The Mother Road

 Growing up in the suburbs of Chicago very near to the beginning of the venerable Route 66, I was always aware of its storied history.  And now in the final stretch of my life, I am drawn back to the history and the cultural significance of the famous road.  Established in 1926, Route 66 ran from downtown Chicago to Santa Monica, California, a total (in original form) of 2,448 miles.  For years, it's been my dream to take a long, slow, deliberate drive down what remains of Route 66 today.  Call it one of my "bucket list" items. I've studied the route via tour books and a plethora of online references, and in a way I feel like I've travelled it already.  But one day, probably after retirement, I hope to take an RV of some sort and cover the mother road, and in doing so, see a sizable part of this vast country.

As the trip at this point only exists in daydreams, I've already selected my choice RV for the journey.  A Bowlus Volterra camper trailer.  These unique trailers have their roots in an original 1934 design by Hawley Bowlus, a former airplane designer who was involved in the design of Charles Lindburg's Spirit of St. Louis.  The modern company was re-established in 2014 and uses design cues from the original trailer designs.  What attracts me is the combination of old-school design and leading edge high tech equipment.  The Volterra is an all-electric design with astonishing battery technology that allows long term off-grid living, even while using energy hungry devices like air conditioning.  All in a beautiful, striking, compact and lightweight package.  So in my dream journey along historic Route 66, I will live in a historic camping trailer.  In my dreams, anyway.  In reality, a Bowlus Volterra costs nearly $400,000, far more than my large, comfortable (but unmovable) house.  Still, one can dream.