The Rise and Fall of Route 66 (Why America's Greatest Road Fell into Oblivion)

[@jaydibernardo4320]

Back in 2012 I drove Route 66 (Chicago to Santa Monica) on a Yamaha FJR1300, camping & moteling along the way. What a great adventure! So many things to see & great people along the way, I never had a dull day. One thing I noticed is at that time there were more people from other countries then Americans on 66. I grew tiresome of all the gift shops so I then turned my attention to the old abandoned structures that were once popular. Old gas stations, motels diners, bars etc. I even found some of the original highway, it was super narrow. What an amazing journey back into time! I've had many, many motorcycle tours in my life but Route 66 was by far the highlight of them all. It really is a slice of America that everyone should put on their bucket list. I would highly recommend anyone reading this comment to make the trip. You won't be disappointed.

[@cavecookie1]

I lived in Oatman, AZ in the '90s. Loved talking to all the different people from all over the world. There was a German who organized motorcycle tours of that area. They would fly into Vegas, rent Harleys and run up and down Rt. 66, Grand Canyon, etc. and were always warmly welcomed there in Oatman. This guy, Gunther, IIRC, even set up a month long tour of Germany for a friend of mine who did a one man country band thing, with MIDI computers, and his excellent singing and flat pickin'. Lots of great memories from Rt. 66!

[@alanreber1027]

@Derrick Bridges thank you for that blessed/bittersweet memory. I am a stickler for dates, a calendar brain if you will🤔 God is teaching me to number my days, and He recently put some more time on the clock. I had a third stroke on July 2nd,2022 and was out of the hospital in 10 days. The other 2 were 2010 & 2018. I'm almost fully recovered with only some minor slurring. "The Lord is good, a stronghold in the day of trouble, and He knows them that trust in Him"

[@SKBottom]

How long did your trip take?

[@jaydibernardo4320]

@@SKBottom If I recall correctly, two weeks.

[@SKBottom]

@@jaydibernardo4320 thank you. I've been as far as St Louis and I have been to the Route 66 Museum there. It's on my bucket list to make the rest of the trip. Fun fact, I used to live near the Ted Drewes frozen custard stand on Lindbergh. Lindbergh Road is part of the original Route 66.

[@damnitboy9635]

In the mid 2000s a lot of people gained or renewed their interest in Rt 66 due to the movie "Cars" that's continued to this day.

[@SimulatedGoat]

Probably the only good thing that the cars movies did lol

[@MrOiram46]

@vinny reviews Also probably inspired a new generation of vehicle animators

[@bumblebee623]

No... not really. But good try

[@micahfrye8885]

@StreetVibezPR exactly and I’m one of them. I was 4 when the movie came out and it’s one of my first core memories possibly the very first as it’s the oldest memory I can place. It and my babysitter and her husband who basically raised me got me into cars and trucks. While I don’t have anything running that’s too old (1980 k20 is the oldest) I take pride in what I do have and live the culture around these classics. It definitely did a lot of good

[@mariokart8715]

And it was mentioned a bit in the RV movie by Robin Williams. At the end of the movie, a song played “Get your kicks on Route 66”. It was also seen in parts of Cars 2 & 3.

[@Javelina_Poppers]

Being a 71 year old Arizona native, I've been on 66 many times over the years. People today have forgotten the joys and sights of taking a road trip.

[@MR-wh6ji]

Having made a Roadtrip through great Arizona I can only say that thats true

[@southronjr1570]

My wife's from Phoenix and we take the I 40 route from the east coast every other summer.

[@Javelina_Poppers]

@@southronjr1570 Flew into St Louis for a family reunion and on returning, instead of flying, we rented a car and drove back to Arizona. Didn't drive a single Interstate, only US highways, state roads, county roads and sometimes gravel and dirt roads. The trip took 5 days and we saw the best sights and met some if the greatest people in the world. I would highly recommend trying this if you've got the time. Oh, and buy a big clunky road atlas at WalMart..........you'll need it.

[@d.e.b.b5788]

Not me! I love road trips! I lived in NJ all my life, then moved here to Arizona! I moved a little at a time, so I retired, and then took many cross country trips, bringing a SUV full of stuff each time, and taking a slightly different route. It was fun, finally getting to see so much of the country in between. 2600 miles each way, and now I live two blocks from Rt 66. Love the little town atmosphere, and the neighbors are very nice. Up here in the 'high desert', it doesn't get so horribly hot, either, 100 with none of that NJ humidity is just fine, thank you! And now, I get to take nice, leisurely rides around the western states with my parrot as my co-pilot. My most common road trip, though, is to Nevada where they have some white castle burger places, a little bit of the east, here out west.

[@garv0061]

Pretty broad assumption made here. I'm a millennial (36) and just got back from a 10 day Route 66 trip with my dad (66). It was wonderful. Many road trips I've been on are focused on the destination, but this one the journey is the destination. I loved speaking with attraction/store owners. It was fun to run into others doing the route across multiple states. Definitely want to get back out there again.

[@adamaizenberg756]

Driving down old Route 66 sometimes feels like you’ve traveled back into the past.

[@jtgd]

Ghost infrastructure deserves a special place in history

[@randallthedestroyer6061]

Or in an apocalyptic world too sonetimes...

[@jaydibernardo4320]

Because you are!

[@kimballamram552]

All that much more reason to preserve it

[@NazriB]

Lies again? Birthday Date Home Number

[@3.2Carrera]

My son is a US Marine and the two of us drove from S. Florida to San Diego In late Dec '21 and had a great time. I had some car parts to drop off so we picked up I-40 in Amarillo. Route 66 was an old friend right there for most of the trip through the long desert. We used it to go to some of the small dusty towns that is still snakes through. At one point in New Mexico we hit a severe snow storm that closed the interstate due to jackknifed trailers and since we had a Jeep, it was a snap to so some adventuring on the old road for many miles (something the locals seemed to take advantage of as well). What a special trip.

[@jamesgibson5876]

Lmao yeah my back yard ..with out even looking I can tell you that probably was Santa Rosa newmexico where the snow shut you down

[@azdrifter3968]

I've spent more time on route 66 than you would believe. I lived in williams az for years. I went to Jr. High and high school there and have lived there off and on since. I used to sit on a bench right on rt. 66 for hours talking to tourists from all over the world who are going to the grand canyon nearby. That was a lot of my entertainment in that town throughout my teens. I've lived in motels right on route 66 in williams and flagstaff az, paying monthly for long periods of time throughout my life. I'm 41 now. I even have a route 66 sign tattooed on my forearm. Many, many memories I've made on that road.

[@AcuraLvR82]

I live literally a block from the original first paved segment of 66 which is now College and St. Louis streets in Springfield. Great video but theres a lot of information left out. The route was also instrumental in connecting Fort Leonard wood and other bases to the Pacific coast and was vital for military logistics which didnt all go by train. The original highway was extremely dangerous due to it and the automobiles of the era being very crude by modern safety standards. Drunk driving was legal at that time leading to many untimely deaths and human suffering, as was the deer problem through Illinois Missouri and Oklahoma. There were many hardships for travelers who had little more than gas money. My grandfather broke down in Arizona with his wife and first baby in the dangerous heat and had to work an entire day in a salvage yard to afford the part he needed to get back on the road.Also, the heavy traffic clogged city centers toward the later years and the original route and its businesses fell victim to re-routs outside of towns then the much faster and safer Interstate highway system. The Cadillac Ranch is iconic but so were the many neon signs along the route. Another popular spot is were people stop to take pics standin' on the road, in Windslow Arizona, next to a flat bed Ford as mentioned in the Eagles song Take it Easy.

[@Ethan7s]

Thanks for adding to the info.

[@zaco-km3su]

The strategic importance would have been nice to be known.

[@tuckerbittick1718]

Yooooo I go to MSU there in Springfield!

[@rosaamarillo2110]

As I was born in Springfield, I think the most interesting part was the little piece of 66 that touches Kansas at Baxter Springs, because a Kansas senator didn't want his state to miss out..

[@RevJack-jn1nu]

WHAT NEWS. !!! AS A KID ON 66 IN 1954, 1956, 1958 ! DANGEROUS TRAFFIC, CAR WRECKS. HEAD-ON COLLISSIONS AND BEAUTIFUL SCENERY ! Rev. Jack

[@alliehamilton-calhoun162]

I live on route 66 and absolutely love it! I travel to other towns on my favorite road frequently. I especially like the parts of the road where I can't see the interstate next to me and I can imagine that I'm back in time driving along the road when it was new. So many parts of the original road in my area are being torn up to make bike trails or to lay lines for high speed internet.... etc... which upsets me; it's something to be _protected_ , not destroyed.

[@mescko]

Hear, hear!

[@generoush3823]

When I was a kid I used to watch a show where 2 guys in a corvette traveled and had adventures on route 66, always told myself I would do that some day.

[@markdavis3539]

The series was called Route 66 with Martin Milner and George Maharis. I remember it well. My brother had a corvette of similar vintage.

[@mescko]

@@markdavis3539 Ironically very little of it was actually filmed anywhere along the route. It was a good show and a great jazzy theme.

[@LUIS-ox1bv]

@@mescko Be that as it may, Route 66 was among the first television series filmed in locations throughout the country, and not just solely in California.

[@jacksonspitsfax4526]

man that sounds fun, I am still young and live on 66, my favorite older show is Dukes of Hazard.

[@DCMarvelMultiverse]

There were two shows called Route 66. When I was young, the second series was on with Dan Cortez. The show lasted half a season and ended about two years before the road was decommissioned.

[@RichieIV64]

Thank you for mentioning the Green Book. Not many people know about that.

[@freetolook3727]

Back in the mid 1970's, I was lucky enough to travel parts of Route 66 in Arizona and New Mexico before Interstate 40 was completed. It certainly was a colorful highway!

[@tonygalano6825]

Come on Everybody knows that it's ROOT 66 not rout 66. For example somebody had a paper rout on root 66.

[@ernestpassaro9663]

Doesn’t route 80 parallel it?

[@kimballamram552]

@@ernestpassaro9663 Route 40 as 80 is further north

[@jaydani-k5o]

Some in the North said Rãwt but the South always said Root❤yes root 66 is spelled route 66❤and it is 66 ❤not 666.😂

[@maingeemutt1668]

Real simple reason for Route 66's demise, the interstate system made it obsolete.

[@jamesparson]

Double signing can be confusing.

[@charleslindsay3201]

yes it was a dangerous 2 lane road with slow moving traffic mixed with cars that wanted to go fast.

[@markfortin421]

They did it by eliminating alot of exits to the small towns, which in turn starved the small businesses along old 66....

[@andylauder2072]

You summed it up beautifully.

[@jackson5116]

@@charleslindsay3201 "fast" back then meant a whopping 30 mph!

[@girldaddividendinvestor]

My grandparents used the 'Green Book,' to travel in the 50s and 60s. I'm so happy you touched on it. Great video as always!! Thank you.

[@Gail1Marie]

I'm sorry they had to use the Green Book at all. I have a reprint of the 1940 edition; it and later editions are available online.

[@jed-henrywitkowski6470]

I wouldn't mind hearing a little about that.

[@halnogaies1256]

@@Gail1Marie I'm offended that you feel sorry. lol. Nobody can mention anything about that part of history without you having a guilt complex. lol.

[@olliebee5605]

@@halnogaies1256 since when does saying sorry to someone equate to feeling guilty? If someone tells me their grandma passed, I might say I'm sorry. I don't feel guilty, I didn't kill grams, I feel empathetic. You seem like someone unfamiliar with empathy..

[@halnogaies1256]

@@olliebee5605 I use google to navigate almost anywhere nowadays. SAY SORRY TO ME! At some point it becomes unempathetic and more obligatory. That is when it is absurd. Why don't you apologize for all the victims of wars going back to Punic times!

[@fishrowe8057]

We drove from Chicago to Phoenix when I was 10yo. I'll never forget the cool things we saw along 66. Magical.

[@seamusburke9101]

I travelled Route 66 back in 2012 in an old Dodge van I bought for 800 dollers. Great adventure, definitely the journey of a lifetime. Greetings from Ireland.

[@robertcouch9021]

I work on one of the roadside attractions, The Route 66 Village in Tulsa Oklahoma, specifically the locomotive Frisco 4500

[@JenniferinIllinois]

Growing up in Central Illinois, I was in the back of a car for many road trips in Route 66 before it was replaced by Interstate 55. Through the years, I've driven on basically every road that was ever part of Route 66 in Illinois (well those that still are publicly accessible). Had many breakfasts at the Dixie Truckers Home in McLean in the late 70s/early 80s. Was always packed back then as there weren't Love's, Road Rangers, etc in nearly every town along the highway. Get your kicks on ROOT 66. 😉

[@jonathangasana]

Missourian here, just saying how great it is to have this historic landmark in our state. Thousands maybe millions used Route 66 for a better life. Them and their dreams will never be forgotten, that’s for sure.

[@markfortin421]

Fantastic doc on Old 66. Can never get enough...of your stories and Route 66. I have loved it since 1961 when the TV show "Route 66" when Todd &Buzz "allegedly" Traveled it in a new Corvette searching for a new life. What a show for an easily impressed young teenager, (Me) who thought thats how later life would be...and now, 60 years later, I'm still dreamin'. Thanks again...really enjoyed it!

[@sethmaki1333]

In 2013, I was on a journey from Northwestern Arkansas to Albuquerque. I stopped for the night in OKC. The next morning, my boss asked me to take an alternative route in order to avoid a truck scale (I was hauling a load), so I programmed my phone's GPS to "Avoid Highways" and it wound up taking me down old 66 the rest of the way through Oklahoma and into the Texas panhandle. The road even took me through two ghost towns that died when they were bypassed by I-40.

[@Oliver-kv2mm]

If you started out for The West with a horse and wagon today with the roads and stores we have today it would still be one hell of a journey. Imagine that trip back then.

[@scotcoon1186]

First time I went to Scottsbluff, I could see a shadow that turned into the national monument over a half hour before I got there. That's two really good days afoot walking alongside a wagon.

[@jaydani-k5o]

​@@scotcoon1186❤WOW❤ AWESOME❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@jaydani-k5o]

​@@scotcoon1186❤ AWESOME ❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@sassiebrat]

We moved to CA from TX in 1963. We took 66 in a car with no air conditioning. My great uncle had a restaurant on 66 in Clinton, OK. It would have been nice to revisit more of the businesses and towns along this historic highway. "Root" 66!

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

What was the name of his restaurant? Do you know the address or if it appears online, or in any of the many books on 66?

[@sassiebrat]

@@jenniferwhitewolf3784...Pop Hicks on Route 66 in Clinton. And, yes, it is mentioned in articles about Route 66.

[@jenniferwhitewolf3784]

I looked it up.. amazing history. Sadly it burned down in 1999.

[@jacksonspitsfax4526]

Hey Oklahoman here, is it still running, if so which restaurant is it? I live on Route 66 and personally Pops in Arcadia is my favorite, mostly because I live around there. Cool they named it after Will Rogers too.

[@sassiebrat]

@@jacksonspitsfax4526 ...No, my great uncle (Ethan Hicks) sold it (don't remember when) and then it burned down. Clinton, OK, is not what it used to be (but, then, what is?).

[@johnchedsey1306]

It's wild to think these little towns boomed and busted so quickly just based on a highway which ultimately got bypassed by a better highway. Enough time has passed that some of the abandoned roadside attractions are decaying and disappearing. For instance, in Twin Arrows in Arizona, one of the two arrows collapse and fell to the ground in the past year. From year to year it's possible to witness the elements slowly reclaim things.

[@Gizathecat2]

My husband and I drove a small length of Rt 66 on our way to Flagstaff. We stopped to visit the Grand Canyon caverns. Also, farther east is Winslow Arizona home of the corner made famous by the Eagles song.

[@cavecookie1]

Hope you had a good tour at the Caverns! I was a tour guide there for 2 years, coolest job I ever had!

[@kimballamram552]

Jackson Brown wrote that song for the Eagles

[@machupikachu1085]

I've got a picture of us standing on that corner LOL

[@marinegunny826]

We took Route 66 in 2008 from St Louis to California. THE most fun trip we have ever taken. Drove from Virginia to St Louis to start the adventure. Took nine days (not in a hurry) and took in all the cheesey attractions we could. We even traveled the old alignment through Santa Fe. Neat place! If you ever have a chance to take this road trip,do it! There are books that will guide you along the way! BTW great video! Brought back some terrific memories!👍

[@americanbadass88]

you can't drive Route 66 and NOT stop at every cheesy roadside attraction. Its mandatory! i mean if i wanted to just drive somewhere and not see anything i would just take the Interstate. Maybe one day i'll get to cruise 66

[@marinegunny826]

@@americanbadass88 I hope you're able to drive it! You'll have a blast!

[@giraffesinc.2193]

The narration and editing are outstanding! I have lived near route 66 most of my life, and it continues to fascinate me. Not far from my job is the Wigwam Motel (which is still, inexplicably, in business) and memorialized at the model train railroad out at the Living Desert in Palm Desert. In my neighborhood, Route 66 is Foothill Blvd, with plenty of markers and unique signs. Excellent episode!

[@illinoy]

I’ve stayed at both wigwam motels. Rialto and Holbrook. I’m obsessed with Route 66

[@giraffesinc.2193]

@@illinoy Wow, really? I am not brave enough to stay there but kudos to you for experiencing such a cool part of our local history!

[@paineys3341]

I stayed in the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook in 2012 and ate at Joe & Aggies across the street, while there I chatted with a guy doing Route 66 in a 66 Vette convertible , how cool is that, I was doing it on my Harley, started in Tampa, rode up via Nashville to Chicago and then travelled right across to Santa Monica pier, just amazing trip of a lifetime... so wanna do it again

[@Ayelmar]

Back in 2016 I found myself with the opportunity to take a few weeks to check off the biggest *attainable* item on my bucket list, and loaded up my little hatchback with me driving, my cat as copilot, and about 50 pounds of computer and camera gear, three duffel bags of clothes, and 30 pounds of cat food and cat litter, and set off from Nashville, TN, up to Chicago, then off on the Mother Road, all the way to Santa Monica. I've got about 100 GB of photos and footage from the trip that I *still* need to do something productive with....

[@dakotamilly2310]

I loved cruising 66 in my 442 it’s one of the best times of my life I shed real tears more than once at the beauty of the mountains and endless desert views.

[@jennahanson7050]

I also drove my 442 drop-top from California to Albuquerque, then back home. A few years later we flew to ALBQQ, rented a Camaro SS convertible, and completed the trip. We saw a lot of "World's Largest" things, I can relate to most of the attractions people mentioned in their messages!

[@ellenwheat3608]

Im familiar with folks only calling it “root” 66.

[@philbenson6041]

It's just the way some people say it.

[@SkillandLuckCRAPS]

@@philbenson6041 Just like this narrator and you, do you know about the song? 🎵Get your kicks on Route 66🎵 Go check it out and learn.

[@dragonmeddler2152]

"Root 66" started as a mispronuncation of route in the song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" by the great Nat (King) Cole Trio, back in the 1930s. The rest of the US Highway system roads were usually called "Highway", such as Hwy 40, Hwy 50, etc.

[@jaydani-k5o]

❤STILL ROOTIN FOR YA ROOT 66 ❤

[@FaizKTG]

In french that's how you spell route

[@alanlight7740]

My father grew up in Rolla, Missouri in the 1930s and he remembered watching them pave Route 66 where it went through town ... with gravel. A few years later they added asphalt.

[@jaydani-k5o]

😂 Rollo is just up the highway from us❤.

[@Susie_Floozie]

I once drove up Route 66 to Exotic World, the strippers' museum in Helendale, to interview Dixie Evans, the 'Marilyn Monroe of Burlesque.' What a thrilling drive! I turned in my piece, and my editor about shat over one sentence that was 121 words long. But my move was deliberate. I'd sought to capture the ever-changing scenery and the hypnotic rhythm of the road...and he had to agree.

[@bigbaddms]

Where can we read the article?

[@waynesligar5948]

I live 20 miles from route 66 in central Oklahoma and i drive on it a lot of times and there is some great places to eat, pop's in arcadia is so cool to eat and look at all of the different soda drinks then the rock cafe in Stroud

[@07kamichamakarin]

Seeing this Route makes me so amazed at how people of the past contributed to it as a one leap ahead towards the advancement of living. Though it's not travelled as much, this road still won't be erased to the hearts of those who knew and experienced travelling on it.

[@rustysmith5809]

Im 57 years old.I knew the basics of route 66, but this video added some more knowledge to my data brain.

[@skyden24195]

During the late 90s and early 2000s, I would regularly attend the annual "Route 66 Car Show" in San Bernardino, CA. This event, typically held near summer's end and intended to celebrate the mother-road, was more than just a car show. There were free concerts held in open pavilions, beer gardens, temporary side-show type travel-trailer attractions, and much more, all held over several city blocks in the city of San Bernardino which is basically the last main stop or check point before reaching Santa Monica, CA. (Of course, it's the first stop if going the other way.) Unfortunately, over the years due to incredible financial drops in San Bernardino's economy, in addition to a sudden rapid increase in crime rates, the car-show festival began to diminish. I can't even say for sure that it still occurs especially now that the Covid pandemic has made a devastating change to the world's ability of public interactions.

[@bigbaddms]

It is still alive and well, just moved a few miles to Ontario CA. In fact it’s coming up again very shortly. And it’s better than when in San Berdo. Ontario has a beautiful pavilion for the music and Euclid is a wide and grand street for the cars.

[@skyden24195]

@@bigbaddms Euclid in Ontario, isn't that the arts district? It would make sense to have the event in that area. At any rate, Ontario, in general, is a good place to have the event, and it's nice to know that the show goes on.

[@vibingwithvinyl]

2:45 to skip the sponsored section.

[@skatewithnomercy]

The real hero

[@laceybarbee5553]

@@vibingwithvinyl thank you

[@boostedswinger]

HotRod Powertour 2001 loosely followed the historic Route 66, my buddy and I drove down from Alberta and did the long haul from Pontiac to San Bernardino. I stopped at the Cadillac Ranch, that was one of the coolest stops ever.

[@kylemorice4870]

I lived along route 66 in missouri most of my life. I wondered why i always loved that road.

[@elisanoro]

I just recently moved to Springfield MO because I attend college there. We just had a festival for Route 66 last weekend and it was very fun! I didn’t know this city was connected to such a historical road!

[@CallsignTrike]

Taking a tent, getting on my bike and traveling this road is definitely on top of my bucket list when i will go explore USA some day.

[@freetolook3727]

Like most Federal highways before the advent of the Interstate Highway system, they were made obsolete when the interstates were built. Interstates may get you where you want to go quicker but you see less along the way!

[@joemackey1950]

I totally agree. I made a loop around the country in '19 and avoided interstates unless I had to absolutely, no excuse, had to use it. As Charles Kuralt once wrote: With the interstate one can go coast-to-coast and see absolutely nothing. I was able to travel on 66 from time to time. I often thought of all the people who had traveled that road over the years: where were they going, what happened to them/did they get to live their dreams, etc.

[@oscarosullivan4513]

Something similar here in Ireland

[@scotcoon1186]

Depends on where you want to go, and where you're going from. There are no north-south interstates between Cheyenne and Council Bluffs. Sioux Falls and Buffalo, Wyoming. Fargo and Billings. The only one between Topeka and Denver is i135, which ends at i70 in Salina. Fun fact- there's only one state without a primary (one or two digit) north-south interstate, and it lies in that block.

[@jaydani-k5o]

❤We took a long drive across the country and all over doubling back to mid - America in the northern states then up to Alaska through Canada❤One for our Children to Remember. ❤ Part of that trip was on Route 66.❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

[@Harold710]

I was very young when I took a greyhound bus from east to west (Long Beach) before the interstate turnpikes were created. It was just route 66. It was a lot of fun for a teenager.

[@jimcabezola3051]

I miss long road trips...

[@george5156]

Yeah I was going to take a north US trip, but the fuel prices went out of sight

[@mattwolf7698]

I don't have the vacation days for it

[@kosjeyr]

I've always wanted to drive 66 to Santa Monica and then take the interstates back to see how much was bypassed... In my area, the Lincoln Hwy and 66 cross paths.

[@kimballamram552]

Joiliet, Illinois the only place in the US where that happens

[@kosjeyr]

@@kimballamram552 Or Plainfield, Illinois depending on which version of 66 you take (when 55 - IL 126 - IL 59 - 55 was 66.) Either way, still in my area.

[@JustJDB]

I love your videos! They are solid! It’s great motivation as I am starting my own channel! Thanks for sharing such engaging content and awesome history!

[@NovaDeb]

Very interesting! I have lived in several cities in different states that are directly on Route 66. It's appeal and visitors is growing internationally.

[@hallkbrdz]

More original 66 pavement miles in Oklahoma than any other state. It's held up pretty good.

[@Bigr3dK]

The area around Clinton is mostly good, but try taking drink while driving it!

[@richellebrittain2127]

Probably because the eastern half of Route 66 in OK was mostly replaced by two I-44 turnpikes -- the Turner Turnpike (OKC to Tulsa) and the Will Rogers Turnpike (Tulsa to the MO border, also bypassing the entire Kansas segment). Much of the western part was directly replaced by I-40, but several towns were bypassed so much of western Route 66 survived as well.

[@nickysindora6952]

You should do a story about the Lincoln Highway

[@Adrian-zd4cs]

Oh noooo.... He says "rouate" How can you get your kicks on ROOUTE 66 like that?!? 😏🤣🤣💕

[@tonygalano6825]

He said rout instead of root. I had a paper ROUT on ROOT 66

[@SkillandLuckCRAPS]

@@tonygalano6825 This narrator also has no clue that there is no noise in Illinois. He is stuck being PC and completely fails. This is so disappointing because of his annunciation.

[@jaydani-k5o]

❤🎉Cause it's COOL NO MATTER HOW YOU SAY IT BUT YOU BETTER SING IT AS 😂❤🤣🙃😅😂☺️ROOT 66❤

[@davidbrugman2171]

When I was a little boy my parents and my younger brother traveled that road in the late 50s. All of it was still traveled. I'll never forget it never..

[@cavecookie1]

Nice to see a brief shot of my old home town...Oatman, AZ. Lived there through the '90s.

[@RandyR]

Got to go down parts of it in Southern California and here in AZ. Got my kicks on Route 66. Great history video. The freeway took a large part of the traffic away. Thanks for the video.

[@atribecalledjudah5436]

Randomland and Adam The Woo have great 66 Road Trip content.

[@safffff1000]

In Missouri, most of 66 is still used. In Oatman Az. they sell food to feed the donkeys. I remember going along the whole route in the late 50s

[@eaglescout1984]

Meanwhile, US 60 is still very much an active US highway. And it is very often used in West Virginia as a way to avoid the tolls of the turnpike and go through a much more scenic route, including passing just a few miles east of the New River Gorge Bridge.

[@catalinsoare1261]

Loved your video. My dream is to travel from east to west and enjoy beautiful landscapes. Didn't know what route to choose. Now I know one. Thanks

[@cavecookie1]

Indeed! As the song says... If you ever plan to motor west, Take my way, the highway that's the best, Get your kicks on RT. 66!

[@KD-nb3mp]

Just drove Route 66 from Amarillo TX to Holbrook AZ. Some little towns like tucumcari NM are still really nice. A lot of the 66 is sadly dead by now. Cant imagine what it was like back in the day.

[@jamesparson]

Lots of places are re-signing it. They could just resign the whole thing so it is easier to find.

[@KD-nb3mp]

@vinny reviews For real? Thats cool haha. Are you in holbrook?

[@KD-nb3mp]

@vinny reviews I did. Thats awesome :D.

[@MrJest2]

First off, I live right off of old route 66. Secondly - it's interesting to note that Avery's contribution continues to this day, even if only "culturally". I recently had reason to travel across country, largely following the Rt. 66 replacement of Hwy 40... and of all the States we passed through, Oklahoma had, far and away, the *best* roads in terms of maintenance and durability. I think these days it's just institutional habit, but they do a great job of keeping up their roads.

[@danacox8600]

It's the only state that you travel from Kansas to Texas and never get on the interstate. It's also well maintained end to end

[@donkunes8630]

Left western NY at 16 in April '63 2 of us took a bus to South Bend Ind. Hitch hiked to rt 66 then to California. Few franchises then , met some nice people along the way . Got a days work now and then . At night there was very little traffic except for 18 wheelers who couldn't see us as they sped by so slept in the desert a couple of times. Got a few stories of our travels . Pumped gas on Freemont , Las Vegas for a couple of weeks thn made my way back to NY alone .

[@Gail1Marie]

If you ever plan to motor west, be sure to take the original section from Kingman to Oatman if you really want to get a feel for what the road was like in the 1900s. When they say it isn't passable by a vehicle longer than 40 feet, believe them. If your passengers are prone to motion sickness, they should take Dramamine beforehand. This section was bypassed in 1953 in favor of the Kingman to Needles route.

[@cavecookie1]

Best stretch on the whole road! I lived in Oatman, and we'd drive up to Sitgreaves Pass in the evenings to watch the sunset and enjoy a beverage or two after work!

[@Gail1Marie]

@@cavecookie1 What I can't believe is that it wasn't bypassed much earlier. How could a truck get over it?

[@IronBlockChef]

Trailer we're smaller then

[@clinthowe7629]

I remember the route to Oatman, I went there and fed the donkeys, they let them go when they closed the mines so they come into town to get carrots, i saw the hotel where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their honeymoon night, creaky, rickety and squeaky old building surely no hanky panky that night. 😂

[@20Unknown]

I used to live in close proximity to and use Route 66 every day in Upland, California. Its street designation was Foothill Blvd, the main east to west thoroughfare in that city. Memories...

[@philpots48]

Wonderful! I knew about it from watching Route 66 TV show in the 1960s.

[@nathanielmoore87]

Awesome video, Ryan!! Could you do videos on the Lincoln Hwy and PCH as well?? I'd love to hear your take on them.

[@mescko]

Or the (Historic) Columbia River Highway, cited as an engineering landmark.

[@winterwatson6811]

the way the road clips over the border in the bottom of the thumbnail made me think i’d already watched part of this for a second

[@Route66BothLanes]

The interest to travel is really fundamental to the development of the U.S. We love hearing the stories of everyone's travel stories.

[@SewolHoONCE]

Having done Rt. 66 many times, I once drove the alternative Rt. 62 through my mother’s birth territory around Paducah, KY. 62 was often a two-lane road with no shoulders.

[@johnmiller5679]

In the movie Cars they have a great line. It’s says something like people used to drive to have a good time now they drive to make good time. Most people driving cross country or for a ping trip don’t care about seeing all these sites they just want to drive on a super highway going about 80 and getting to they need to go as fast as possible. Route 66 is from a bygone era that went away like bellbottoms.

[@jordanberube7305]

Change of the times. Everything revolves around working. Only the lucky have actual free time for taking scenic routes. Sure wish I did…

[@MonsterKidCory]

"One of the best things to see along Route 66 is this kitschy statue!" Meanwhile, the Grand Canyon, Petrified Forest, Meteor Crater, Sunset Crater and Wupatki National Monuments, Grand Canyon Caverns, Amboy Crater, Mojave Desert, Cahokia Mounds, the Mississippi River, Grant Park, Fort Reno, Will Rogers Memorial Museum, National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum, Palo Duro Canyon, Abraham Lincoln Presidential Library and Lincoln Home, Meramec Caverns, Onondaga Caves, Santa Fe, Pecos National Historical Park, Hollywood, etc. shed a single tear...

[@jaydani-k5o]

COLD IN THE CAVERNS BUT SO BEAUTIFUL ❤

[@jaydani-k5o]

❤COLD IN THE CAVERNS BUT BEAUTIFUL ❤

[@davorfistrovic7363]

You forgot to mention Uranus Fudge Factory!

[@JeffDeWitt]

I got laid off from my job a few years ago, and the first day I couldn't go to work I headed for Chicago, then west on Route 66. I'm so glad I was able to do that, it was such a cool experience... and yes, I went all the way to LA. Fun fact, that meeting in 1926 where they established the designations and routes of the original US highways was held at the Carolina Hotel in Pinehurst, North Carolina. (still a VERY fancy hotel). So it could be said Route 66 started in North Carolina.

[@sandraroberts7406]

ONE OF THE BEST VIDEOS BESIDES MICHAEL WALLIS, A JOURNEY DOWN ROUTE 66. THANK YOU FOR SHARING THIS VIDEO.

[@kirtreeves7777]

Its the journey, NOT the destination! That romantic notion of the unexpected on the open road, the promise of something new and exciting just over the next hill. So many of us find our happy place on the open road with no itinerary.

[@spencerbrannon4416]

You missed my favorite spot on Route 66; the U Drop Inn located in Shamrock, TX! As a kid it was my favorite place to stop by and get a coke. Great video!

[@markbergthold8487]

We traveled as much of Route 66 as possible in 2012, from Victorville CA to Missouri. As a kid in the early 60s, we traveled 66 on our way from CA to Arkansas during the construction of Interstate 10 & 40.

[@asullivan4047]

Interesting/informative/entertaining. Excellent still- motion photography pictures. Enabling viewers to better understand what the orator is describing. Traveled ( 66 ) numerous times from Illinois to California years ago. I remember the ( R.R. ) running parallel to ( 66 ). Wondering how many dust bow! Refugees hoboed A ride to California's Agricultural regions-???🤔. Wishing viewers a safe/healthy/prosperous (2024)🌈🎉💵😉.

[@joey8567]

I still drive it. Fun fact, which towns refuse to remove route 66 signs? I always take a 60-70 model convertible for a nice ride. Love to open them up in desert. Been doing this for about 30-40 years. Love it!😁😎

[@MegaRetr]

Yeah!)) Driving down old Route 66 sometimes feels like you’ve traveled back into the past_

[@mescko]

As the resident of a state that contains a famous roadway of it's own, likewise an engineering feat of the 20th Century, championed and completed by likewise visionary men who saw the value of good roads, I am a huge enthusiast for historic highways, and have traveled about half the route, from Amarillo west to San Bernardino. I'm a sucker for souvenirs but still proudly wear my Blue Swallow shirt and all the others. I hope I get to see the rest of it someday.

[@dannyjones3840]

One of my favorite stops is Two Guns Az- right off I-40- great forgotten tourist attraction with historic native American death.

[@jaydani-k5o]

Who's death ?

[@jessicacarvalho6039]

My towns only personality trait is the fact that radiator springs is based off it and that it’s all Route 66 themed

[@azrefereeii1806]

I was born and raised in small town along Route 66 in Arizona and can still remember before I40 bypass and having my father showing me the culvert to get under it to avoid getting hit by all of the trucks and cars going through Main Street. I still return there from time to time and these areas are featured in this video

[@richardnelson64]

Fantastic story!!!! Thanks man!! 👌👍😁✌️🔆❗☮️💠🖖🌞🌞😀♥️

[@mikecooper5544]

R.I.P Robin Williams July 21, 1951 - August 11, 2014 (aged 63)

[@hkitm]

I'm surprised that the Route 66 television series was not mentioned.

[@pippilongstocking.]

When we were stationed in the USA in Louisiana and Arizona my dad would take route 66 to go visit my grandmother in California and there was some pretty cool things to see when I was a child growing up through there...

[@tallinthesaddle1727]

We who are familiar with and have travelled the Mother Road several-many times pronounce it "Root 66."

[@Dalt21]

You forgot to mention the London Bridge! Arguably the coolest stop along Route 66. It was built in 1825 in london, used to cross the Thames river. It was dismantled , then rebuilt in the 1960s in Arizona.

[@milojanis4901]

Maybe because the London Bridge is not anywhere near 66! It's about 30 miles South in Lake Havasau City!!! 15:50

[@Dalt21]

@@milojanis4901 I wasn’t aware how far it is. I just knew that it was always advertised on those old Route 66 attractions maps

[@never2yield20]

As a child my family did a cross country trip from So Cal to NYC, and there are sections of that road I remember as a child, and that I revisited as an adult that are still the same. Sublimely beautiful. And I thought that even as a kid. These are primarily in AZ. But I am sure we drove it into Missouri. And then diverted to Michigan.

[@carolynridlon3988]

My hubby & I have done many sections of Rte 66 in our lifetime. The most from CA thru Texas. But last year we did the final section in Illinois (from border to Springfield)

[@hiswordheals9710]

One really great place also in Missouri on route 66 is Uranus fudge factory, it's an oddity and the fudge truly is top notch 👍👍

[@michaelmoerbe8540]

I worked in Kingman, Arizona for 3 months in 1015 and went to Oatman to see the wild burros that walk right up to you. Fun trip if you are close to that area.

[@josearbelada5902]

1. The only thing you need to get used to is CHANGE! 2. Ultimately, everything dies. Given enough time, the earth will become a a smooth ball.

[@JrGoonior]

"I knew I should have taken that left turn at Albuquerque!"

[@johnlord8337]

They need to turn Route 66 into a maglev monorail passenger and cargo transport line. Having a monorail one could have greater speed and carrying ability of cargo between Chicago and Los Angeles.

[@randallthedestroyer6061]

Great video Ryan!

[@ITSHISTORY]

Thank You!

[@myrandomthings1]

The movie cars really brought rout 66 into the spot light again for a few years

[@jacksonspitsfax4526]

I live on it in Oklahoma and it is so good to live by because I can go to the attractions/restraunts like Pops whenever I want.

[@thechronicphilosopher6166]

I live in Banning ! Such history !

[@woodencoasterfan]

It should be noted that America’s oldest operating truck stop is in McLean, IL. It is called the Dixie Truck Stop and opened in 1928 on old Route 66.

[@elliotwelz9793]

You failed to mention that a lot of it has been closed . People looking to drive the whole length will be VERY disappointed .