Not much impressed at first, though, the more I found out, Route 66 started to seem pretty interesting. Sumi began by saying,
"There's a road that begins in Chicago, goes all the way to L.A and ends in Santa Monica Pier. It's not on a map any more but very popular amongst road-trippers. A mother road, its nickname. There are many kitschy shops and places dotted along the route and crosses many old small towns and deserts. You know, the places that you won't see if you took the interstate highways? It's in John Steinbeck's book and also in the movie, Thelma and Louse. It's in so many movies actually….. and I haven't been there, yet."
What I just heard piqued my interest immediately. A road that lost its function and disappeared from a map! Therefore, the old traditions still remained and the culture preserved. Something very dramatic and mysterious wrapped around and pulled me in. Road that's not on a map…. gave a horrific feeling, also. "Do you think The Texas Chain Saw Massacre was filmed there, too?" I said to Sumi. "Yes, most definitely!" She answered back. Ooh, that's so scary… Actually, in that movie, if it weren't for the killer with the chain saw, the road itself looks real pretty. Curious, I began my internet research.
Research is a bit exaggerated. Mere typing of the word 'route 66,' so much poured out. Route 66 had become a symbol, like a legendary rock star. Simply put, route 66 was not just 'route 66'. It was "ROUTE SIXTY-SIX."
ROUTE 66
U.S. Route 66 - Constructed in 1926. From Chicago to Santa Monica, 2448 miles(3940 km.) Two lanes.
During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, Route 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west, and stores and restaurants popped up along the route. The grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck was written from that time period. I've seen the movie version when I was little. Young Henry Fonda appears in the film. It was so long ago that I only remember the scene where farmers are riding in the back of an old truck, moving and shaking endlessly in a cloud of dust. To think that this scene from my vague childhood memory was the beginning of Route 66 history and the very starting point of American sentiment toward Route 66, seemed quite fantastic. I've never heard about the road but I actually knew it since I was young, and I didn't know until now that I knew about it all along? It was an irony that American popular culture brought about.
Anyhow, this road, full of dust cloud, soon began having restaurants, motor hotels, gas stations and bars popping up alongside it. And during its peak, anyone that had to travel east to west or vice versa used this road, including truck drivers, travelers, or even Hollywood stars and rock stars. So this explains why there are so many movies and pop cultures that used route 66 as subject.
Before we go on, a pop quiz! What's in common between Elvis Presley, Nat King Cole, Paul Anka, and Bob Dylan? They are all popular singers? Right! But, there's more! They are all American? Right again! However, the real answer is… that they'd all sung about Route 66! I would love to listen to all of them some time. It would be nice to listen on the road.
All good things must come to an end. During the height of WWII, being the only road that connected the east and west except for the railway, Route 66 also became subjected to decline as other highways emerged linking the east and west. The new roads were faster and had more lanes, Route 66 couldn't compete in terms of speed and volume, being only two lane road. The lack of efficiency and decline of traffic resulted in the US government dropping Route 66 out of the road and highway system in 1985. Disposed. A death sentence. Route 66 being a 2448 miles, 3940 km of two-lane, really thin, long and winding road, couldn't have been an adequate choice for the government considering the maintenance and administrative cost. However, a blessing in disguise, the very reason the government decided to take the oxygen mask off of it, became the strength for its revival. This slow, two-lane road was a nightmare for a fast mover, but perfectly fitting for a leisurely drive, and for those who wanted to see every little nooks and crannies, a periodic combination package course for a true American cultural experience. On top of that, the vast natural wonders added attraction for those that cared less for the speed in cross-country driving. As the name got built upon, Route 66 became the subject of nostalgia and affection and legendary cross-country course for an authentic American cultural experience for foreign tourists alike.
Abandoned since 1985, many sections of the road had been disconnected. Then, twenty years later, the government announces the complete restoration of route 66 in 2003 and reinstated plans to maintain it. It is still not visible on an official road map, but through its prosperity and decline, it is marked clearly in the minds of people as the road that still holds true Americana. ROUTE 66! the road so famous, even the old metal road signs are auctioned at high prices. There is even a dance club in Bangkok called Rt 66. In Thailand? A bit random, but it goes to show how internationally popular Route 66 is and this is what I found out about Route 66 so far.
'What! everyone was driving on this road, and nobody told me about it? Man, I can't trust anybody!' This is how I felt after finding out about all this. Not a single person ever mentioned this road to me. Wait, Sumi had told me about it. Then, no one, other than Sumi ever told me about Route 66. The day after we've decided to travel on route 66, I saw next door neighbor Marc standing in front of his garage. I went up to him and told him that I would be traveling along route 66. "Oh, it's a famous road! Very nice. Have a great trip!" Marc said. See! everybody knew but me.
Without hesitation, I cancelled the northern route along Canada. In fact, it seemed rather silly to insist on traveling in rectangular route around the country. Besides, the world is full of rectangles, we don't need to repeat such nonsense. We don't need a perfect straight line, either. We would start from New York and get on Route 66 in St. Louis, Missouri. We would go slowly stopping in town to town, canyon to canyon and then arrive in L.A. It would probably take more than ten days. If someone asks where we're headed, we'd say that we're going to LA to meet a friend and we've been on the road for thirteen days. If asked where we are from, we'd just smile. In movies, if you say you're from New York, you most likely get killed on the spot.
The Grapes of Wrath
The more you know, the more you see. Once I knew The Grapes of Wrath was about the migration of people to the west, it seems that few pieces of puzzle have been placed in their places. That very night, Sumi and I decided to watch the film again. Based on John Steinbeck's novel. Pinnacle of 20th century American literature. A must read. These are the description for the novel. John Ford directed the film. John wrote it. John filmed it. John Steinbeck also wrote East of Eden. He wrote two famous novels. What a great writer. I looked him up some more. He wrote a play called Of Mice and men, then with the money he made from it, bought a car, then travelled to the west along with Oklahomans, or Okies. Naturally, this experience led him to write The Grapes of Wrath. John Steinbeck also travelled on Route 66. The Grapes of Wrath is an observational novel through a travel in America. At fifty-eight, he travelled the country for four months with his dog Charlie in a modified truck camper and wrote a travel book.
The film starts in Oklahoma. A poor family of tenant farmers driven from their home by drought, economic hardship, and agricultural industry changes force them out of work, sets out for California where there are supposedly fruit picking work available. The journey and the hardships in the land of hope is thoroughly depicted. There are many scenes on Route 66. They ride through dust blowing desert, stop at a diner, and sleep in campsites. The camping fee is 50 cents. They eat corn bread and beans. There's no one welcoming them. Family members die one by one and the reality is harsh, but they're still hopeful. Because there is family, and loved ones and the people that still care about others.
Maybe not finding work, but our journey to California to meet friend seem very similar to the story. Riding through desert, cooking meals, buying bread, sleeping in campsites, traveling with loved ones, and even the fact that we are packing our old Volkswagen Passat station wagon with stuff are the same. If we get to meet warm-hearted people along the way, it won't get any better than that.
Easy Rider
After watching The Grapes of Wrath, we were in fact feeling a little down. Route 66 isn't just about the poor migrants! It happened in the 1930s! We tried to dismiss it. Certainly poignant, but The Grapes of Wrath was a little too depressing before we begin our trip. Is there any other movie that has somewhat of a different feel of Route 66? To switch mood, we picked Easy Rider. I saw this movie when I was around twenty years old.
From the start, the movie was filled with the road racing scene with shiny chrome plated Harley Davidson. Yahoo! This is it! That! That must be Route 66! Sumi and I were shouting in excitement and we were already riding in the back of Dennis Hopper and Peter Fonda. When they camped, we camped, when they were talking about America and freedom, we were talking about the same things. We were in perfect mood for the road trip. Then, they started smoking too much marijuana and LSD. Jack Nicholson joined the group later and was beat to death while camping out in the desert. The locals yelled at Hopper and Fonda Yankee faggots. And finally, a truck driver shot and killed them both on the road. We are Yankees, too. We have New York plate on our car. Sumi and I got even more depressed by the time we finished this movie. The Grapes of Wrath still had some hopes. This, everyone dies. Though, we learned couple great lessons. We need really cool looking sunglasses and if anyone asks, never say we are from New York. We'd just say we come from one place and going to another.
We were feeling even more down. To overcome this, we needed another movie. In my search, it said there are many scenes of Rt 66 in Thelma and Louise. But this can't do. As you all know, the two women drove off of a cliff and killed themselves. That would be the worst. Eventually, Sumi stopped watching in the middle of a movie called Roadhouse 66 with Willem Dafoe in it. And I moved on to The Searchers with John Wayne to see some Monument Valley scenes. But, watching Monument Valley for one whole hour proved to be too much. Instead, even though it had nothing to do with Route 66, I decided to watch Sabata with Lee Van Cleef, my favorite. Lee Van Cleef is awesome even after so many years. At last, I'm back to being excited about the trip again after three days. Hey Amigo, Che Sabata!
We are gearing up for a full prep for the trip now. We are about to pack and prepare the car. We also need to plan ahead to work on our book proficiently during the trip. Two days to departure.
Before we depart, there may be a need for an explanation on how to set up a system for a successful sketch trip, in case anyone wants to draw or write their own travel book… I've named it "High Tech Super Nova Auto Chart Notebook System Siri."
*Click here to view Jingoogk's original blog in Korean.
