Antonson - Route 66 still kicks: driving Americas main street

Advance Praise for
Route 66 Still Kicks:

Weve all traveled some part of Route 66, if only in our dreams. Road-tripping 66 is largely a young persons rite of passagewhen everything is possible and nothing is certain. Rick Antonson comes to this mythic road in later years and his Mustang-enabled journey with a buddy represents a life without restrictions or obligations. His tale is a middle-age Woodstock in motion, an encounter with an America that isnt as lost as we think. Off he goes in a cratering economy, summoning the voices of Woody Guthrie and John Steinbeck, singing from the hymnal of the roadthe Eagless anthemic Take It Easyand thrumming through obscure towns like McLean and Romeroville and Bellemont, across landscapes made iconic in the movies of Errol Flynn and Ronald Reagan. It is, of course, the characters he encounters that make this funny, warmly rendered little treasure of a road-trip chronicle so winning. And in the end Antonson proves that Route 66 indeed still kicksas does America.

Keith Bellows, editor in chief of
National Geographic Traveler

Route 66 Still Kicks is an informative, entertaining, and emotionally charged quest of the occasionally secluded, fabled highway... the most impressive account of a road trip I have ever read.

Paul Taylor, publisher of
Route 66 Magazine

There are two ways to take a Route 66 trip. You plan ahead or you dont. The lead characters here, Rick and Peter, chose the latter.

Planning aheadusing all the information you have available helps assure comfort and safety. And, well, you get the point. Had they asked my advice before leaving, I could have saved them angst with a relatively problem-free expedition. Yet, they wouldnt have had a book to write. Who would have watched the TV series, route 66, if Buz and Tod wouldnt have opened that creaky door or wandered down that perilous path? I watched Rick and Peter open such doors and take such paths. And like an audience, Id cringe in anticipation because I knew what dangers lay ahead.

There are many Route 66 books but none are a full-length road trip like this. So what? Well, if you plan to motor west and get your kicks doing it, I suggest you read it. Rick and Peter fell into many well-known pits, but in so doing, they also made some very interesting discoveriesdiscoveries they probably wouldnt have made if theyd planned their days well. Here you can find out what to avoid and also a lot of things the guidebooks wont find for you.

David Knudson, executive director,
National Historic Route 66 Federation

It was by far the best book I have read about the Road in many, many years. An excellent read. Two guys went in search of Route 66 and found America. This is a fun, entertaining and, at times, tantalizing read as the erstwhile new millennium Buz and Tod (from the 1960s TV series route 66) find their way from mud-hole to mud-hole and meet the people who continue to make Route 66 a wonder of the world. Their ten-second rule guides them past many of the things we all vow to see and yet does not color the journey as they find their Mother Road with humor and understanding. Highly recommended.

Bob Moore, co-author of The Complete Guidebook to
Route 66 and The Complete Atlas to Route 66

Every once in a while, each of us is privy to something that will have a major impact on what we enjoy or the industry we are in. For me it was being given a copy of the manuscript of the new book Rick Antonson has written on his trip down the old road with his pal Peter. I have traveled Route 66 more times than a long-haul trucker and this book is going to become one of the classics of the road.

Reading Ricks account of his time spent on the road is forever etched in my mind and showed me things that I did not know. Rick has a style of writing that makes you feel like you are right there with them as they get stuck in the mud or meet people along the way. I can count on one hand the number of books I could not put down and this is one of them.

Rick Antonson and his friend Peter took on one of the most respected yet least understood roads in history: Route 66. They were in no hurry to get from one end to the other and the side trips or detours they took are staples of Americas history, its love of the open road, lore of the automobile, and the truly inspiring gift this route gave the country. They now possess the major secret of the road: it changes each of us just as it too has changed. Antonsons book will make you feel it, live it and love itfor make no mistake, this is solid proof that Route 66 still kicks.

Jim Conkle, director, Route 66 Pulse newspaper and TV

Driving Americas Main Street

Rick Antonson

Foreword by Peter Greenberg

SKYHORSE PUBLISHING

Copyright 2012 by Rick Antonson

All Rights Reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Skyhorse Publishing, 307 West 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or info@skyhorsepublishing.com.

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are registered trademarks of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

ISBN: 978-1-62087-300-7

Printed in the United States of America

For Riley and Declangrandsons,
early travelers, inquisitive fellowswith the hope that
Route 66 is still there when you seek to understand
America for yourselves

Americas Route 66 has been called
The most famous highway in the world.

In the world of rust and decay, the days pass slowly; the years speed by. Rust seldom has a national identity. Yet American rust helps Route 66 signs cling to the perception of permanence. These, too, will fall.

You work and work for years and years, youre always on the go You never take a minute off, too busy makin dough Someday, you say, youll have your fun, when youre a millionaire Imagine all the fun youll have in your old rockin chair

Next year for sure, youll see the world, youll really get around But how far can you travel when youre six feet underground?

The years go by, as quickly as a wink Enjoy yourself, enjoy yourself, its later than you think.

Enjoy Yourself (Its Later Than You Think) Lyrics by Herb Magidson; music by Carl Sigman; recorded by Guy Lombardo in 1949 (Lombardo made a guest appearance on NBCs route 66 in 1963).

I f you believe, as I do, that travel is an experience that by definition is meant to be shared, then Route 66 Still Kicks is the inspiration you need to start that process. And great travel experiences almost always involve great storytelling colorful, larger-than-life characters, sentiment, adventure, discovery, and yes, romance. There are travel books and there are traveloguesand then, if youre lucky, you come across storytelling like this, which actually takes you on a history-filled, magical mystery tour that becomes a remarkably accessible journey.