Nope, screen name has nothing to do with Route 66.
But I’ve always been keen on roadside americana. Used to travel endlessly on state highways in the 80s/90s, and would shoot photos of old buildings and signage along the highways. Semi-collected old postcards of such things as well.
Whenever I travel back to places I shot photos of back then, I notice that 95% of what I took is now gone. All the old individualistic country stores, gas stations, restaurants, etc. Very little left.
I’ve done the same thing over the years. I see these old “gas stations” and think about how it used to be. I remember walking 4 miles to a store to get a “coke”. We appreciated “treats” a lot more back then.
As I get older I realize that Walmarts, good cars and good highways weren’t necessarily good for the country. All the little towns started dying when a thirty mile trip to go shopping got to be a nice, comfortable drive. And the savings paid for the gas.