Downwind“Get Your Kicks”
My favorite rendition of “Get your Kicks on Route 66” came from Natalie Cole’s Unforgettable Album. The song, of course, has been recorded by many artists from the original Bobby Troup to Nat King Cole and Bing Crosby to the Rolling Stones. (Do you have the Route 66 songs stuck repeating in your head now?)
Did you know that U.S. Highway 66 is celebrating its 100-year anniversary this summer?
Did you also know that the Cook County Farm Bureau building in Countryside is located along historic Route 66 (also known in the area as Joliet Road)? With that in mind, we put up some Route 66 posters in the hallway of the Farm Bureau building that connect the famous road right outside our front door with Illinois Agriculture.
Growing up about 80 miles to the west of the famous highway, the Rohrer versions of the family trucksters (Grand Torino, Ford LTD, pickup trucks, and later the Oldsmobile Delta 88) did not cruise Rt. 66 frequently. However, the trips we took on similar highways provided similar views, landscapes, and Americana. Farms. Small towns. Vintage roadside attractions.
Dad, the Farmer, was a tough one to nail down for a vacation. The mantra was work. work. work. until we reached the Sunday day of rest. That philosophy was ingrained by his farmer parents. So…The majority of my so called “vacations” in childhood were road trips to spend holidays or summer break time at my grandparents’ farms. Dad and Mom had a well-deserved vacation from me and my siblings.
We would jump into the family truckster, not buckle up, and travel Illinois Highway Route 97 to my Grandpa and Grandma Rohrer’s farm. As an alternative vacation, we would take a road trip to my Grandma Nott’s farm down Illinois Route 78 another 20 miles further south.
These cleverly called vacations were actually disguised work. work. work. at a new location. Looking back, both sets of grandparents gave me bonus farm work and life experiences that were so valuable and can never be duplicated.
Those car rides on the life highways of Illinois were full of parental wisdom and guidance such as “stop picking on your brothers” and “stop kicking your sister’s seat”. Mom attempted to distract us by having us play the letter game: searching for letters chronologically A to Z on road signs, billboards, and businesses. We knew that we had to get the letter Q by the time we hit the town Maquon or else there would be no Qs to be found the rest of the trip. Through the moving car windows, we saw farms, small towns, and rural America.
One time, while driving, we kept hearing the muffled sound of the cat meowing. Dad finally stopped the car to open the hood and the meowing grew louder. One of our barn cats had decided to take a ride with us under the hood next to the engine. No amount of coaxing could cause that cat to come out. Finally, Dad said, “fine” in a way that wasn’t fine and we continued driving on our way to grandma’s farm. That trip cured that cat from joyriding, being permanently relocated to my grandmother’s house.
Many times, on a Sunday afternoon, Dad (the Farmer) and Mom piled all us kids into the truckster and we would just go for a drive (mini-vacation?). I didn’t think it was strange at the time but now I know, we just wasted gas to drive around the country to look at and comment on other farmers’ crops, buildings, livestock, and pastures in the area. Entertainment was pretty simple back in the day.
When created 100 plus years ago, American highways like Route 66 were used to transport people to their destinations quickly. Those same non-interstate highways now are viewed more as “Life in the slow lane” and “Roads less traveled”. My heart misses that type of traveling.
Happy 100th birthday, U.S. Route 66!