Route 66 - The Inspiration, The Books

My littlest boy has been an fan of Cars ever since he experienced it in the theater (it was the first theater experience he has ever had). We got the DVD when it came out, and he had a "Cars" Christmas! This inspired me to begin planning a Route 66 trip (I LOVE trips with a theme!) I have now been planning a Route 66 trip with my family for 3 months. There are a few books which have become my BIBLES in this research! The first one was written awhile ago by the voice of the Sheriff in Cars: Route 66: The Mother Road 75th Anniversary Edition. Michael Wallis is the definitive authority on Route 66. His overview of each state, along with specific stops along the way were a great way to start my research.

The next book I referenced a lot was EZ66 Guide for Travelers by Jerry McClanahan. It is spiral bound, and lists stops along the way, mile by mile. It was great to cross reference this book with Michael Wallis' book. Unfortunately, some of the stops along Route 66 have disappeared, and some of the people have passed away since Michael wrote his book. Jerry McClanahan's book allowed me to double-check to make sure some of those motels and restaurants are still there!

Once I had read both books and made extensive lists of where I wanted to stay, and what I wanted to eat, and what I wanted to see, I purchased a set of maps which list every town along the route. They have individual maps for each state. This map set by Jerry McClanahan and Jim Ross really helped me see exactly where along the route we might want to sleep and eat. I began to mark on these maps the logical hotels to stay each night, food along the way we just couldn't miss and things we wanted to see. Marking them in a color-coated way helped me to really see where we'd be each night.

The last definitive book I have been using is Drew Knowles Route 66 Adventure Handbook. It tells of interesting and goofy things to see along the way, as well as short side-trips. It is helping me fill in the blanks between stops so that I have a good list of everything we will want to see (or at least try to see!)

Last but not least, I have also found a five DVD set on Route 66 that was filmed in 2003. It took me visually all along the way from Chicago to L.A. I was able to make sure that the stops they made were already in my notes. If not, I added them!

I also took a look at the bonus section of the Cars DVD. They have a 16 minute video entitled "The Inspiration behind Cars." By the time I viewed that, I had seen and researched so much that I recognized a lot of the people and places that were highlighted in the Pixar team's travels. The Cars DVD also has a list of "Special Thanks" during the credits which list people and places that helped them during the creation of Cars. I also made sure all of the places listed were in my notes!

So there you have it. These are my books, my movies...my inspiration. I am excited to get ready for this vacation. If you are planning a Route 66 vacation, I would highly recommend each of the books noted. Each one is indispensable in its own way. More next time on my actual notes and what we hope to see!