Route 66 - 66 Ghost Towns & Abandoned Places

I don't know how many people my age who are still with us and remember driving the mother road in the 1950's and 60's, Ive eaten in so many of those old cafe's along the road west of Texas And burnt many tanks of gas Between Santa Monica and Texas in my late youth.Those who remember those wide spots in the road with 3 or 4 cafes, a couple dive motels, and a half a dozen gas stations and auto repair shops, Back then they had what was known as "Gas Wars" where stations competed with each other for the tourist and trucker $ with lowest gas prices many of those mom & pop settlements had 4-6 gas stations one on each corner at the main crossroads and one or two at each end of town on both sides of the highway. I remember paying 19.9 cents a gallon then looking across the street noticing gas was 18.9 cents per gallon with a free breakfast with fill up, So $2.40 to fill my 20 gallon tank and paid .49 cents for a steak and egg breakfast which included 3 eggs, potatoes toast, coffee and orange juice at the higher priced station. Hard to believe it does not seem that long ago We would buy a $50 car or truck in LA, One that ran and had some tread left on the tires and with $100 between us take a month long road trip throughout the southwest always taking US 66 as our route out of LA or returning to LA. Needless to say we left many cars broken down along that highway & buying another beater just to get us home..

I travelled route 66 when I was young. It really hurt when I-40 replaced it. Those days gone forever. The innocence is long gone and no way to restore. And Sir, you gave us an epic journey. Grammy material. Thank you for the memories.

All of those dreams long faded... now only whispered on the wind and in the sound of the tumbleweeds. It sure would be fantastic to hear the stories of the dreamers, and learn what became of them. Mesmerizing, thanks for sharing your journey.

Chris, I'm a Canadian who has been living in America since 2014, I'm very appreciative of your unbelievably comprehensive video! I most recently drove parts of Route 66, when in mid-December I drove from San Diego to Chicago. I saw several of the places that you have highlighted. Thank you for your hard work!

I can count on one hand how many vids over 30 mins that I have watched in their entirety on YouTube. This is one of that elite group. Thank you for a fantastic video.

I made 6 trips between 2006 and 2012 exploring Route 66. An amazing experience creating some wonderful memories. However, I have one bit of advice, or perhaps a warning is more appropriate. When exploring the inside of these abandoned buildings be aware that there is a considerable population of rattlesnakes in the area and they like to go inside these buildings to get protection from the midday heat. I’m not trying to discourage anyone from going inside these buildings, just watch where you step.

I was stationed at Fort Leonardwood and when we received an off base pass, I spent the day at Route 66 cafe. 15 years later, we took a family trip across the country and I took my family there. The magic had died. But I took the time to take the historic Route 66 and a regular gas stop had large single page maps showing the original Route compared to modern maps. I am currently building a 64 Chevy truck and am planning to drive up to Chicago and follow as much of the original Route as allowed all the way to Cali. I will be taking my daughter for the trip. I expect it to be about 5 years from now. (When she is 16 and has a learners permit so she can be a part of the drive) I fully plan to hit every single stop you made in this video too. We will have modern follow cars along for the trip for added security/safety. Over night lodging will be tents on the side of the road in some cases when local motels are either too dangerous or the crime rate is just on Democrat levels. So far we have a 65 and 69 mustang, 64 chevy C10 truck, and maybe a 70 Nova lined up for the trip.

Thank you, i loved the road trip you made, much appreciated, watching frm Australia.

Watching on a drab, dreary, Sunday afternoon in the UK, our mood is lifted seeing this video. Envy the comments made by those who have been fortunate enough to travel this route and 'live the dream'! Something my wife and I would love to do, but alas, age and funds prevent this from happening! Thank you so much for your tour!

Excellent Route #66 video, Chris. Rode Route #66, on my Harley motorcycle, 20 years ago, and old-school. No GPS, old cellphones, on bottom of T-bags. Paper map clipped to luggage, in plastic rainproof bag. So, this video is extra special - it's a wonderful collection memories of traveling "The Mother Road", as done in Easy Rider. More graffiti than I remember. I hope the 100th Anniversary, in 2026 encourages many to tour Americana. Your video is a great preservation of this historical treasure.

So cool to see the places my Grandparents traveled though as Dutch immigrants in 1936. And to see the town my father in law grew up in, Galena Kansas! Thank you so much for the You Tube Posts.

Super Video, Dankeschön! 🙂 Liebe Grüße aus Deutschland

In the late 60s and early 70s. My father and my mother and I am my youngest brother made several trips across country and made a few visits to Arizona to see my older brother. Seeing those places out in the desert before you get to Arizona brings back a lot of old memories I spent Time there has a 16-year-old maybe 17. But those places some of them I do remember. There’s a lot of cool places in Palm Springs to that were still there now. I really enjoyed traveling with my mother and father and seeing all the sites in the United States, 1971 we ran across country in a motorhome what a blast, I’ve traveled a lot sure miss it. I’m 70 years old now and both of my parents are gone but she knows bring back memories. Thanks so much for such great videos. Have a beautiful day.👍🏼😁❤️ Sure miss those good old days❤️👍😎

I've watched quite a few videos on this subject but thought your coverage of the abandoned places along route 66 was especially wonderful! Great job!

TY for this wonderful video , in 1972 my family moved from Kentucky to San bernardino just off Norton Air Force Base and we took RT.66 on part of that journey and i remember well Fort Courage and man was it full of visitors and vacationers. it was a very busy place,of course F troop was a very popular tv show back in the day. TY soooo much for the return of my childhood memories with my family. Well done Sir, God Bless

This is one of the best video on YouTube! I love the stories behind the scenes! So nostalgic. So entertaining.

Woud be awesome to see some old vintage photos when all these places were thriving..

I love how you don't dwell on stuff, nor exhaust us with history. Simple details... and next. Perfect style for this viewer. 👍

Best on you tube a must watch

Excelente recorrido mi amigo. La fama de la ruta 66 trasciende fronteras y hasta por aquí soñamos con viajar por ella una vez en la vida al menos. Pregunta; es todo o falta otra parte? Desde ya muy agradecido por el video. Lo he disfrutado mucho. Saludos !!!!🇦🇷