By Thomas Best
If you have been tuning in over these last weeks, you have listened to my observations about traveling the iconic highway, Route 66. Today, I would like to conclude my talks with some final thoughts about perhaps America’s most famous ribbon of brick, asphalt, and concrete stretching some 2,400 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles.
So, what stands out most about this trip? That’s the question I have been asked so many times after we returned at the end of May. First, we loved the art work, especially the beautiful murals of all shapes, sizes, colors, and related historical and cultural topics. I was especially taken with the murals in Pontiac, IL. A block length one dedicated to Bob Waldmire and his artistic talents was impressive. However, the over one dozen murals in and near Cuba, Missouri were uniquely eye-catching. Many murals were not only life-size or larger in their dimensions, but had been painted in a way that the people and places were extremely life-like. There was one mural featuring a scene from an early business. In the corner was a cat which looked so lifelike that I had Pam pose in a way that appeared she was petting an actual feline. I must likewise mention the countless types of sculpture we spied along the way. I loved the bottle ranch in California; the statues of the Blues Brothers in Pontiac, Illinois; and the sentiment of the giant praying hands in Webb City, Missouri. Inspiring art is everywhere along Route 66!
Oh, but the truly best part of the whole trip were the people we met. There were the two gentleman from Scotland; a good old boy in Sleigman, AZ (who gave a big “Yeee Haaah!” to visitors, especially the ones we encountered from France); a friend of Roseville’s Chuck Grant; a couple running an old gas station turned into a gift shop, who hailed from Columbus, Ohio; and then there was “Dev.” She ran a rock shop out in the desert near Oatman, Arizona.
There were furthermore the couple, Greg and Tammy (and their dog “Ivy”) driving their 1947 Ford across Route 66, whom we kept meeting up with along the road. There was the funny actress playing Lucile Ball at Universal Studios. We met Buzz Waldmire, the brother of the famous Bob, who ran the Cozy Dog in Springfield, IL—I learned that they once lived in Galesburg. Dean “Crazy Legs” Walker, who was an inspiration for a character in the movie “Cars,” can turn his feet completely around. He entertained and informed us about Route 66. And we loved George. He dutifully ran a restored service station on a lonely stretch of highway in Missouri. He was full of quick, smart, and funny comments.
Yet, perhaps the biggest impact came as we encountered on our way home two young women on vacation in Zion National Park. They were originally from Russia and Ukraine. We talked for some time about what it meant to now live in the United States. You know that their countries are embroiled in a war (and yes, they were worried about their families in these war-torn regions). Their stories were powerful and I was so pleased when one of the young women told me that I should be an ambassador for American tourism, as I described why I was proud to be an American and was able to welcome them into our country.
Overall, Pam and I loved our trip on Route 66. We really want to make another trek on this “Mother Road” some-day. As you might expect, despite our best efforts, there were iconic stops along the way which we missed or had to skip. Maybe, we’ll hit them next time.
Thank you for listening.
And I’d like to close today with just a short message. This will be my last broadcast. I really enjoyed doing these programs. And I really want to thank Vanessa and Mike (at the radio station) for helping me out. I really appreciate all the people that listened and said they’ve enjoyed this. So, Thank You very much.
