Like so many people who have traveled it in recent years, Drew Knowles fell in love with the Mother Road. I don’t mean “love” in the popular, overused sense, but a real love and respect for something very dear. Yet he is not just another enamored router. Far from it. He has spent many years on and off the road digging into every nook and cranny so he could write this important guide.
As Drew takes you down America’s most legendary highway, he tempts you with just enough historical details to make you want to search for more. He shares his secrets for finding unmarked stretches so you can become an informed explorer. He challenges you to travel beyond the route itself so you can enjoy even more of our country’s texture.
If you read and use this guide, there is a very good chance you will change your attitude towards motoring. Rather than simply driving to a location, your trip will become the destination. In fact, this attitude is relatively new in our country. When I was growing up, nearly every trip we took was a series of dots and dashes. You dashed from one dot to the next, then bragged about how quickly you got there. The advent of super highways was our dream come true. So were franchise operations because you could always count on them to be the same. This was what we wanted and it was what tourists from other countries came to see. But today, every country in the civilized world has more than its share of these “modern” conveniences.
Nothing but vacancies at motels like this one in Seligman, Arizona.
Enter the “Heritage Tourist.” These foreign and domestic tourists are more interested in experiencing the roots of America than the rides at its theme parks; and what better way to do that than to travel Route 66—the route to our roots. As it passes by vintage motels, bustling cafés, colorful trading posts, and through picturesque villages, three time zones, dozens of cultures, and numerous geographic and weather changes, the old road is a microcosm of historic roadside America that every age can enjoy.
So, it’s time to do something different. Pack up the car, put this guide in the glove box, strap that water bag on the front, and get ready for a serious love affair.
David Knudson
Executive Director
National Historic Route 66 Federation