Books: Used While On The Road

The EZ66 Guide for Travellers by Jerry McClanahan - I found out about this book exactly half way through my trip and I wish I’d had it earlier. The layout is easy to follow (even driving solo), the instructions are clear and it is spiral bound so it lays flat. My recommendation is that you don’t try to drive Route 66 without a copy of this.

Route 66: Traveler's Guide and Roadside Companion by Tom Snyder - A slim book with some very useful maps that each cover a significant chunk of Route 66. These usefully show Route 66 overlaid with the current road system (including Interstates) which was useful for confirming I was on the right track. The "Roadside Companion" section is an interesting read giving great background on the road.

The Complete Guidebook to & Atlas of Route 66 by Bob Moore & Rich Cunningham - The Guidebook contains mile-by-mile instructions for following Route 66 (in either direction) and Atlas contains full colour maps (but note these are not normal road maps). Incredibly detailed, too much so if you are driving solo and don't have a GPS, but can get you out of trouble if (when) you get lost.

Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide by National Historic Route 66 Members - This guide indicate the "traditional" places along Route 66 that worth a visit to stay, eat or just look at. All the places listed are visited by volunteer travellers who check them out so the advice provided can be trusted. I used the 10th Edition but it is regularly updated.

Books: Used While Planning

Travelling Route 66: 2,250 Miles of Motoring History from Chicago to L.A. by Nick Freeth & Paul Taylor - An entertaining description of Route 66 that describes many of the landmarks along the way. This information combined with the running milage counter along the top of the pages makes it great tool for planning your journey.

The Final Cut: Route 66 by Gerd Kittel, Alexander Bloom & Freddy Langer - A stunning photo essay of Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica. It is superbly printed and is both a "Coffee Table" book to savour and a useful tool to explain to people why you are going to drive Route 66. [I missed five of the places shown in the book so I'll just have to do it again;-)]

Web Sites

http://www.historic66.com/
The web site is dedicated to providing information about Route 66, in particular it has a "turn-by-turn" road description that I found was great for detailed planning and getting a feel for the journey. You can also download a file for your GPS that contains all the waypoints used in the "Complete Guidebook / Atlas". The on-line shop makes it easy to obtain Route 66 material and there is a great set of links to other useful sites.

http://www.national66.com/
The National Historic Route 66 Federation is the worldwide, nonprofit organisation dedicated to raising awareness of the importance of Route 66 in America's heritage and acquiring the support necessary to preserve historic landmarks and revitalise communities along the road. The site contains a wealth of information, an on-line store again with Route 66 material and a great set of links to the other interesting related sites.

http://www.route66magazine.com/
The source of Route 66 Magazine which is a four-color publication containing a blend of narratives and documentaries about Route 66. This site is the "home" for "The Complete Guidebook to & Atlas of Route 66" and a list of updates to it are available. The on-line store has a wealth of Route 66 material including back issues of Route 66 Magazine and the Guidebook / Atlas.

http://www.route66maps.com/
This web site provides a description of the two-volume "Complete Guidebook and Atlas of Route 66", published by Route 66 Magazine. It allows you to examine sample pages and is also the place to download support documents for the guidebook, atlas (such as the GPS data file), and the magazine (including an index).

It is also well worth visiting the eight state Route 66 associations web sites.

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