She’s Going Places @lillygolich - Tumblr Blog

Day 12: Springfield, IL to Chicago, IL (part 2/2)

Cloud Gate and the McCormick Tribune Ice Rink, city Christmas trees at (1) Pioneer Court Plaza, (2) the Wrigley Building, (3) the old Water Tower, (4) Millenium Park, The Congress Hotel lobby, Route 66 Begin and End signs on Adam’s St and Jackson Blvd (respectively)

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 12: Springfield, IL to Chicago, IL (part 1/2)

Bunyon Square (Atlanta, IL), Dead Man’s Curve (Towanda, IL), Pontiac, IL, Standard Oil Gas Station, Ambler’s Texaco Gas Station, Polk-a-Dot Drive Inn, the Gemini Giant at The Launching Pad, Dick’s Towing Service, Rich & Creamy

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 11: Cuba, MO to Springfield, IL

Meramec Caverns, The Old St. Louis County Courthouse, the Gateway Arch, Old Chain of Rocks Bridge, Twistee Treat Diner and the Pink Elephant Antique Mall, Ariston Cafe,The Cozy Dog Drive In

#route66 #roadsideamerica

The Music of Roadside America

#route66 #roadsideamerica #Spotify

Day 10: Carthage, MO to Cuba, MO (part 2/2)

The Wagon Wheel Motel (the oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66)

#route66 #roadsideamerica #Spotify

Day 10: Carthage, MO to Cuba, MO (part 1/2)

Spencer Station, Gary’s Gay Parita, Red’s Giant Hamburg Sign (Springfield, MO), Carl: Muffler Man Chef (Springfield, MO), the Munger Moss Motel, Devil’s Elbow, MO, the Route 66 Red Rocker

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 9: Tulsa, OK to Carthage, MO (part 2/2)

66 Drive-In (Carthage, MO), the Boots Court Motel (the second oldest continuously operating motel on Route 66), the Jasper County Courthouse

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 9: Tulsa, OK to Carthage, MO (part 1/2)

Downtown Tulsa, Route 66 Historical Village (Tulsa, OK), The Blue Whale, Allen’s Conoco Fillin’ Station, Cars on the Route (Galena, KS), Bonnie and Clyde’s Joplin Hideout

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 8: Elk City, OK to Tulsa, OK

Cotton Boll Motel Sign, Oklahoma City National Memorial, Pops, the Arcadia Round Barn, the Rock Cafe (Stroud, OK), Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios on 66

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 7: Amarillo, TX to Elk City, OK

VW Bug Ranch, Britten Leaning Water Tower, Restored 1929 Route 66 Gas Station, U Drop Inn Cafe, Sand Hills Curiosity Shop, Oklahoma Route 66 Museum (Clinton, OK)

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 6: Tucumcari, NM to Amarillo, TX

Glenrio, TX, The Midpoint Cafe, Cadillac Ranch, The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Motel

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Fun Fact: the “100% REFRIGERATED AIR” slogan on the Cozy Cone’s neon sign in Pixar’s Cars is in reference to the same slogan included in green on the real life neon sign for the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM

#route66 #roadsideamerica #Spotify

Day 5: Gallup, NM to Tucumcari, NM (part 2/2)

Motel Safari, the Blue Swallow Motel, Del’s Restaurant

#route66 #roadsideamerica

Day 5: Gallup, NM to Tucumcari, NM (part 1/2)

Gallop Coffee Company, El Morro Theatre, Budville Trading Company, Rio Puerco Bridge, El Vado Motel (now half motel and half rental space for small restaurants and boutiques), El Don Motel

#route66 #roadsideamerica

People I’ve Met on the Road

We’re roughly a third of the way through the trip now, and in the time spent traveling the road so far, I’ve met and learned about quite a few interesting people. There were the guys working at the official gift shop in Amboy, who introduced me to the fascinating story of their boss, Albert Okura, the founder and CEO of the Juan Pollo restaurant chain and the man who first purchased the abandoned ghost town in 2005. Sam and Monica, the chatty owners of the historic El Travatore Motel in Kingman. Tony, an ASU alum and the owner of the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, who gave me a free license plate when he heard I was graduating. And of course, Charlie, the friendly orange cat who greeted us at the Hackberry General Store. I tend to be a bit nervous and standoffish in public, and talking to strangers isn’t something that comes naturally to me. But I’ve been making an effort to engage with people more on this trip, and I’m so grateful for all the conversations that have come as a result. On Thursday, we stopped in Seligman, AZ to get lunch at the famous Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In, and, while we were waiting, took a quick walk down the street to look in Angel & Vilma’s Route 66 Gift Shop. When I asked the woman at the counter how she’d ended up living and working on Route 66, she told me her name was Mirna Delgadillo, that Angel & Vilma Delgadillo were her parents, and that after leaving for college and moving around for a while she’d come back to help with the family business in Seligman. Angel Delgadillo, who was the town’s barber, is known as the “Guardian Angel of Route 66” because it was his initiative taken in 1987 to form the very first route 66 association, in Arizona, and campaign for the historical preservation of the route, having grown sick and tired of watching his town waste away after they were bypassed by the interstate in 1978. In fact, head Pixar executive and creative director John Lasseter met Delgadillo during his hands-on research for the movie Cars (2006), and has said that the story of Seligman served as heavy inspiration for the entire creative team during the making of the film. Although Angel Degadillo officially retired from barbering earlier this year in July, at the age of 95, the corner of the store in the gift shop which served as his workspace is still preserved in tribute and filled with lots of interesting information and memorabilia. For more information on the Delgadillo family and the story of Seligman, see the link below for an interview with Mirna: