RVing Route 66 for the 100 year anniversary
Tips, tricks and adventures for RVers in celebration of Route 66 turning 100
Happy Birthday, Route 66! We speak with Bill Thomas from the Route Centennial Project about some of the best activities and must-see events happening to celebrate the 100 year anniversary of Route 66. From insider tips to must-see events Bill is the go-to guy for tips and tricks to get your kicks on 66!
Other places to hear the podcast
Mentioned on this episode
The Muffler Man Museum in Atlanta, Iowa
We’re now an official part of the Route 66 Centennial Commission
Our guide to traveling Route 66 in your RV
Speaking with Melissa about Adventure Boards - a great place to keep your stickers
If you’re confused about solar, battery power or just want to upgrade your RV we have found the solutions from ABC Upfitters are both reliable and exceptional.
We have a podcast episode and video where you can learn more here.
Automated transcript of StressLess Camping RV podcast episode 345
Tony
We are celebrating a birthday!
Peggy
Happy birthday, Route 66.
Tony
Yeah, we are celebrating the 100-year anniversary, or birthday, of the Mother Road, and we have got a whole series of Route 66-focused episodes, so hopefully you like it[chuckles] as much as we do.
Peggy
I hope so, 'cause you're getting it for the next few weeks.[laughs]
Tony
Yes. We are about to start our Route 66 adventure. Uh, by the time you get this, we will have started our Route 66 adventure.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
And this time, we've got Bill Thomas from the Route 66 Centennial Commission as our guest to kinda give you some of the ups, downs, backs, forths, ins, and outs of this famous highway.
Peggy
We have this week's podcast, along with notes and stories and everything that goes with the podcast, plus tips, tricks, deals, and discounts on our home on the web at stresslesscamping.com. Thank you for joining us. This is episode 345.
Tony
Stressless Camping.
Peggy
Stressless Camping.
Tony
I'm Tony.
Peggy
I'm Peggy.
Tony
We're two RV industry veterans who travel part-time...
Peggy
In one of the three Rockwood Mini Lites seen here.[laughs]
Tony
Looking to share big adventures and help you with great tips-
Peggy
Tricks-
Tony
... and discounts. Why in the wide, wide world of sports are campground rates going uppity, up, up? There was an article over on RV Travel that kinda looked into the number of new amenities and features that are creeping into the campground world, and how it's driving up rates. But is it something you want?
Peggy
I mean, we are pretty good at boondocking and, and camping with no amenities, so, you know, it is kind of nice to go sit in the hot tub, though-
Tony
Yeah, yeah
Peggy
... I gotta say.[chuckles]
Tony
We are at the Palm Springs Joshua Tree KOA, and I love that they have those, uh, mineral baths here. That's an amenity we're willing to pay for, but like, for us, dog parks, no-
Peggy
We don't need that
Tony
... bounce houses, golf courses-
Peggy
Don't need that
Tony
... a lot of these kind of premium amenities, and most of all, uh, something that's costing these RV parks a lot of money is Wi-Fi, and we don't use campground Wi-Fi.
Peggy
We don't use it. It's not necessarily secure, and we have[chuckles] 14 methods of getting our own Wi-Fi.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
So we don't use that. It's not an amenity to us. It's just s- something that costs more that we won't use.
Tony
Yeah. Anyway, we later will ask you what amenities you want in a campground, and what you're willing to pay for, at our fun and friendly Facebook Group, but b- but hold on. We- we'll get there.
Tony
Hold on!
Peggy
In the meantime, let's, uh, remind everybody how much we love sunshine.[chuckles]
Tony
Oh, my gosh, right? Yeah, apologies to all of you who are suffering at the moment. My gosh.
Peggy
It's hard to even fathom that, you know, we're- it's almost 80 degrees[chuckles] here today-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... in the beginning of February. We know that not everyone is having that fantastic weather, but we sure... It does come in handy when we need to get some power from the sun.
Tony
Boy, isn't that the case? And we have- last week, we spent 10 days off the grid, uh, with a bunch of other friends, and there was no hookups at all. The thing that amazed me the most is that our black tank lasted all 10 days.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
The thing that I knew was just gonna work was our solar and lithium power package from ABC Upfitters.
Peggy
Yep, no surprises there.
Tony
No, and they build solar and lithium systems that basically are configured to your specifications and the way you share with them how you want to go camping. And then they use all Mastervolt parts, and they just work.
Peggy
And Bill even did run his air conditioner one day just because he could.[laughs]
Tony
Yep. Yeah, Bill has one.
Peggy
Just to show off-
Tony
Uh
Peggy
... that he h- had too much power.[laughs]
Tony
Yeah, so if that's the way you would like to camp, with a reliable, durable solar and lithium system that just works, give our friends at ABC Upfitters a call at 574-333-3225.
Peggy
That's 574-333-3225. But now, let's get to the meat of the episode.
Tony
Uh-uh.
Peggy
We got to talk to Bill Thomas from the Route 66 Centennial Commission. He's also involved in other Route 66 and various, uh, projects-
Tony
Yes
Peggy
... that we have, uh, secret question, what have we talked to him about before?
Tony
Yeah.
Tony
Do you know, before we get to the end?
Peggy
Do you recognize him? And but he's going to talk to us about Route 66 Centennial.
Tony
So let's go get some kicks-
Peggy
On Route 66. We are very excited today to introduce Bill Thomas, who's the chairman of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership at Route 66 Centennial Commission. Whew, that's a lot of words, Bill.
Peggy
Thank you so much for taking time to s- spend with us today.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
You're very welcome. I'm glad to be with you guys.
Tony
For those who don't know, A, you, you probably haven't been listening to us.
Peggy
Right.[chuckles]
Tony
But, um, this year, 2026, marks the 100-year anniversary of the founding of Route s- or the, you know, creation of Route 66. So there's all kinds of great things happening, including what, uh, Bill is gonna be sharing with us.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Mm-hmm. It's going to be a tremendous year, yes. Um-
Tony
So-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
If you wanna go back, real briefly, the two hats that I wear, one is-
Peggy
Yes
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... chairman of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership.... that is a not-for-profit national organization that advocates on behalf of all eight states through which Route 66 runs. I've been doing that for 10 years now. We have good, we have good lineage, you guys. We were actually stood up back in 2016 as a result of efforts by the National Park Service and the World Monuments Fund.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
So I always-
Tony
Wow
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... like to give them credit, because way back, they were very concerned about making sure that somebody was working to preserve, promote, and develop Route 66, and as a result, our not-for-profit got established. Okay?
Peggy
Okay.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Then the other hat, uh, is I happen to be a commissioner. I was appointed by the president to sit on the US Route 66 Centennial Commission, and we're the ones that have been charged with identifying projects and activities and programs to celebrate this 100th anniversary.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
And from what I've been seeing, there are a lot of things going on, uh, in all the eight states on Route 66, and a lot of work is being done to bring things back or spiff them up as well.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes. That, that's, uh, a shared desire of both our Road Ahead partnership, and when the commission was stood up, it actually developed a strategy statement that I wrote that said, "Hey, folks, we're not just gonna party this year in 2026," though we want to, because it's such a significant anniversary. But-
Peggy
Yeah
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... most importantly, we're going to use this opportunity and the attention that we know the centennial's going to generate in order to do things, projects, activities, that are specifically designed to help all of the people that live, work, and travel along Route 66. And many of those involve preservation attempts and economic development efforts.
Peggy
That's terrific.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah.
Tony
And, and while we're not just partying, there are a lot of centennial celebrations-
Tony
... that seem to be happening, uh, along the route.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah, one of the, one of the biggest, and we're very excited about this, is on April 30th of this year, we'll actually have a national kickoff event, uh, for the centennial. And I, I realize that's four months after January 1st, when the year of the centennial-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... year begins, but that's historically a significant date in Route 66 history. Because on that date in 1926, in Springfield, Missouri, there was a gathering of people who had been working on establishing new US highways, and the folks there were given the opportunity to tell Washington, DC, "Okay, yeah, we'll, we'll go with that number 66 that you want to designate for our road that we're focusing on." So that's the date the telegram went from Springfield, Missouri, to Washington, DC, and as a result, it became Route 66, so...
Peggy
Not just the opening of the road, but the actual naming, and it's, uh-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah
Peggy
... it's official. That's, uh, the name of it.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah.
Peggy
Now you can write the song.[laughing]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes, that's right. That's right. Well, it would've been a much different song if it wasn't 66, wouldn't it?
Peggy
Yeah.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Uh-
Peggy
If you had to rhyme with 3 or something.[laughing]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Uh, I think one of the others in contention was 60. Yeah, no, thank goodness they said, "Nope, we like 66." And Springfield-
Peggy
Well-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... Missouri, to its credit, now leverages that historical fact, because they promote and market themselves as the birthplace of Route 66, legitimately so.
Peggy
Excellent.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah.
Peggy
Okay.
Tony
And Route 66 is unusual because it's both a north-south and an east-west road.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah. Yeah, actually, it's sort of a diagonal entity.
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Yeah.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah, yeah. That's, that... You know what? Nobody has ever really talked with me about that before, but I love that. And it wa- it was... It followed that diagonal path from the northeast, if you will, to the southwest and on out to California, simply because the weather allowed for it to then be an all-weather road, and it didn't have to go through the mountains. Okay? It's-
Peggy
Yeah.
Tony
Okay
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... bam.
Peggy
So a lot more thought went into this than just, "Hey, I wanna get to Chicag- or to LA as quickly as I can." We are from the Southern California area, so-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, okay
Peggy
... we always, we automatically think it backwards in our minds.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Right.
Peggy
We're always going to Chicago instead of[laughing] from-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Right.
Tony
Right.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Right. Well, in my mind, there is no right way to go on 66.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
The only right thing is to go on 66.
Peggy
That's right.
Tony
Absolutely. And there's, uh, what surprises me every time I go are the combination of really neat, well-restored historical aspects, but then the new, I'll call them tribute pieces, like Pop's Soda Ranch or-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes
Tony
... great, I can't think of any-
Peggy
A lot of museums, and-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes.
Tony
A lot of museums-
Peggy
Yeah. Yeah
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah.
Tony
And every town, I think, has a muse-[laughing] museum.[laughing]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yep. Yep, there are a number of them. And you know what? I, I really appreciate you mentioning that, because what all that means and demonstrates to me is that Route 66 is simply continuing to do the job it was designed to do from 1926, and that was to help towns grow.... primarily back in '26, it was to connect small rural communities to larger markets.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Uh, and, you know, I don't wanna get too far into the weeds on you, but a lot of people approach 66 from this nostalgic frame of mind, and, "Oh-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Mm-hmm
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... let's look at it through the past." Okay, that's good, yeah, because I'm a historian by trade, and I love that and respect it, but I also... Route 66 from day one has been about the future, you guys.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Mm.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
It was about the future of developing these towns and a new way of traveling across the country. So that's the way I like to look at it, and when I see things develop, like pops or all these museums or many, many other small businesses and attractions, hey, it's just doing what it was supposed to do, and that's what we wanna help it continue to do.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
That's fantastic.
Tony
Now, what specifically is the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership? Tell me a little more about that.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah, it is, it is a, a dedicated, uh, not-for-profit organization that consists of, uh... You can have up to two representatives from each of the Route 66 states on my board, and we have a, a, a mission that is very similar to the strategy statement I helped write for the Centennial Commission. And our primary focus is on preserving the road, promoting it, ensuring that there's good research and education being done associated with it, and promoting economic development all across it.
Tony
Something that I see a lot on social... 'Cause as you know, there are all kinds of Route 66 Facebook groups and other-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Right
Tony
... social media presence, uh, Reddits and all that. Um, a, a lot of people seem to be interested now in Route 66 more than ever, and they're like, "Well, where do I find resources for traveling the route or things that I have to see or do?" Um, is there a single best resource for finding these things?
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
No, there really is not one single source. There are multiple sources. Um, in terms of traveling the road and finding where all of the different alignments are, 'cause, you know, it's not, as you know, it's not just one road.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Right.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Over the decades, there were many different alignments. There's a really well-written book by Jerry McClanahan called the Route 66 Easy Guide, if you want something-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Mm-hmm
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... physical that you can hold. Um, and then there's a really, really good- there are a couple different navigation apps, GPS-based navigation apps you can get. In my opinion, the one that is simply called Route 66 Navigation App, okay?
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Is... Yeah, they tried to keep it simple. Uh, it's-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah.[laughs]
Tony
That's good.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
And then I'm very happy to report, it has been such fun working with folks that reached out to us and wanted to be part of the centennial. You know our good friends at Rand McNally, the map people?
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Mm-hmm.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Okay. They are actually releasing here in a few weeks a brand-new 24-inch by 36-inch old-fashioned foldable road map-
Tony
Oh, man
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... of Route 66 in honor of the centennial, and I'm just thrilled-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, I love that
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... that that's gonna come out.
Tony
Oh, that's fantastic.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
They just released their 2026 atlas, which they do every year, and it's dedicated to 66 also. But to have-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... a standalone, you know... You know those maps that we all struggled with, trying to unfold and fold?[laughing]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, yeah.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Well, you're gonna be given that opportunity all over again.[laughs]
Tony
All right.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, fantastic.
Tony
Well, I mean, that's not only a, a, a resource, but it's also a souvenir.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah, it adds to the-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... nostalgia, actually-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... holding that map open and finding where you are and[laughs]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yeah. Yeah, that's one of the primary reasons they did it. They saw the benefit of being connected with the centennial, and we were very happy to work with them.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, I love that.
Tony
Where, where would we get one of those?
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, they'll be selling those at truck stops across the nation.
Tony
Okay.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes, and then you can go to the-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Every m- every museum in every town.[laughing]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
But seriously, if anybody wants to buy wholesale versions, send them my way, and I can connect you with[laughing] the folks at McNally.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
But yeah, the... And you can go online and buy them, too, so.
Tony
There are a lot of cool... I've seen most recently, a lot of... Well, not a lot, but several collections of vintage neon signs placed and illuminated in parks.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes. Yes, that's a- you know, Tony, that's a really interesting endeavor, and I'll sort of go through the thing we most want to see, and then, okay, if we can't do that, okay, well then, let's do this. What we all most want to see are vintage neon signs... Well, first, no, I'm gonna back up. We wanna see new ones. We wanna see new ones all across Route 66 because that's such a trademark of the road, and the state of Oklahoma and Tulsa in particular have done a magnificent job with making grant funds available to help develop brand-new neon signs in that city.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Anyway, so that's the first goal. Then, if there are original ones, we wanna see them restored-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Mm
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... in place.... so that historically-
Tony
Yeah
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
- they're where they always were, and they work. If, for whatever reason, that isn't possible, there have been several initiatives across the road to develop, quote-unquote, "neon sign parks," where they are at least saved, even if it's not on site, but they're brought back to life, and the public can still enjoy them. Yeah.
Tony
Well, I-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
What we want to avoid is having them lost or destroyed completely, so.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Right.
Tony
Speaking of Tulsa, you bring to mind the Meadow Gold sign-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh.
Tony
- which I guess-
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, yeah
Tony
... is restored in place, even though everything around it is sort of newer.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
And talk about a magnificent project. I mean, that sign is just amazing. Yeah.
Tony
It's... And, and I'm gonna, uh, lump Mary Beth Babcock in with that, and her, uh, giants that she now has four of, I think?
Peggy
Yeah.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yep. Yeah, Mary Beth is doing a fantastic job, along with a lot of other people, and, you know, it's, again, it's what Route 66 has always been. "Well, this new road goes through my community. What can I do to get people to stop and support my business or attraction?" Well, Mary Beth is-
Peggy
Yeah
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... sure figuring it out big time.
Tony
Yes,[chuckles] she has.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Literally big time.[chuckles]
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
So I spent a little bit of time, not nearly enough time, but on the route66centennial.org website. Um, there is a lot there to see. I got a lot more[chuckles] to read, but I noticed that they do have a blog page, and then there's a calendar of events, and you can either look at the entire calendar, or you can look at the calendar by state. Uh, I found out just yesterday there's a speaker series in Albuquerque, which is where we're from, and o- well, I, I'm afraid we would've missed it if I hadn't been browsing around on your website, um, and found out that there's this speaker series all over, you know, like, kind of once a month all over the Albuquerque area.
Peggy
Um, I also saw a virtual speaker series, so it's really, I think, a fantastic resource for people who want to find out what's going on, and maybe see if they're within any kind of driving distance of any part of Route 66. Maybe they want to make the plan to go there when some kind of celebration event is happening.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Well, I'm so glad to hear you say that you found it helpful, because our goal in designing and launching that site was to literally make it a one-stop resource for folks wanting to know more about the centennial, and equally as important, to find out how they can participate in the centennial. So yeah, and I wanna clarify, it's route66centennial.org, and the word "route" is spelled out, R-O-U-T-E 66-
Peggy
Yes
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... centennial.org. So yeah, you can go there, and as you just said, there's a fabulous calendar that gives you several different ways to look at events. You can look at every single event that's been added in sequential date order, or you can look at them on a state-by-state basis for only what's happening in, say, Missouri or Texas or whatever. And then we also have an events archive, because we thought it was important to show people, "Okay, here's what's been happening, uh, for the centennial from the beginning, from when we first launched this calendar."
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
So we-
Peggy
We didn't just start on January 1st.[laughs]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
No, no, no, no, it started last year. I think we launched in April or May. So... And as important, there's a link underneath the calendar menu item in the top banner that says, "Submit your event." So anybody-
Peggy
Yes
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... who has an event that is happening, uh, during the centennial year can fill out a very simple one-page application, and we'll put it up for you in your state. You can also-
Tony
That's fantastic
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... um, participate. There's a, a link in the top banner named that, and if you go to that link, you can sign up and become a, quote-unquote, "member" of the centennial. There are three different levels, one of which is free. That'll s- uh, automatically let you start receiving the monthly Route 66 Centennial Newsletter. I hope you did that. Or if you want to pay for the-
Peggy
I did all that yesterday
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
... paid memberships, yeah.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
You get some nice special perks. You can shop for, uh, centennial merchandise. You can look at the past newsletters. Here's one of my favorite things, you guys, that we did as the Centennial Commission. We have, uh, designated, like, 50-plus activities and projects as official Route 66 centennial activities, and they're national or multi-state in scope. But we recognized, you know, everybody across the road, in their particular town or the organization they represent, they're gonna be doing something special, so let's recognize them, too, even if they're not a national program or multi-state.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
So under the Participate link in the dropdown menu, it says, "Certify a centennial project or event." Again, you can fill out a simple one-page, uh, application. If your event is approved, and it just needs to support the centennial or be aligned with it somehow, then you're going to get what... And we're all old enough to remember this, you're gonna get a sort of Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval. Okay, remember that?
Peggy
Mm.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
And it's a, it's a emblem that we call our Certified Emblem. It's based on the Route 66 centennial logo, and you can use that to promote the heck out of your event, and you'll get listed on the centennial website with all the other-... certified projects. So I just love that, because it lets everybody play.
Peggy
I love it.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Yeah, I put our application in yesterday for our[laughs]
Tony
So we're bringing a bunch of fellow RVers along Route 66, but we're gonna go backwards. We're gonna go from Santa Monica to Albuquerque, and then-
Peggy
The first half-
Tony
Yeah
Peggy
... we're going backwards, and then we're gonna go, a little bit later in the year, we'll go up, because we have some things to do in Indiana, then we'll go-
Tony
Okay
Peggy
... from Chicago back down to Albuquerque. So we're gonna do it from each end, both times towards-
Tony
Well
Peggy
... to the middle.[laughs]
Tony
Well, we really appreciate what you're doing, and how inclusive it is of organizations and individuals of all sizes, and just so happy to be a tiny little part of celebrating the 100th anniversary of the Mother Road.
Peggy
Absolutely.
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Yes, well, we appreciate your support, too, very much. Thank you.
Peggy
And thank you again for taking the time to speak with us. We hope that our paths might cross at some point on the route, and we wish you and your Route 66 a happy birthday.[laughs]
Bill Thomas - Route 66 Centennial Commission
Oh, thank you. Appreciate that. Safe travels to you guys.
Tony
Well, thank you, and great meeting you here. Well, something that you're probably going to be picking up if you are getting your kicks on Route 66 are stickers.
Peggy
Stickers are a fantastic way to memorialize your memories,[laughs] your... the things that you've done, and, you know, have a memory of all the- s- tell the stories of all the things that you've been to, and things that you've seen, and things that you've done. And Adventure Boards from Rivet Supply Company are super terrific. The quality is fantastic. We now have the US map, that I finally got around to putting the states where we've actually visited.
Tony
Yeah.
Peggy
Uh, the story of that is if you see a picture of- on the state, that means we've been with this travel trailer, and if you see the name of a state, we have to go back, because it was a previous Mini-Lite that we visited with.
Tony
Yeah, so those are our rules. Everybody has their own rules-
Peggy
Right, everyone has their own rules
Tony
... for those state maps.
Peggy
And then the Adventure Board, I'm just... You know, I have so many stickers to put on, and I can't decide which, and where, and how, and, and how many more are we gonna get on Route 66? It's almost overwhelming, but you know what? If I fill it up, we'll just get another one.
Peggy
It's on the wall with Velcro. We can take it off, move it in the house, and start a new board.
Tony
That's true, and so we spoke with Melissa from, uh, Rivet Supply Company, and they make the Adventure Boards, made in the USA. You can check out our interview with Melissa from Adventure Boards in podcast episode 333.
Peggy
Well, as Tony hinted earlier, we have a question for you this week.
Tony
Campgrounds are adding amenities and raising prices, but what amenities are you willing to pay for, and which ones do you think are just not worth it? You can answer that question at our fun and friendly... at our fun and friendly Stress Less Campers Facebook group.
Peggy
Phew, that's words.
Tony
Uh-huh.
Peggy
And not as many words as it used to be, but it's still a lot of words.
Tony
Oh, my gosh, that's true.
Peggy
So our fun and friendly Stress Less Camper... Now, fun and friendly is not part of the name.
Tony
No.
Peggy
Just to be clear, go to Facebook, look up Stress Less Campers, and that is our Facebook group, where we welcome you to answer questions, ask questions, intermingle, show pictures of your campouts, cry 'cause you can't go camping yet.
Peggy
Whatever it is you wanna do, it's just a fun group of friendly campers who wanna hang out together.
Tony
Yep, that's the fact, Jack. Well, that's what we have for you this week. Don't forget to like, share, and subscribe. The best way you can support the Stress Less Camping Podcast is by telling your friends or sharing, you know, social, if we have answered a question that you think people have, share that episode or anything off our website. But with that, we really appreciate your being here with us again for episode 345.
Peggy
Phew.
Tony
Hopefully, you're getting your kicks, and most of all, stress less camping.
Peggy
Stress less camping.
Mark Ferrell
We hope you learned a lot, and had some fun, and got some tips for your next stress-less camping adventure. We're honored by your reviews on Apple Podcasts, which helps others find us, too. Don't forget to subscribe, so you won't miss out on the adventure, and we look forward to your joining us next week. Until then, happy camping![upbeat music]
