The State Highway Dept. back in the 1960's took out many of the bridges on the 1921-26 Route 66 for several reasons. Kids used to race cars and trucks up and down the old Route 66 and kill themselves because it's only one lane. The bridges were all one lane and were becoming structurally un-sound, even many of the culverts were. You can tell (if you look hard) the ORIGINAL Route 66 by the tapered CURBS at the edges of the highway. The original "speed limit" on the OLD one-lane Route 66 was only 45 MPH and in cars of that era, that was too fast for safety, really. I took my on-off road cycle from north of Picher, OK to near OKC 20-odd years ago on the original alignment and drove thru creeks and around stuff and took over 250 film images of abandoned buildings, trucks, cars, oil well tank batteries, cemeteries, churches and more. Much of the right-of-way has reverted to private property. Today, you need copies of old County Road Maps to find the original "Mother Road". GPS is of no help because the old maps don't have correct co-ordinates on them (the USGS didn't exist yet), so a 1970's military map reading course is useful with a good lensatic compass and Delorme Gazetteer. If you go playing the backroads, be VERY careful as not all the "Bridge Out" and "Road Closed" signs are in place, and there are "wash-outs" in the road over a foot deep!!! In places there are trees a foot in diameter in the middle of the road too. Almost every weekend, I used to go "back roading" in NE OK, but honestly, now you do more "back-tracking" up the way you came in than getting back to civilization on them.
You are absolutely right. In some spots it is nearly impossible to find the original road, then if you do, you wonder if you are trespassing or will get shot or something. Thanks for watching, I enjoyed your thoughts.
Excellent and interesting!
Have you explored the Ozark Trail between Miami and Nowata, OK?
@@timhatcher6413 nah, just the route 66 part that veers off the Trail
The State Highway Dept. back in the 1960's took out many of the bridges on the 1921-26 Route 66 for several reasons. Kids used to race cars and trucks up and down the old Route 66 and kill themselves because it's only one lane. The bridges were all one lane and were becoming structurally un-sound, even many of the culverts were. You can tell (if you look hard) the ORIGINAL Route 66 by the tapered CURBS at the edges of the highway. The original "speed limit" on the OLD one-lane Route 66 was only 45 MPH and in cars of that era, that was too fast for safety, really. I took my on-off road cycle from north of Picher, OK to near OKC 20-odd years ago on the original alignment and drove thru creeks and around stuff and took over 250 film images of abandoned buildings, trucks, cars, oil well tank batteries, cemeteries, churches and more. Much of the right-of-way has reverted to private property. Today, you need copies of old County Road Maps to find the original "Mother Road". GPS is of no help because the old maps don't have correct co-ordinates on them (the USGS didn't exist yet), so a 1970's military map reading course is useful with a good lensatic compass and Delorme Gazetteer. If you go playing the backroads, be VERY careful as not all the "Bridge Out" and "Road Closed" signs are in place, and there are "wash-outs" in the road over a foot deep!!! In places there are trees a foot in diameter in the middle of the road too. Almost every weekend, I used to go "back roading" in NE OK, but honestly, now you do more "back-tracking" up the way you came in than getting back to civilization on them.
You are absolutely right. In some spots it is nearly impossible to find the original road, then if you do, you wonder if you are trespassing or will get shot or something. Thanks for watching, I enjoyed your thoughts.
@@Walkercolt1 hi again, i do have my videos of the entire 9 foot ribbon road in oklahoma, real fun ride