Online Route 66 magazine launches its first issue

66 The Mother Road launched its inaugural online issue on Friday.

It’s 36 pages, and you can view it online here. I spent some time surfing around on it, and it works very well. You can enlarge the full-color content, and turning the virtual pages is a snap.

Stories in the magazine include:

• A feature about the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, and the upcoming Bob Waldmire-inspired festivities in early May
• A useful story about Quick Response codes and how they can be useful to Route 66 business amid the smartphone era
• A portion of Missouri Route 66’s earlier history with the Civil War
• A short story about 4 Women on the Route in Galena, Kan.
• The changes coming with the Route 66 Vintage Iron Motorcycle Museum in Miami, Okla.
• A blurb about the International Route 66 Festival in Amarillo in June
• A long feature about Richard Talley and his Motel Safari in Tucumcari, N.M., and his Smalltown America initiative
• A profile on Terry Lee Smith-Kafides, who is the official National Route 66 Ambassador

In case you missed the earlier announcement about this Web-only magazine, here’s the magazine’s mission statement:

It’s actually pretty simple: if it’s good for the entire Road, do it.

We are dedicated to helping business survive and thrive across the entire Route 66 corridor. We take preservation, protection and enhancement of the historic highway seriously. The history is well documented. Our goal is to accept that history, and move forward in the 21st century and beyond, using the most modern technology available to ensure future generations carry the work forward.

The magazine comes endorsed by prominent Route 66 author Michael Wallis and the Route 66 Alliance.