Route 66 The People—The Places—The Dreams By Sal Santoro & Bob Walton
Submitted by Admin on
Route 66
The People—The Places—The Dreams
By Sal Santoro & Bob Walton
Review by: Jim Clark (The Hot Rod MD)
This fully illustrated 260-page book is an odyssey on the fulfillment of two retired gearheads life-long dream of driving the “Mother Road” (Route 66) from beginning to end in Bob’s 1968 Cadillac convertible. This included a coast-to coast circuitous route from North Jersey to Santa Monica, CA, covering a total of 7,292 miles.
The two friends are fellow members of the CCNJ (Cadillac Club of North Jersey) and both own a vintage Cadillac. They both have experience as editor of a newsletter and credits for published articles and photography so the book is professional in both the writing and photography. The trip was not taken for the purpose of producing a book though. Rather, for the chance to fulfill a dream trip.
Thousands of photos and extensive notes from their journals kept during the trip provide the reader with the feeling that they are accompanying them on the trip down the “Mother Road”. More than ninety roadside attractions that they visited are highlighted in the copy and with photos plus visits to more than a dozen automotive museums. This information, with names and addresses, would be a valuable resource for anyone contemplating taking a similar trip.
After completing the full navigation of Route 66 they finished their trip at the Cadillac & LaSalle Club “Grand National” convention in Las Vegas, NV before continuing on the home leg of the trip back to New Jersey. While in Vegas they took the opportunity to visit some must-see attractions like Carroll Shelby’s place and an exclusive auto museum. Side trips to Hoover Dam and Red Rock Canyon fulfilled the obligatory tourist stops.
On the way home Bob took the time to visit Zion, Bryce Canyon and Capitol Reef National parks in Southern Utah (my current digs) because it is one of the natural wonders that everyone should see at least once. The remainder of the trip involved cruising the Interstates on the way back home.
Whether you share their dream of making a similar trip or just want to join them as they traveled down iconic Route 66, I believe that you will find this a very interesting and entertaining read.
Route 66: The People—The Places—The Dreams
By Sal Santoro & Bob Walton
Available from: Route66CadillacGuys.com