66

2025-09-23
TX, OK, MO

Heading homeward again today. Much less of a triumphant return as a limp home wounded, but we kept moving. I inadvertently ended up following Route 66 (via interstates), and so my stop for today was at the Route 66 Museum in Oklahoma. It was there that I met the Iceland Harley Owners Group who are following Route 66. They rented bikes in the US rather than shipping their own bikes over; it makes more sense to me too. I just didn't know it was an option.

First, the museum. It's cute, but at $10 it's overpriced for the six rooms it is. I took a few pictures and strolled through in about 15 minutes before not purchasing anything at the store. It's a $6 or $7 museum at best, and that's only because it's clean and neat.

I had friends that went on road trips like this. I don't know which route they took.

Next, I think the romanticized notion of Route 66 needs to be quashed. I actually tried to follow 66 a few trips ago, and even planned to stop at this very museum (spoiler alert: it was closed). But most of the route has been replaced by interstates. The sections of 66 I did manage to follow just kind of led in and out of small towns trying to get a few tourist bucks, but people don't want to live like they did in the 50's so things are completely different. It can also be a challenge to figure out where the road even goes. So for those who want to live the old road tip experience, I recommend just planning a trip. Use things like Atlas Obscura to find cool places to visit along the way. Don't follow a route that is only trying to tempt you with recreations of mundane things from 70 years ago.