The Mother Road Parade

 

On Saturday, my kidlets and I attended the Route 66 Edgewood Parade. I hope you enjoy my photo journal and feel as if you were right there with us as we enjoyed the parade. Over the last year the town of Edgewood has done a great job renovating and beautifying their section of Route 66. This was one of the reasons for the parade and celebration.
The event also celebrated Route 66 heritage and Edgewood’s 10th Anniversary as an incorporated town.

Officially, the numerical designation 66 was assigned for the Chicago-to-Los Angeles route in 1926.

From the outset, public road planners intended U.S. 66 to connect the main streets of rural and urban communities along its course because most small towns had no access to a major national thoroughfare. Edgewood is only 5 miles from our house and is our closest town with major services, so we do most of our shopping there. We like the small town feel, the beautiful views, access to Interstate 40, and the friendly folks.

In his famous social commentary, The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck proclaimed U.S. Highway 66 as the "Mother Road." Steinbeck's classic 1939 novel, combined with the 1940 film recreation of the epic odyssey, served to immortalize Route 66 in the American consciousness.

Moriarty, east of Edgewood, is the next closest town, and has Route 66 rolling straight through their town. My daughter, Jenna plays T-Ball in Moriarty, and we buy most of our hay there, too, so we spend some time in their utilitarian, high-plains town quite often. 

 

An estimated 210,000 people migrated to California to escape the despair of the Dust Bowl. Certainly in the minds of those who endured that particularly painful experience, and in the view of generations of children to whom they recounted their story, Route 66 symbolized the "road to opportunity."

Bobby Troup, former pianist with the Tommy Dorsey band and ex-Marine captain, penned a lyrical road map of the now famous cross-country road in which the words, "get your kicks on Route 66" became a catch phrase for countless motorists who moved back and forth between Chicago and the Pacific Coast. The popular recording was released in 1946 by Nat King Cole one week after Troup's arrival in Los Angeles.

In the mid-1950's, mass federal sponsorship for an interstate system of divided highways markedly increased with Dwight D. Eisenhower's second term in the White House. General Eisenhower had returned from Germany very impressed by the strategic value of Hitler's Autobahn.

The congressional response to the president's commitment was the passage of the Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956, which provided a comprehensive financial umbrella to underwrite the cost of the national interstate highway system.

We love the Single Action Shooting Society! The Founders Ranch is located just a few miles down the road from us and they have a few events every year that are open to the public, including mounted shooting.

The SASS folks in the wagon shot off one of their guns, and the spotted horse wasn’t very comfortable with that at all. Made me kind of nervous for the girl on it’s back.

It may have been this horse’s first parade, as it was spooky about many of the loud noises and people along the route. The young lady held tough, though and they got through it safely.

By 1970, nearly all segments of original Route 66 were bypassed by a modern four-lane highway.

Those girls at the right in this photo are my Physical Therapist’s riding students, and those are her horses. The second young horse being ponied, with the white face, is that very special filly, Holly, who was rescued by Walkin' N Circles Ranch Horse Rescue (scroll to the bottom of the ranch’s website page to see pics of little Holly) when she was just a brand new foal, and was attacked by dogs and left for dead by the uncaring owners.

In many respects, the physical remains of Route 66 mirror the evolution of highway development in the United States from a rudimentary hodge-podge of state and country roads to a federally subsidized complex of uniform, well-designed interstate expressways.

Various alignments of the legendary road, many of which are still detectable, illustrate the evolution of road engineering from coexistence with the surrounding landscape to domination of it.

Route 66 symbolized the renewed spirit of optimism that pervaded the country after economic catastrophe and global war.

Often called, "The Main Street of America", it linked a remote and under-populated region with two vital 20th century cities - Chicago and Los Angeles.

The outdated, poorly maintained vestiges of U.S. Highway 66 completely succumbed to the interstate system in October 1984 when the final section of the original road was bypassed by Interstate 40 at Williams, Arizona.

Route 66 travels through eight states: Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.

The original road is still 85% driveable in an ordinary car.

This is the Wildlife West wagon, which is used at our closest little zoo, where we have a family membership and like to visit quite often because of the hiking trails and the animals. All of the animals are indigenous to New Mexico and have been rescued or been injured and can’t return to the wild.

Such lovely mules!

Such a cute little burrito!

I loved the huge smile on this lady driving these handsome donkeys.

These folks were a little bit bizarre, but lots of fun.

And their horses were amazingly calm and obedient.

Don’t forget to read this summer.

My kidlets came home with loads of candy that was thrown to them during the parade.

And Jax made a new friend and is now thinking about becoming a clown. Clowns have always kind of given me the creeps. but Jax could change my feelings about them, for sure!

Come visit New Mexico, the Land of Enchantment!

But don’t forget about fire safety. Smokey says, “Say ‘No’ to forest fires!

And if you get hurt or lost, the Mounted Search and Rescue Team is there to help. That's Theresa on her Lipizzaner/Hungarian Warmblood, Zeema!

Yep. That’s a Clydesdale. Isn’t he gorgeous?!

“Nah, Nah! My horse is bigger than yours.”

“My Clydesdale can kick your little black grade horse and OTTB Appendix horses’ tails. Hah!”

The Littlest to the Biggest. 

As you can probably see, I really enjoyed this trio, and especially that handsome Clydesdale, Prince. I also enjoyed meeting them. They were such friendly guys and their exceptionally wonderful horses were just as friendly, too.

 

Thanks for having a look at my photos and enjoying the Route 66 Edgewood Parade with me.