Shawnee Mission West's online student newspaper

smwest.com

Shawnee Mission West's online student newspaper

smwest.com

Shawnee Mission West's online student newspaper

smwest.com

Photo Of The Week

photo by Malcom Luna

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While everybody was on a cruise, in Mexico, or at home, I was cruising the Mother Road.

Route 66 was an integral part of Americana back in the day.  It rolls through eight different states covering 2448 miles. It was the connection from Chicago, Ill. to Los Angeles, Cal.  It is also a “secret” star of the Pixar movie Cars.

My mother and I started our journey along Route 66 in Galena, Kan.  Galena is home to the man who was the inspiration of “Tow Mater” voiced by “Larry the Cable Guy” and the original “Mater” truck.

Along the way we saw lots of interesting places, and stopped at many museums in small towns.  Many museums displayed pieces of their history, and their relation to the Mother Road.

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Adrian, Texas is the midpoint of Route 66, and coincidentally, the Midpoint Cafe.  Here they sell all of the Route 66 memorabilia you could hope for!  The cafe was under the ownership of Fran Hauser.  Fran and the cafe were the ideas for “Flo’s V8 Cafe” in the movie.  Two of Fran’s employees, Mary Lou and Christina Mendez, are the parts of McQueens’s fans, Mia and Tia.

In Shamrock, Texas there is an old Conoco gas station known as the U-Drop Inn.  It was used as the building for Ramone’s Body Art.

In Amarillo, Texas there is a line of half buried Cadillacs.  They started off as an art project, but now they are open to anyone who wants to bring spray paint and add their own touch to the tourist stop.

Ever since the 1930’s Route 66 has been the heart of Americana, and with the production of Cars it has made a fervent come back.  Route 66 holds pieces of history that can’t be taught in a textbook.

 

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