Rt. 66 and the little man….

The other day we had a trip to Bloomington-Normal planned for the Ill. Art Educator’s Conference. Now for those who may or may not know my mom, she hates highways. Not just the casual-kind-of-hate, but avoidance-at-all-costs type of intensity. This stems from years of driving the 405 freeway in California, and one close encounter with her old yellow Rabbit that had notoriously bad brakes.

Needless to say, this has influenced the types of roads I’ve driven around on because whenever a trip comes up, it’s always the “other options and avoid highways” button that we hit on Mapquest.  This has led us to all kinds of interesting places and through this small idiosyncrasy, we’ve discovered lots of unique highlights. So when we saw that our trip included a large stretch of Rt. 66 on our way to Bloomington, she says with a grin “Hey! Let’s get our kicks on, what do you say?” And to this, I answer with a laugh, slight roll of the eyes and a quick mental calculation of how many extra days we’re going to need for this trip. Most of the time, though the difference between a highway and a not highway route is less that an hour and so we take it. And I’m glad we did.

When we veered off of Rt. 47 and onto the iconic 66, we were kind of nervous, not having any idea of what to expect. But what we found delighted us. As we meandered through little town after little town, and we saw restored vintage gas stations, diners, murals, and a hearty slice of Americana, following those brown Rt. 66 signs. The biggest excitement (alright call us dweeby history buffs) was seeing the actual road, complete with bridges and all, running alongside us at points in our adventure.

We stopped in Pontiac and went to the Rt. 66 Museum because by this point, I was really curious about the road. What I found here answered all my questions. When was it built? Where did it go? When was the golden era of its glory? And why did we get our kicks by taking this route? It was Bing Crosby and the Andrew’s Sisters who made the song iconic, the road stretched from Chicago to California and was completed in 1926…. and I think the golden era is a toss-up. I’m told there are huge followings of Europeans who come to tour it in search of the American Dream. So its golden era could be yet to come!

But what impressed me the most is that by traveling this route, I went through towns, bought gas, ate food, shopped and otherwise supported small rural communities that are bypassed by the major highways that cut right through them. We supported the “little man” by choosing what route we were going to be taking. In an essence, by changing our driving patterns, we could make a small contribution to helping relieve our national economic crisis. We can help turn the tide for small business, small towns and small industry.

So as a small business owner, in a little town, facing our holiday season swiftly approaching, I hope you will make the choice to support the little man. It’s not much more out of your way, and maybe only a few dollars more, but I bet you will find a better experience, more knowledge and higher quality with the little man. Listening to country radio, I think Alan Jackson sums it up pretty well in his song. I found the video I wanted to share…

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBh-m1yTZS0 

So Rt. 66 gave me more than kicks…. it helped me see my world in a broader sense and I’m thankful to my mom and her quirky ways for the opportunity. I’m even debating about taking 66 out to California for a show next year, and taking a fiber road trip along the way! You never know where the road ahead leads, but you know there will always be an adventure awaiting!

Advertisement