On Oct. 10, 2005, in just the second day of Route 66 News’ existence, I hit the “publish” button on a post titled “Has it been 10 years already?” The post was about the anniversary of the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville.
Today, that title could apply again, for it is the 10th anniversary of Route 66 News. Ten years for one website doesn’t sound like much, but in the rapidly changing and even unstable world that is the Internet, it is a milestone.
On the fifth anniversary, I posted this observation:
I started Route 66 News because I felt the Mother Road needed a timely one-stop source of information from the newswires, plus a smidgen of original content. The original goal was to average one story a day. In reality, it’s been more than double that. Even I underestimated how dynamic Route 66 was, and it belied the argument that it’s an “dead, tired” road.
It still applies today. Less than a week after that post a decade ago, a developer said he was going to tear down the historic El Vado Motel in Albuquerque, and the site’s traffic was off and running. (The motel eventually was saved with the help of preservationists, and it’s slated to be part of a mixed-used development.)
Here’s a peek under the hood:
- Route 66 News has seen about 5 million page views since its inception.
- Route 66 News has more than 1,000 subscribers.
- More than 11,000 comments from readers have been published.
- The biggest day in the site’s history was Aug. 23 this year, when a story about a drone video over McCook, Illinois, went viral on Facebook and produced more than 13,000 page views in a 24-hour period.
- More than 7,700 posts have been published. Yes, that averages to well over one a day.
- The most popular post by far is the “A Route 66 guide to the Cars movie,” which has seen at least 350,000 page views since its publication in June 2006. (I suspect the number is higher than that, but page-view data was lost for individual posts before 2008.)
- On a grim note, the site has filtered at least 650,000 spam comments.
The gravity of the upcoming anniversary hit me when a Missouri State University official took note of it and asked me to be interviewed for its Route 66 oral-history collection. That’s when I realized I’d hit some sort of elder-statesman status, which seems laughable in light of people such as Angel Delgadillo, Michael Wallis, Jeff Meyer, Tommy Pike and others who’ve carried the Route 66 banner for decades.
But, at the same time, 10 years of constantly chronicling Route 66 is nothing to be sneezed at, and I strongly suspect Route 66 News’ archives will prove valuable to researchers in the years to come, if it isn’t already.
So thank you for reading, and I hope you continue to do so.
(Image capture of Route 66 News in 2008, via the Wayback Machine.)
Congratulations, Ron!
You have become my “go-to” source for Route 66 information. I look forward to it every day. Thanks for you efforts and congratulations on a very successful 10 years. Wish I had discovered you sooner.
Congratulations Ron. Continue on down the road.
Thanks Ron for doing a great job all this time!
Thank you, Ron, for doing what you do. As I know you’re aware of, it’s a welcome stop for those of us who use it while on the road, and also gives us knowledge of new sites and attractions we might otherwise never have known. So I say congratulations on your 10th year, and may you have many, many years of entertainment for all of us in the years to come!
Everyday, I’m connected to this site which is the most comprehensive site about what’s happening on The Mother Road. Your informations helped me a lot to prepare my 66 trip in 2006 and will do so for my future road trip planned for 2020.
Thank you so much for keeping “Route 66 News” alive! You’re doin’ such a great work.
A grateful belgian Route 66 roadie.
Congratulations, Ron, on the anniversary of ‘Route 66 News’. Job well done. By all means, carry on the good work.
YES, CONGRATULATIONS! Many people follow your posts including me! Excellent finding out and posting about what’s happening on Route 66.
Ron, there is a purpose for Route 66 being built and remembered… to give you something to write about. And we’re glad you have. Congratulations. You have paved the way for the renewed interest in the Mother Road.
Thanks for all your efforts and your journalistic integrity.
Ron, you are doing great work. I smile when I see your header in my mailbox and I invariably read the posts to keep an eye on the pulse of the Mother Road. Stay strong, keep posting and good luck on those damn spammers!
Ron,
For so many of us roadies, our day is not complete if we do not look at your news. Most of us never respond and therefore, you do not know when or exactly who we are. But, I want you to know, I realize how very much work goes into keeping this going and appreciate all the information along with your dedication. Here’s to another 10 years for you and all of us!
Glenda Pike
CONGRATS RON ….. A JOB WELL DONE ! I ALWAYS LOOK FORWARD TO YOUR MAIL. Bill DeFreitas – Kingman, Arizona
Ron, Congratulations on the ten year anniversary and all that you have done for and with Route 66. Very informative, understandable and interesting !! Looking forward to your next ten years plus !! Thanks very much, Rich and the rest at Henrys Ra66it Ranch !!
Congrats on ten years and many more
Thanks for all of the updates. I look forward to all of them.
Ditto the congratulations and praise for your blog. I used it for trip planning before our 66 trip and maintain interest in the news daily. I would suggest your archives become a best of Route 66 news book. I would buy it for sure.
Congratulations! I check this site daily to find out what’s happening on Route 66
Yes, Congratulations Indeed Ron! My how fast these 10 years seem to have gone. I still think of your website as “new”!!!
Not only do you deserve a pat on the back for 10 years of continued dedication to your wonderful website, but a big, big thank you for always being a faithful supporter and reporter of anything and everything any of us out here on the road have done. There have been many times Route 66 events, places, and issues would not have been as successful as they were or as known as they became without your website.
Your website has made sure not just roadies but anyone who puts “Route 66” in a search engine can find out virtually anything and everything about what is going on, on our beloved Mother Road. And your dedication to making your website available in multiple languages has pulled many people to the road that might not have made it otherwise. The benefit of that cannot be measured.
I echo my Mom … its not a good day if I can’t log in and look at Route 66 News.
Also know, Route 66 News and McJerry’s EZ Guide are always the first two things I tell anyone about who talks to me about Route 66. And I’ve given out information on the CARS post you mention probably a few thousand times as well. It always amazes me how many young kids can find it just by telling them http://www.route66news.com and that gives me hope there are others who will continue the preservation and promotion of 66 that we’ve started in the past 25+ years.
Hope your travels always are easy and the road remains long ahead for all of us!
Tonya Pike
Ron, Congatualations I think I’ve been with since the start and have not let me down even reminding me Johnny Depp was way to old for “On The Road”.
Congratulations, Ron, on a job well done! I became a subscriber after driving Route 66 in 2014. Route 66 News provides a great way to keep up with the changes to the Mother Road and relive the fabulous memories made along The Route. Thank you!
Congratulations. It’s certainly nice to see good journalism and integrity meet with success.
Dear Ron Warnick: Congratulations on the ten-year anniversary of route66news.com and thank you very much for your industry and your much needed service! Here’s looking forward to the NEXT TEN YEARS! 🙂
Congratulations on 10 years Ron. Always a pleasure stopping in to catch the latest Route 66 News. I’m looking froward to another 10.
Nothing to sneeze at, indeed! I subscribe to your feed, so I read you daily on my homepage. I can’t attend all the events on 66, but I can rely on you to keep me informed of what’s happening. Ditto on all developments along the road. And because of Route 66 News, I’ve got a long list of “new” and “new-to-me” places to visit on the next trip. The breadth of your coverage is amazing, so it’s not so surprising that so many look to you as one of the authorities on the current state of the Mother Road. Kudos! And may many years of the road be yet ahead of you.
Bravo Ron! Your news post is not only informative, it recognizes and (most importantly) is accepted by individuals/groups up and down the highway from Chicago to Santa Monica. Thank you for this successful effort.
This is important news of historical importance. It is wonderful to see what’s happening on Route 66 from Chicago to LA. Thank you!
Just can’t stand to miss an article on Route 66 News! Love being able to keep up with everything going on. Great job. Congrats on 10!