Time for a trip down the Mother Road--taking a break from the distressing news of the day
Life isn't just about politics. There are highways to explore...
By J.C. Bruce
Google had a surprise for me when I plopped down at my desk to start writing today’s column.
Whatever I had planned to scribble about evaporated immediately from my mind when I saw the curious Route 66 addition to the search engine’s logo.
Turns out, Google has partnered with the National Trust for Historic Preservation to celebrate the famous roadway’s 100th anniversary in what it is calling the Route 66 Rewind Project.
Route 66, of course, is the iconic American highway, from Chicago to Santa Monica, 2,400 miles long, traipsing its way through towns and cities, large and small, a genuine slice of Americana.
Many of my generation were first introduced to the roadway by the eponymous TV series, Route 66, originally starring Martin Milner (Tod) and George Maharis (Buz), two young men, looking for meaning in their lives, who decide to hop in a Corvette convertible and explore America, encountering adventure and crime along the way.
The show lasted for 116 episodes over four years, starting in 1960. Cast members changed along the journey, and, interesting enough for those of us living in the Sunshine State, concluded in Tampa, which is nowhere near Route 66 at all, as you can see:
Those little red circles? If you launch Google and click on the clever Route 66 icon, it takes you to this interactive map where you can see some of the interesting stops along the way from the Midwest to the Left Coast.
One of my favorites spots along the trail, although I don’t know if it is one of the red dots, is in Oklahoma, where you can visit the Blue Whale of Catoosa, which for reasons I can’t quite explain, I find totally fascinating.
Using the interactive video, you can drive the route, yourself, and visit the towns as they look today and how, using AI, old photographs and other tricks, what it must have looked like when Tod and Buz were prowling the countryside, getting into trouble.
And as you can see, during a portion of that interactive experience, there’s the whale! Right on the dash! I want it!
Route 66 was dubbed The Mother Road in John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath, recognizing how the highway served as a migratory path for Americans escaping the Dust Bowl for a better life in California.
Just as Tod and Buz were trying to do.
You can join them on that journey by clicking on this link:
I got so distracted playing with it that I finally gave up on writing about politics this morning.
So, I’m giving myself a brief break from all that madness. I hope you don’t mind that I didn’t spend this time together ranting about Trump’s new 15-foot golden statue of himself that looks exactly like Kim Jong Un or that the new National Parks pass has Trump’s mugshot plastered next to George Washington’s, who has to feel violated by that.
I’ll get back to all that later. Right now, I’m getting back behind the wheel. Maybe I’ll see you there. Next stop: Jack Rabbit Trading Post in Joseph City, Arizona.
Footnotes:
The Blue Whale of Catoosa is a famous, whimsical Route 66 roadside attraction located in Catoosa, Oklahoma (2600 N State Hwy 66). Built by Hugh Davis in the early 1970s as an anniversary gift for his wife, this 80-foot, iconic blue concrete structure sits in a pond, offering free admission for picnics and photos.
Competition for roles in Route 66 was fierce. Robert Redford, who later appeared as a guest star in one of the episodes, originally tried out for the role of Tod. Martin Milner beat him out.
Route 66 was established in 1926, but it took another 12 years before all the sections of the road were fully paved. It was “decommissioned” in 1985, having been rendered obsolete by the interstate highway system. However, sections of the road still exist as “Historic Route 66.”
J.C. Bruce is the founder of Tropic Press. He is an award-winning journalist and author. He holds dual citizenship in the United States of America and his native Florida.
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J.C. Bruce
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