Route 66 enthusiast Mike Curtis, aka 2 Lane Traveler on YouTube, recently created a 20-minute video detailing the changes on the Mother Road from 2007 to 2024.
The video thumbnail comes with a provocative question: “Thriving or dying?”
(Spoiler alert: Definitely not dying; Curtis asserts the old road is simply changing.)
The video is well done. Finding all of the landmarks that have disappeared due to age or neglect, plus all the places that have been rejuvenated, would take a considerable amount of research.
Curtis’ view on Route 66 largely matches my own. In fact, I’m optimistic about the future of the old road as it approaches its century mark.
One addendum to Curtis’ video: It appears the owner or owners of Twin Arrows Trading Post in Arizona recently covered up all graffiti on the diner and gas station with a new coat of paint. Perhaps that portends to a resurrection era for the long-neglected site.
It also appears the long-closed Meteor City Trading Post in Arizona may be finding new life after attracting a new owner.
And one could argue the Pony Bridge near Bridgeport, Oklahoma, can be put on the rejuvenation list after the span was widened but its original pony trusses preserved and reattached.
If other places along Route 66 have found new life in recent years, please list them in the comments below.
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Great video! Thanks for sharing, Ron.
Fred from The Netherlands