I learned something very interesting yesterday at one of the Rt 66 museums we visited.
If you’ve been following this blog you’ve surely noticed a few old gas stations that I’ve posted photos of. There are dozens and dozens more. So, why are there so very many gas stations on Rt 66? It turns out that most cars built in the 1930s, when the number of automobiles exploded in the US, had a range of only about 70 miles before they had to fill up with gas! No wonder there’s a fillin’ station just about everywhere you look.
This stretch of Road that we’ve just come through, from Elk City, OK to Oklahoma City, is the most authentic and beautiful stretch of Rt 66 we’ve seen. Most of it is the original concrete and you really do get the feel of what it might have been like when Rt 66 was the only highway in America. I posted today’s photos in an older monochrome tone to help visualize a time now gone.
If you look long enough, you can see the members of the family of this home thinking about packing up and heading west on ’66 to find a new life after their crops have died and there’s no work here.
The old route does cast its spell on you. We’ve now been through 5 states with 3 left to go. Today we’ll likely make it to Missouri and we’ll enter the home stretch of the last few days. The Road has been good to us but there’s lots more to see. I hope you’re enjoying the ride and will stick around to see how it ends. We love hearing from you so drop us a line in the comments section at the bottom of this post. Thanks.
gone'splorin 
When we married in 1969, I had a new rag top Corvette. We would drive through villages in Germany (first assignment Bamberg), Carol’s long dark hair flying behind her, and people on the street would stop and stare. We drove on the autobahn when we had to, but enjoyed the back roads so much more.
Wish we were with you. Your adventure is provoking.
-Craig and Carol
Great photos- “older”.