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Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66


Timmyjoe

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Over the last 15 years I’ve spent a total of 24 days driving over 7500 miles up and down the Mother Road with a Leica rangefinder, trying to capture images of a history that is fast disappearing. Originally intended for a photo book, the total number of images (and the information about each) made it cost prohibitive to publish. Wanting to share the information with other Route 66-o-philes, I decided to create a photo vlog on YouTube.

You can view the collection of episodes here:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCXUEGkPfNGzIKpbOn4U9uJQ

Starting in Chicago, and breaking them down in bite size pieces, I’ll be posting one or more episodes each week until we reach Los Angeles. I hope you enjoy.

Best, -Tim

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Episode #1 Starts us off in Chicago and heads thru the Windy City.

Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode #1

Best, -Tim

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Episode #2 We hit the first two small towns on the Mother Road.

Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode #2

Best, -Tim

 

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Episode #3 We travel to Towanda Illinois and discuss the alignment changes that were designed to make the road safer.

Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode #3

Best, -Tim

 

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Episode #4 We make it to Springfield and look at things that have come and gone on the Mother Road.

Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode #4

Best, -Tim

 

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Over the 15 year period, the cameras taken on the Mother Road have been a Leica M6TTL, Leica M3-DS, Leica M3-SS, Digital Leica M-E, and Barnack Leica IIIf. Lots of Tri-X, a fair bit of Ektar 100, and recently some of the newly formulated Ektachrome. Enjoy.

Best, -Tim

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This is a great treat. Traveled this historic  road many times since 1952. The last time leaving Chicago on my 66th Birthday (many years ago) I was disappointed by the changes but delighted with the treasures that remain. Looking forward to  your whole series. Thanks for posting.

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Great series  you brought back memories of the past that all who  have traveled  on 66 will  appreciate. . Those were the good old days when traveling was an experience. Today you get on a freeway  that will take you there but  something is missing, the excitement of an adventure. Thank you so  much for sharing.

Hank

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3 hours ago, war said:

This is a great treat. Traveled this historic  road many times since 1952. The last time leaving Chicago on my 66th Birthday (many years ago) I was disappointed by the changes but delighted with the treasures that remain. Looking forward to  your whole series. Thanks for posting.

Thank You war, Appreciate it.

Best,-Tim

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3 hours ago, Henry Taylor said:

Great series  you brought back memories of the past that all who  have traveled  on 66 will  appreciate. . Those were the good old days when traveling was an experience. Today you get on a freeway  that will take you there but  something is missing, the excitement of an adventure. Thank you so  much for sharing.

Hank

Thanks Hank. I agree, the freeways will get you there quicker, but it takes away from the adventure of the journey.

Best, -Tim

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Terrific photos and a most worthy project.  My first experience on 66 started at its end in LA and finished at its start in Chicago.  My best friend and I spent the summer of '64 driving around North America, singing for our supper (we both lost weight).  That was during university.  Eight years later, after I had left the Air Force, he was riding the back seat of an F4 over the Ho Chi Minh Trail in Laos when he was shot down.  I still miss him dearly, and share memories of him with his younger daughter who was 3 when he died. Both daughters are amazing, high achieving, completely admirable people.

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Thanks for the kind words Stuart, and thanks for sharing your experience on the Mother Road. Sad to hear about your best friend.

For me, trying to hold on to, and share memories of friends and family lost, has had a big influence on my photography. This project stems from my fascination with the old US highway system, the US Routes. My Dad, from the time he got home in 1951 from fighting in the Marines in Korea, until his untimely death in 1969, was a traveling salesman, driving up and down these US Routes, staying in these motels, eating at these diners, filling up at these gas stations. I think my connection with US 66, US 14, and some of the others, is an attempt to connect with what he experienced and what he saw. 

 

Best, -Tim

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Enjoyed both your story about your dad as a salesmen and flyer  and yours Stu  about losing your friend over Laos.   By the way were you a flyer yourself Stuart? 

I remember old 66 when I was in the marine corp  and hitch hiked from  LA to  Chicago  and back. Then I didn't have enough money to  even take the bus. Frankly, I wouldn't  had down it any different. Met a lot of nice people along the way.

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Henry -

We were so low on money when we got near the entrance to Grand Canyon National Park that we skipped it, though we got a warm welcome at Mother Blues in Chicago, financing the rest of the trip home.

I was in SAC most of the time, stationed at Grand Forks AFB, ND, where between our feared wing commander and the brutal winters, a number of us volunteered for Vietnam.

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The latest episode of Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66 has just been posted. 

We travel from Springfield to Litchfield, Illinois, and look at how individual families, many of them immigrants, built what we think of as the Mother Road. And we’ll also see some pretty cool neon.
Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode #5

Best, -Tim

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The lastest episode of Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66 has just been posted. 

In this short episode we travel the remainder of Route 66 in Illinois till we reach the Mississippi River, stopping at a few places (one of them a hangout of Al Capone), and finally coming to the magnificent Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode #6

I hope you enjoy.

Best,
-Tim

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The lastest episode of Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66 has just been posted. 

We head into Missouri. This episode also coincides with my first acquisition of a Leica M9, so just like in the 1960's when our family TV went from a black & white to "In Living Color", these Route 66 destinations got the full color treatment. (And as a side note, in keeping with this forum's tradition of all things Leica, I even fitted a Leica lens to the video camera that shoots the little opening and closing blips. Though I want to find a way to soften it, as it's a little harsh on this 64 year old face. 🤣🤣🤣)

Also, the Wagon Wheel.

Gems & Hidden Histories on Route 66, Episode 7

I hope you enjoy.

Best,
-Tim

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