Pros: Stories of the people, beauty of the photos, love of author for subject...
Cons: Yes, you will need to buy a real guidebook to drive the remaining Route 66.
The Bottom Line: Route 66:... carries the image of going somewhere, of traveling to a new future. It shares the stories of those who traveled before you, invites you to retrace their steps.
sleeper54's Full Review: Michael Wallis - Route 66: The Mother Road
...
I have always been a fan of the highway, preferring the promise of the unknown two-lane to the predictability of the unremarkable Interstate. I share my wanderlust and the 'lure of the open road' with many others. These desires are as deeply ingrained in the American character as are the far nobler ideas of truth, justice, and . . .the need to buy kitschy souvenirs from tourist traps at the side of the highway.
Route 66: The Mother Road is the story of one special two-lane highway; a narrow ribbon of mud, rock, and concrete winding through the history of the American landscape and through the hearts and memories of those who traveled on it and worked and played alongside it.
Mud and rock because much of Route 66 was just that in its early years; mud and rock because much of Route 66 today is returning to that condition as vast stretches have been abandoned or paved over in favor of the ubiquitous, and expected, Interstate highway.
First published in 1990, Route 66: ... is author Michael Wallis' first 'on the road' book. Years later he penned a similar book about the Lincoln Highway. The Lincoln book seems more focused on 'tourist info' and driving directions while this book delves deeper into the history and stories of Route 66 and its people.
An inexorable 'wearing down' process, began in the 1950s, has seen the federal Interstate system grind up and swallow much of the original Route 66. This physical loss of roadway and businesses makes the story told here more memory book than guide book. The geography of Route 66, much of it running through the wide open spaces of the American Southwest, makes a much leaner family album that that of the Lincoln Highway book.
While the cast of towns and people may be lean in numbers and the stage sparsely decorated, the tale of Route 66 and its impact on the psyche and character of the American people runs deep none the less. Because so much of the old highway is gone, abandoned or paved over with Interstate, the stories, memories, and poignancy run strong in Route 66: ...
Broken down into chapters based on the states the highway transected (even Kansas, its southeastern corner dog-eared by just a twitch of old Route 66, draws a short chapter) the stories of the people and businesses are told. Virtually every page has a picture or two. I would guesstimate a third of the content consists of photos.
Then and now, Route 66 crossed the paths of Lewis and Clark, Abraham Lincoln, Spanish explorers seeking cities of gold, Texans fighting for independence from Mexico, cowboys, cattle trails, Jesse James, Okies bound for new lives in California, and many others.
Route 66: ... tells a bit of all these stories and many more. The passion of the author for his subject and the respect he has for telling the stories is evident on every page. I do not care if gas is $4 a gallon; you will wanna pack the satchel and hit the road.
The only real complaint I have is the absolute lack of maps, other than the cover map. That is somewhat negated by the vast amount of Route 66 information available in other books, on the Internet, and from state tourism departments.
The Bottom Line
Sure, sometimes it is important to get there quickly, get your food quick, move on down the road.
But sometimes you need to slow down and look at the grand beauty seen out your car window. Route 66 runs from Lake Shore Drive and the blue of Lake Michigan to the green river valleys of Illinois through the hills of Missouri and through the starkly barren yet beautiful states of the Southwest to the Pacific Ocean at Santa Monica.
It is a time and a highway that will never be reborn. Yet it lives still in the pages of Route 66: The Mother Road, in the vast number of other resources available, and in the heart of every traveler who understands the lure of the open road.
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