About the Author

Drew Knowles is a photographer and writer with an insatiable interest in ruins, ghost towns, cemeteries, automobilia, and Route 66. Knowles has contributed articles to the National Historic Route 66 Federation News, and is a member of the Texas Photographic Society, the Society for Commercial Archaeology, and the Garland County (Arkansas) Historical Society. He is the author of Route 66 Quick Reference Encyclopedia.

Reviews

“I thought I knew just about everything there was to know about Route 66, and then along comes Drew Knowles and his Route 66 Adventure Handbook. If you want to tap into a wealth of useful and fascinating Route 66 knowledge, you need to buy this book. The good news is Drew has made it as delicious as a blue plate special. Don’t be caught without a copy in your glove box. This book is essential for every bona fide Road Warrior.”
—Michael Wallis, author of Route 66: The Mother Road

“An uncommonly detailed and helpful handbook to guide drivers exploring unmarked stretches of the fabled U.S. Highway 66. . . . It definitely belongs in the library of every Route 66 fan. It also belongs in the glove box when armchair travelers take to the road.”
—Mary Kate Tripp, book editor, Amarillo Globe-News

"Reading this book is like downing five energy drinks. It's exhilarating, like flooring the pedal someplace between Kingman and Seligman, Arizona. So fast and frequent are the Mother Road highlights, you can hardly keep up with the pace. No wonder the author, Drew Knowles, calls it the 'high-octane' edition. It'll leave you breathless—and ready to drop the top and roll."
—American Road magazine

“Drew Knowles has written a Route 66 travel guide for those with a sense of adventure. He makes the reader want to be a detective. The commentary about sights to see along the way is particularly helpful.”
—Tom Teague, executive director, Illinois State Historical Society

“Drew Knowles has crafted a much-needed addition to the literature of the Mother Road. In the Route 66 Adventure Handbook, he takes us on a complete tour of lesser-known but fascinating icons and attractions, from one end of the great highway to the other. Add to the mix a strong flavor of historical facts and anecdotes, and it becomes a book no 66er should be without.”
—Jim Ross, author of Oklahoma Route 66

“If you read and use this guide, there is a very good chance you will change your attitude towards motoring. Rather than simply driving to a location, your trip will become the destination.”
—David Knudson, executive director, National Historic Route 66 Federation

“There are a few reasons to buy a book: to add to your collection, to read, and/or to use. The Route 66 Adventure Handbook fills all three categories. Whereas a map shows you how to get from one place to another, this book tells you why you want to go from place to place. It is just as important in planning a trip as any map—maybe more so.”
—James M. Conkle, executive director, California Route 66 Preservation Foundation

“Just when you think you know all there is to know about the most famous roadway in America, along comes this expanded edition of Drew Knowles’s phenomenal guidebook with more offbeat attractions, a host of vintage motels and cafés, and a plethora of fascinating historical (and apocryphal) anecdotes. His guidebook makes a great read, whether or not you have ever put your pedal to the metal.”
—Newsday

“For those who dream of traveling this steeped-in-romance, two-lane byway, Knowles’s opus will provide a good overview of what is there. . . . The author’s collection of black-and-white photographs is excellent, and the well-chosen typeface means a passenger can easily read the book aloud while traveling. Route 66 Adventure Handbook is part road guide, part history lesson, and part cultural exploration. . . . For the price, this book is an outstanding value and a terrific resource for anyone interested in Route 66, whether traveling by car, RV, motorcycle, or armchair.”
—RoadTripAmerica.com

“If seeing Cars has gotten you yearning for a journey down America’s highway, then the new expanded edition of Drew Knowles’s Route 66 Adventure Handbook is your perfect guide, detailing the roadside attractions, motels, eateries, and natural wonders that will make your trip one to remember.”
—QuickStopEntertainment.com

“After I saw Cars, I toyed with the idea of doing a road trip on Route 66, as it was so wonderfully depicted in the movie. Then I realized we don’t have a vehicle that could even get us as far as Barstow. But then, the next best thing arrived on my desk: Route 66 Adventure Handbook, the updated and expanded edition, by Drew Knowles. Organized in an easy-to-read way, the writing is fun and informative. I had no idea, for instance, that Route 66—once the main road going from Chicago to Los Angeles—was replaced by five modern highways.”
—Contra Costa Times

“The release of the movie Cars has certainly increased interest in Route 66, the classic ‘Mother Road’ pre-Interstate highway that stretched from Chicago to Los Angeles. Though the road no longer officially exists in the U.S. highway lexicon, many of the tourist sights, motels, and roadside diners along the way have been preserved. Knowles’s fifth edition offers insights into offbeat roadside attractions, vintage motels and cafés, natural wonders, and quirky side trips. The book covers a town-by-town description of Route 66 in Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, as well as the history of the road and how to find it in places where it might have disappeared. Don’t expect to find the Cars town of Radiator Springs, however. It is a fictional amalgamation of many Route 66 places.”
—Salt Lake Tribune