Transcription: Welcome to another of our “Short Shots” travel videos! Please join us as we “get our kicks on Route 66,” when touching down briefly on the “Mother Road” of the United States connecting at the longest surviving stretch of the iconic roadway in Seligman, Arizona. U.S. 66 was at first a patchwork of existing paved and unpaved roads strung together along its envisioned path. The early brainchild of Cyrus Avery, entrepreneur, oilman, Oklahoma highway commissioner, and other prominent businesspeople and community leaders of the time, Route 66 was officially realized on November 11th, 1926. The roadway started in Chicago, ultimately stretching 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. U.S. 66, or Route 66, became known worldwide as the iconic "Mother Road" of the United States. From its starting point in Chicago, Route 66 headed 301 miles south through Illinois, 317 miles through Missouri, and only touching on Kansas with a tiny 13-mile stretch through the southeast part of that state. From Kansas, it turned in a more westward direction with a 432-mile stretch through Oklahoma and another 186 miles across the Texas Panhandle. The final westward stretch of Route 66 travels 487 miles through the deserts of New Mexico and 401 miles through the varied landscapes of Arizona before crossing 314 more miles to early Route 66's termination point in Los Angeles, California. Alignments, and even the endpoint of the road, changed often over the years as improved sections of the highway were constructed. Eventually, the termination point was extended from L.A. to Santa Monica, California, one mile from the Pacific Ocean. The City of Santa Monica eventually extended the "Historic Route 66" endpoint to the Pacific, terminating at the Santa Monica Pier for tourist-y reasons. In the early years, many sections connected only one small town to the next, and the highway had no official federal route number. Much of the road was unpaved and was only a dirt or gravel "road" from one point to the next. Over time, the route was formalized as a federal highway and numbered "U.S. 66". Today, large swaths of Route 66 have been shut down, are no longer used, or have been paved over and replaced by the Interstate Highway System, bypassing most of the smaller towns and cities that U.S. 66 once connected. Route 66 began to "fall apart" shortly after the Interstate Highway System was created in 1956 after five separate Interstate Highways bypassed piece after piece of the iconic highway. Since its official decommissioning in 1985, some individuals, communities, and even states have made a constant effort to preserve and reopen closed sections of Route 66, mostly done through official state designations of stretches of what used to be the highway as "Historic Route 66." Today, it is estimated that approximately 85% of the original Route 66 still exists and can be driven…. If you know where it is and how to find it. U.S. 66 now exists under various other official names and numbers, Federal, State, and Local. It is only sometimes marked with that "Historic Route 66" signage. Route 66 has an almost mythical draw and has been featured, or mentioned in many books, films, music, and even spawned a TV series On the way back to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon's South Rim, we took a rest stop in the tiny town of Seligman, Arizona. Seligman was supposedly one of the inspirations for the fictional town of "Radiator Springs" featured in the Car's films. My research can neither confirm nor deny that statement. Still, Seligman was indeed bypassed in 1978 by Interstate 40 just as "Radiator Springs" was bypassed in the Cars films. And, if you look carefully, some of the vehicles from the films appear to have retired there. But Seligman fought back, and in 1987, just two years after Route 66 was officially decommissioned, it became the birthplace of "Historic Route 66" and the starting place of the longest surviving stretch of the iconic roadway today-160 miles from Seligman to Topock, Arizona. Today, Seligman, population 446, is firmly rooted in the past and is filled to overflowing with highway history, tchotchkes, and kitsch from a different era. The town's buildings also house a period car and motorcycle collection and so many items of memorabilia that it is impossible to take it all in on a short 30-minute rest stop! More, if interested, at: www.seligmanazchamber.com/visit-seligman Soon enough, it was time to leave "Radiator Springs," oops, I mean Seligman, the birthplace of "Historic Route 66," and continue on toward our last night in Vegas. I have left a few links in the comments. Check it out if interested! There are many great websites that explore Route 66's history, offer insight into what remnants are still around today, and catalog the many things to do along what's left of the iconic highway. Try these for a little more detail into Route 66's past and present. www.route66roadtrip.com/route-66-maps.htm - Good info on roadside stops and points of interest. www.theroute-66.com/maps.html - Great source for maps, modern and vintage www.routemagazine.us/stories/11-must-watch-movies#google_vignette - Partial filmography of movies shot on Route 66. www.theroute-66.com/home.html - General Route 66 information. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_66_(TV_series) - Route 66 TV series There is an incredible amount of information and research available for very little effort by simply Googling “Route 66!” Have fun with it! Road trip, anyone? I call "Shotgun!"
@tscruiseandtravelmuse that's easy to do lol! The best breakfast I've had was at Road Kill Cafe in Seligman. I've done route 66 twice and I can't wait to do it again. You see new things and meet new people. Keep the videos coming!
@@robertwhite2032 👍 I’ve not had the privilege to drive Route 66 in its entirety. My hometown was on Route 66 (Bloomington, Illinois) and it was the best way to get to Pontiac, Illinois. Pontiac housed a tiny teen club that featured national rated acts in the 60s. So I was very familiar with at least a small part of Route 66 in my squandered youth. Cheers!
Transcription:
Welcome to another of our “Short Shots” travel videos! Please join us as we “get our kicks on Route 66,” when touching down briefly on the “Mother Road” of the United States connecting at the longest surviving stretch of the iconic roadway in Seligman, Arizona.
U.S. 66 was at first a patchwork of existing paved and unpaved roads strung together along its envisioned path. The early brainchild of Cyrus Avery, entrepreneur, oilman, Oklahoma highway commissioner, and other prominent businesspeople and community leaders of the time, Route 66 was officially realized on November 11th, 1926. The roadway started in Chicago, ultimately stretching 2,448 miles from Chicago, Illinois, to Los Angeles, California. U.S. 66, or Route 66, became known worldwide as the iconic "Mother Road" of the United States.
From its starting point in Chicago, Route 66 headed 301 miles south through Illinois, 317 miles through Missouri, and only touching on Kansas with a tiny 13-mile stretch through the southeast part of that state.
From Kansas, it turned in a more westward direction with a 432-mile stretch through Oklahoma and another 186 miles across the Texas Panhandle. The final westward stretch of Route 66 travels 487 miles through the deserts of New Mexico and 401 miles through the varied landscapes of Arizona before crossing 314 more miles to early Route 66's termination point in Los Angeles, California.
Alignments, and even the endpoint of the road, changed often over the years as improved sections of the highway were constructed. Eventually, the termination point was extended from L.A. to Santa Monica, California, one mile from the Pacific Ocean. The City of Santa Monica eventually extended the "Historic Route 66" endpoint to the Pacific, terminating at the Santa Monica Pier for tourist-y reasons. In the early years, many sections connected only one small town to the next, and the highway had no official federal route number. Much of the road was unpaved and was only a dirt or gravel "road" from one point to the next. Over time, the route was formalized as a federal highway and numbered "U.S. 66". Today, large swaths of Route 66 have been shut down, are no longer used, or have been paved over and replaced by the Interstate Highway System, bypassing most of the smaller towns and cities that U.S. 66 once connected.
Route 66 began to "fall apart" shortly after the Interstate Highway System was created in 1956 after five separate Interstate Highways bypassed piece after piece of the iconic highway. Since its official decommissioning in 1985, some individuals, communities, and even states have made a constant effort to preserve and reopen closed sections of Route 66, mostly done through official state designations of stretches of what used to be the highway as "Historic Route 66."
Today, it is estimated that approximately 85% of the original Route 66 still exists and can be driven…. If you know where it is and how to find it. U.S. 66 now exists under various other official names and numbers, Federal, State, and Local. It is only sometimes marked with that "Historic Route 66" signage.
Route 66 has an almost mythical draw and has been featured, or mentioned in many books, films, music, and even spawned a TV series
On the way back to Las Vegas from the Grand Canyon's South Rim, we took a rest stop in the tiny town of Seligman, Arizona.
Seligman was supposedly one of the inspirations for the fictional town of "Radiator Springs" featured in the Car's films. My research can neither confirm nor deny that statement. Still, Seligman was indeed bypassed in 1978 by Interstate 40 just as "Radiator Springs" was bypassed in the Cars films. And, if you look carefully, some of the vehicles from the films appear to have retired there. But Seligman fought back, and in 1987, just two years after Route 66 was officially decommissioned, it became the birthplace of "Historic Route 66" and the starting place of the longest surviving stretch of the iconic roadway today-160 miles from Seligman to Topock, Arizona.
Today, Seligman, population 446, is firmly rooted in the past and is filled to overflowing with highway history, tchotchkes, and kitsch from a different era. The town's buildings also house a period car and motorcycle collection and so many items of memorabilia that it is impossible to take it all in on a short 30-minute rest stop!
More, if interested, at: www.seligmanazchamber.com/visit-seligman
Soon enough, it was time to leave "Radiator Springs," oops, I mean Seligman, the birthplace of "Historic Route 66," and continue on toward our last night in Vegas.
I have left a few links in the comments. Check it out if interested!
There are many great websites that explore Route 66's history, offer insight into what remnants are still around today, and catalog the many things to do along what's left of the iconic highway. Try these for a little more detail into Route 66's past and present.
www.route66roadtrip.com/route-66-maps.htm - Good info on roadside stops and points of interest.
www.theroute-66.com/maps.html - Great source for maps, modern and vintage
www.routemagazine.us/stories/11-must-watch-movies#google_vignette - Partial filmography of movies shot on Route 66.
www.theroute-66.com/home.html - General Route 66 information.
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Route_66_(TV_series) - Route 66 TV series
There is an incredible amount of information and research available for very little effort by simply Googling “Route 66!” Have fun with it!
Road trip, anyone? I call "Shotgun!"
It's Radiator SPRINGS
Robert, you are, of course, correct! I had a bit of a brain fade (three times I believe)! Sorry! T
@@tscruiseandtravelmuse no worries!! It happens!! Great video
Thanks Robert! It started as a three minute short on Seligman and morphed into a short on Route 66😜Thanks for watching and the correction!
@tscruiseandtravelmuse that's easy to do lol! The best breakfast I've had was at Road Kill Cafe in Seligman. I've done route 66 twice and I can't wait to do it again. You see new things and meet new people. Keep the videos coming!
@@robertwhite2032 👍 I’ve not had the privilege to drive Route 66 in its entirety. My hometown was on Route 66 (Bloomington, Illinois) and it was the best way to get to Pontiac, Illinois. Pontiac housed a tiny teen club that featured national rated acts in the 60s. So I was very familiar with at least a small part of Route 66 in my squandered youth. Cheers!