Winter doldrums are finally beginning to fade. In their place, I think warmly of summer trips to Michigan. I’ve been lucky to have traveled there often since I was a kid. When I do now, we sometimes drive the routes we took through Illinois and Indiana – the back roads. We did the same 60 years ago. Not because it was scenic. There just was no other way to do get there....
That was also true for one summer trip our family took out west to California so many years ago in the “Rexford Family Truckster.” (The Griswold’s had nothing on us.) There weren’t today’s multi-lane highways. No, we were pretty much relegated to one of the most storied roads in American history – Route 66....
Known as “the Mother Road,” Route 66 was established a century ago, in 1926, as a series of roads and highways connecting rural areas to urban metros. Beginning in Chicago and ending in Santa Monica, its first major use came during the Dust Bowl era as farmers and families escaped compromised lives in the Midwest for the promise of California riches.
Such trips then were longer than today – not necessarily because of slower vehicles but due to the many communities the route passed through. Some once perceived 66 to be a road void of stoplights and detours. Far from it. In truth, Route 66 meandered through many a small town and city outskirts.
As nice as it may have been for adults driving, the road was even more magical for a kid riding in the back seat. Or, the front. (Yes, in the 1950s and ‘60s, kids often traveled fully unbuckled in front seats.)
Peering out the window, in addition to endless miles of road and road shoulders, 66 offered everything from billboards luring drivers to the World’s Biggest Ball Of String, or mystical ghost towns, to roadside cafes, motels with glowing neon signs or stations having “gas wars.”
The latter was when competing gas stations near each other would keep dropping their price a penny or two a gallon until one or the other gave up. I honestly remember seeing gas as low as 19.9-cents per gallon. In fairness, that’s equivalent to about $2.50 per gallon today.
While upwards of 85 percent of Route 66 still exists, few now travel the original path. Most prefer today’s non-stop Interstates. Much of those well-worn paths of 66 still quietly continue to meander by farm fields in the Midwest and deserts and mountains in western states. Amazingly, in a few places, evidence of some of those vintage roadside attractions remain to be discovered and enjoyed.
This year, vacationers, collectors and postal patrons can take an armchair trip back down the road and some of its memorable sights thanks to a new sheet of stamps to be issued in May – too late for Spring Break but just in time for families making summer travel plans. Best of all, considering soaring plane ticket rates and endless lines at airport TSA checkpoints, this could be the ideal time to take an inaugural or return visit down one of America’s most historic treks.
The eight new “Forever” stamps contain classic photos of sights on Route 66 taken by photographer David Schwartz. Two show the Oil Capital Motel in Tulsa, OK and Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, MO. Six others feature several welcoming neon signs; a retro diner; vintage gas pump; a classic auto driving past lush fields; and a weathered sign for a long-closed motel lost somewhere in the desert.
For the centennial of the Mother Road, these depicted surviving vestiges represent what was truly the lifeblood of America during the Depression as well as what World War II veterans saw when departing and/or returning home.
Naturally, stamps can only impart a glimpse into the enchantment of what was once a staple for travelers. Whether going to Michigan or out west, I vividly recall hearing my mother offer my father driving directions and upcoming attractions as she paged through indispensable AAA TripTik booklets. So often, I heard her comment, “Now, stay on 66 to…” I’m sure the same was true with countless families.
A little-known but cleverly interactive aspect of Route 66 can be musically experienced. Sure, there is the classic Nat King Cole song, “(Get Your Kicks On) Route 66.” The music I refer to is, in fact, made by the road itself.
Near Albuquerque, a particularly scenic stretch of Route 66 features rumble strips embedded into the pavement. Over those, when driven at 45 mph, the strips play a musical rendition of “America The Beautiful” through a car’s tires. No kidding. Whether from the front seat or back, that’s something any kid or adult will love. (Check it out on YouTube.)
For more information, including obtaining First Day of Issue cancels, log onto: www.USPS.com.
For more collecting stories and advice, log on to: http://prexford.com/.