first day started casually, getting all the group set up with the bikes etc. 

Then it was on the road! Which proved to be historic,

interesting,

and hot. Very hot:

The second day by contrast involved quite a bit of rain. Having finished the first day racing to get cooled off in the hotel pool, we finished the second racing to get warmed up in the hotel pool. 

There have been so many points of interest and quirky incidents that it's not possible to catalogue them all. Just a small sample:

During the prohibition era the roads were pretty basic and boggy in winter. Al Capone needed to get his bootleg liquor through so paid to pave some sections with bricks. I imagine that must have been a bit of a conundrum for authorities - on the one hand, a known gangster using proceeds from crime to enable further illicit activity. On the other, a public road was being hugely improved with no drain on the public purse. Tricky.... 

We stopped at Gary Gay Parita in Ash Grove, Missouri, which was part museum, part souvenir shop, part rest area, and all hospitality. Free ice cream sandwiches, free watermelon slices, and we could help ourselves to soft drinks, with only a donations jar on one side should one wish to contribute. 

The Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma, has to get a mention. A local resident, Hugh Davis, when he was 60 decided to build a large feature on his pond for his grandchildren. Nothing unusual there, except this is huge! If you zoom in on the photo below, that speck on the whale's back is Mary. Except for painting, it was finished in 1972 after a couple of years steady work, mostly done by Hugh. Locals were kindly permitted to use it as well, and so it became a local institution and a part of Route 66 legend. 

At one stage, Oklahoma City's Bricktown apparently had the unenviable reputation of the highest crime rate in the US, and the city population had one of the highest rates of decline. So they decided to fix it. 

They built a canal, renovated and added to the buildings, installed art and parks, and found alternative shelter for the homeless. We cruised it on a canal boat late at night after dining at one of the local eateries. And the city? Now it has one of the highest growth rates and well below average crime. Amazing what one can do just by thinking big and taking action.

In fact, most of the places we've stopped at all have had a positive vibe, as work is done to preserve what has survived of the original route and it's attractions, and to restore or rebuild what may have fallen in disrepair. Not that it's all spick and span, as there are many small towns and road sections that are rundown to the point of being derelict. Others are thriving... 

Santa Fe was the location for our 'rest' day. Mary was really keen to take the opportunity to go horse trekking on a genuine western ranch, so we saddled up the Harley and headed to the ranch that kept coming up as the best on all tourist advisory sites. Unfortunately, it closed down 5 years ago! 

Never mind, we called the other ranches on the list. Sadly, apparently I was too heavy for the available horses! In a country with a very real obesity epidemic, I am too heavy?

So we went back to our hotel for a swim instead, like any self respecting whale... 

To be continued...