The Backroads of Route 66

Description

This wonderfully illustrated, up-to-date guide to the natural, cultural, and historical gems hidden just off the legendary Route 66 outlines 30 trips for curious travelers.

Route 66 is arguably the world’s most famous highway (more than 60% of Route 66 adventurers are from overseas!)—its motels, diners, and roadside attractions comprising a time capsule of America’s love affair with the automobile. While many of the road’s iconic attractions have disappeared with time (along with large stretches of the road itself), others are as enduring as ever.

In this completely revised and updated version of The Backroads of Route 66, author and Route 66 expert Jim Hinckley is your guide from the lowlands of the American Plains to the high plateaus of New Mexico and Arizona, from the Great Lakes to the mighty Pacific Ocean, and through major metropolises and remote country towns.

But rather than take the road oft traveled and the sites most photographed, Hinckley encourages you to branch off the Mother Road and discover the hidden gems beyond today’s familiar motels and tourist traps—quaint frontier communities that date to westward expansion; the legacy of native cultures; and the awe-inspiring natural wonders that have graced these lands since time immemorial. There to be explored within a few hours’ drive from the path of Route 66, discover:
 

• Outdoor attractions
• Museums
• Historic sites
• And much more

The thirty trips in The Backroads of Route 66 offer new travel opportunities for you and the thousands of road-trippers who follow this legendary route, looking for something more.The Backroads of Route 66 explores the landmarks, natural wonders, and historical gems left to be explored off the beaten path of America’s most famous byway.

Jim Hinckley is the author of twenty books and hundreds of feature articles on Route 66, the American Southwest, and the American auto industry. He has been a featured speaker at European Route 66 festivals in Germany and the Czech Republic, and at events in the United States and Canada. Hinckley is a former associate editor for Cars & Parts, and currently writes a monthly feature for New Zealand-based MotoringNZ. He also assists with the creation of visitor guides for communities such as Tucumcari, New Mexico, and the development of historic district walking tours. Jim is the creator of the Jim Hinckley’s America network that includes a website (jimhinckleysamerica.com/), social media, the weekly livestream "Coffee with Jim" program, a YouTube channel, and the "Wake Up with Jim" podcast. Linked with this are community education programs developed to foster an increased awareness of an area’s history and its role in the development of tourism as a component in economic development.

Acknowledgments
Introduction
PART ONE ILLINOIS
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Land of Lincoln”
Drive Two: The Chicago Coast
Drive Three: The Time Capsule 24
PART TWO MISSOURI
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Show-Me State”
Drive Two: Discover St. Louis
Drive Three: An Ozark Adventure
Drive Four: The Heart of the Ozarks
Drive Five: Miners and Desperados
PART THREE KANSAS
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Sunflower State”
Drive Two: Ghost Towns and Outlaws
Drive Three: The Pioneer Trail
PART FOUR OKLAHOMA
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Sooner State”
Drive Two: The Western Frontier
Drive Three: Discover Tulsa
Drive Four: Discover Sooner State Capital
Drive Five: The Wilderness
PART FIVE TEXAS
Drive One: Route 66 in the Texas Panhandle
Drive Two: Canyonlands
Drive Three: Trails West
PART SIX NEW MEXICO
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Land of Enchantment”
Drive Two: The Original Las Vegas
Drive Three: Discover Albuquerque
Drive Four: Timeless Wonders
Drive Five: Fire and Ice
PART SEVEN ARIZONA
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Grand Canyon State”
Drive Two: Red Rock Wonderland
Drive Three: The Grand Loop 
Drive Four: The Western Frontier
PART EIGHT CALIFORNIA
Drive One: Route 66 in “The Golden State”
Drive Two: The Caldron
Drive Three: The High Road
Drive Four: The Megalopolis
Image Credits
Index
About the Author
 

Additional information

Dimensions	0.55 × 8.55 × 11 in
Imprint	Motorbooks
Format	General Trade
ISBN-13	09780760374498
ISBN-10	076037449X
Author	Jim Hinckley
Audience	General / adult
BISAC	HIS036130, TRV031000
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