#475 Musings Beyond the Bunker (Thursday October 6)
Good morning,
I have been amazed at the extent of reminiscences about road trips since my Musings on Route 66. Driving trips and explorations of the West, its natural history, geology, history, and culture are a big part of many of our childhoods. There is something visceral about these childhood memories and memories of the open road. They seem forever crystalized in our memories, places we can return to at a moment’s notice. Here are a few such memories:
IN SEARCH OF DINOSAURS
“At the Arizona dinosaur tracks, the coolest thing was when [a camp] counselor… poured water from a canteen onto the track and you could really appreciate the size. Some of the best summer camp memories [were[ driving to Oak Creek Canyon (slide rock) the Grand Canyon (overnight sleep out under the stars in sleeping bags), Moen-Copi Indian reservation to “trade” for Kachinas and turquoise jewelry and Montezuma’s Castle in Verde Valley… Seeing the red rock formations and the thick tree forests was breath taking. Age 8-15, I still can visualize most of it!” –Paul Kanin
“Your "musing" on dinosaurs made me think of my time in high school at The Webb Schools which has the only accredited paleontology museum in a high school. I was part of the museum science course, and I "discovered" a prehistoric pre-horse and subsequently won the paleontology award my senior year.” –Mark Shpall
TRAVELING ROUTE 66
“You hit the motherlode with me and Route 66 A bucket list item for my retirement is to do the entire Route 66 that survives from the Arizona Border to Los Angeles. My Z8 and I have done the segments still around from Barstow to Santa Monica but I have yet to do the Needles to Bartow run.
An update to your narrative. According to The Complete Guidebook to Route 66, by Bob Moore and Rich Cunningham, Route 66 did not really end at Ocean Blvd in Santa Monica. The original alignment ended at Broadway and 7th in downtown LA. It was later extended to Lincoln and Olympic. The Santa Monica Pier folks seemed to have made up the end of the trail at their pier. With the current alignment along Santa Monica Blvd, the road would not have ended at the Pier in any event. By the way this book is amazing, marking the entire route both westbound and eastbound.” https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guidebook-Atlas-Route-66/dp/0970142315 --Ed Nahmias
“…We traveled back and forth across the country several times and played a little game while doing so. The game was simple: Travel only on U.S. Highways (like Route 66) and/or state highways, using the interstate system only when absolutely necessary. As travelers on a very loose schedule, this was a very rewarding way to see our country. We saw landmarks, towns, curiosities, and people that we'd never have otherwise seen or met — zooming past them at 75 mph while getting from point A to point B. Each highway goes through some town where you must slow down and make turns through the town center finding unusual stores, restaurants, and architecture. Some have stop lights while others might have a four-way stop. Some town center roads are made of cobblestone, which makes for a bone-jarring ride at 25 mph.
You also see dying towns, which were once thriving. Many of those towns were decimated by the Interstate system or Walmart or corporate farming, and in some cases, by pressures from overseas commerce. Some of these towns can be very sad through which to travel, but interesting, nevertheless. I'd highly recommend staying off the Interstates in favor of U.S. Highways when taking any road trip.
Lastly, I'd like to recall one of the most memorable parts of traveling with my parents on our road trip vacations: Stuckey's. I'm not sure how that slipped your mind for this musing, but I'm here to remind you of Stuckey's. They were ubiquitous on road trips. Along with Burma Shave signs. Oh the memories! Care for a Pecan Log Roll?”
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stuckey%27s
--Mark Ferrell
WHAT GOES UP MUST COME DOWN
“Just wanted to share a Route 66 story. On one of our trips to LA, your mom suggested that we visit Oatman, AZ. Eleanor and I headed there, I was driving. I will never forget all the switchbacks going up the mountain and when we got to the crest, I breathed a sigh of relief. Little did I know that there were more switchbacks on the way down the mountain. I am sure they heard me screaming all the way down. Eleanor offered to drive, but there was no place to stop. I remember that there were houses built into the side of the mountain and I kept thinking that they got it right to avoid the switchbacks. It was worth the trip to visit the town.”
--Irene Kanowitz (whose parents introduced my parents on their blind date)
And just to show Route 66 and Americana have international appeal, Paul Brindley relates, “I was in a meeting here in Singapore…and when I mentioned I had recently moved from Los Angeles, the young Singaporean associate said that the last place he was in the U.S. right before Covid was the ferris wheel at the end of Route 66!
INSPIRATION—A FEW FAVORITES
“Foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds.” –Ralph Waldo Emerson
“Consistency is the last refuge of the unimaginative.” –Oscar Wilde
“As I would not be a slave, so I would not be a master. This expresses my idea of democracy.”
--Abraham Lincoln
Have a good day,
Glenn
From the archives: