As we rolled through towns with names like Sullivan, Bourbon, Cuba, Rolla and Doolittle, we enjoyed many faces of Old Route 66. There were some areas where an older alignment of the road were still visible (but not drivable).
Other areas of the road went through quaint little downtowns, and sometimes by shabby boarded-up remnants of what were once vibrant burgs, now virtually ghost towns due to the advent of the Interstate.
I really loved a long section where we paralleled train tracks, and paced with a freight train. Not too many miles later, the road surface was described by signs saying "Fresh Oil / Loose Gravel." I can still hear the thousands of little rocks hitting the wheelwells and underbelly of the car, and wondering "how many more miles of this do we have?"
And it was sad to see the Mother Road so little used in some spots that grass was growing in the cracks of the pavement. But then we'd drive a few more miles and see cool things like Route 66 Motors in Rolla, with '56 Lincoln Mark IIs and '67 Cougars, and so many nostalgic signs.
We started the day in Missouri, went through a 13-mile corner piece of Kansas, and ended up in Oklahoma. Not bad for a day's drive!
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