Texas’ stretch of the classic Nostalgic Road Trip
By June Naylor Route 66 first enticed adventure-seekers on a
transcontinental journey from Chicago to Los Angeles in 1926. Ever since,
cross-country travelers have heeded the call to hit the open road in pursuit of
freedom, new beginnings, and the rewards of a fresh experience.
Although the interstate highway system eventually pulled
traffic away from this legendary artery of American heritage, Route 66 devotees
can still explore much of the
storied route. Texas claims 178 miles of the old road, much of it still intact
as it parallels Interstate 40 across the top of the Panhandle prairie from the
Oklahoma border westward to the New Mexico state line.
 On a recent cold spring weekend, I chased the sun as I
explored the famous road’s Texas stories.
Just 14 miles west of the Oklahoma-Texas line, Shamrock
rises from the plains with a smattering of Art Deco buildings that date to the
1930s and 40s, when westward travelers stopped here en route from points east.
I ponder the millions of life dramas that have played out—and still play
out—along this highway.
Christened the “Mother Road” by Nobel Prize-winner John
Steinbeck in his classic novel The Grapes of Wrath, Route 66 served as
America’s main artery west during the devastating Dust Bowl of the 1930s. When
World War II erupted a decade later, the route funneled wartime supplies to the
West Coast. Then, in the 1950s and 60s, as the heartland rebounded, car-crazy
travelers rediscovered Route 66 as a thoroughfare to western vacation
destinations, ushering in an era of neon-lit motor courts and cafés, kitschy
tourist stops, curio shops, and roadside billboards.
One of the finest examples of Route 66 Art Deco architecture
has been preserved and restored here in Shamrock: the Tower Conoco Station and
U-Drop Inn, a National Historic Site. The building now serves as the local
chamber of commerce, and it features a neon-festooned tower, walls of glazed
tile, and intricate, geometric details on the fueling canopies and in the lobby.
Kids especially get a big kick out of the place, which inspired the body shop in
the Disney/Pixar film Cars. Route 66
It’ll take at least two full days to explore the Texas
section of Route 66, and that’s an ambitious schedule. Pick up a map at the
Texas Travel Information Center (exit 76 on the south side of I-40 in
Amarillo), 806/335-1441. The Amarillo Convention & Visitor Council
(800/692-1338; www.visitamarillotx.com) can provide details about destinations
along the entire 178-mile stretch. Selected contacts follow.
Shamrock
- Shamrock Chamber of Commerce, inside the restored Tower
Conoco Station, 806/256-2516; www.shamrocktx.net.
McLean
Amarillo
Vega/Adrian
See the full article in the March 2010 issue. Subscribe Order back issues |
