The "The Good Old Days" Story

It was an ordinary day.  Looking through my latest edition of the magazine known as "Good Old Days" which is a bi-monthly magazine that declares on the cover to be "The Magazine That Remembers The Best."  Close to the end of the magazine was a three-page story titled "Remembering Route 66 - The nation traveled along America's Main Street."  Very interesting article that described a family road trip during the 1940s to the 1960s.  Spanning the country from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 was a lively journey through eight states that took travelers from the cornfields of Illinois to the rolling wave of the Pacific Ocean.  Along the way were plenty of exciting stopping points.  You could take an underground tour in Missouri's Meramec Caverns where the outlaw Jesse James once had his hideout.  Or, perhaps you could stop at one of the many Regal Reptile Ranches that set up shop along Route 66.  This was the golden age of the automobile and businesses popped up along Route 66 to serve this new road-tripping generation.  Neon signs alerted travelers to upcoming amenities, often with flashing arrows pointing the way.  Gas stations with recognizable logos such as the Texaco Star and the Sinclair dinosaur usually had two pumps under a canopy.  A station attendant ran out to fill your car's tank and wipe the bugs off the windshield.  After the attendant cleaned all the bugs off your windshield, you were ready to take off once again.  Along the road were plenty of motel rooms for the weary traveler.  After a restful night you were ready to hit the road once again.  Route 66 travels from Chicago to Los Angeles, crossing eight states and three time zones.  Kansas hosts the shortest section of Route. 66, with only 13 miles traversing the southeast corner.  Route 66 was established in 1926 with just 800 miles paved; it would take another 11 year before the entire route was paved from end to end.  In 1962, a board game came out based on the Route 66 TV show.  Players traveled across a map while stopping to pay for gas or food.  It wasn't until 1984 that the last portion of Route 66 was finally bypassed.  A year later the highway was officially decommissioned.  Today, more than 85% of the original road is drivable, although in some places you really have to seek it out.  With the attraction of the route rekindled, the National Park Service has established the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program to help keep the memory of this unique route and its slice of Americana alive.  In 1962 a board game came out based on the Route 66 TV show.   Players traveled across a map while stopping to pay for gas or food, or earned extra turns by helping fellow motorists.  The final portion of Route 66 was finished in 1984, but the following year the highway was decommissioned.  The song "Get Your Kicks on Route 66" by American songwriter Bobby Troup was composed in 1946 and told of travels on Route 66.  Bobby was from my hometown of Lancaster, Pennslyvania.  He went to school with my dad at J.P. McCaskey High School in Lancaster, PA.  Bobby and his wife Cynthia got the idea of traveling along Route 66 and after writing the song, named it "Get Your Kicks on Route 66."  I always enjoyed listening to the song that was written by my dad's high school friend.   Nat King Cole ended up recording it.  Lots of neat stories to tell about "the Good Old Days."  It was another extraordinary day in the life of an ordinary guy.