A psychologist and his friends embarked on a 12-day journey along Route 66 in classic cars, collecting signatures and memories to honor the highway’s 100th anniversary.
As Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary, a psychologist and his friends took a 12-day journey in classic cars, turning their adventure into a rolling tribute to the iconic highway.
“I always take the shortcut. I always rush home. And this time, I’m choosing to do a difficult thing and take the long way,” said Blake Brisbois, a psychologist and lifelong car enthusiast.
After losing both of his parents early in life, Brisbois found community through his love of cars.
“Cars became one of the ways that I developed friendships and had something that I could work on and see the physical change,” he said.
Inspired by the TV show “Top Gear” and his son’s love of the Pixar movie *Cars*, Brisbois and his friends planned their own Route 66 challenge.
“We were like, ‘Okay, buy a car for cheap, and let’s drive it, like, 2,000 miles, where it may not make it,'” Brisbois said.
Brisbois and his friend Craig purchased two 1965 classic cars and revealed them to each other in St. Louis. At Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, a man recognized them from their website, sparking an idea for Craig.
“He went next door and got a Sharpie and was like, ‘You gotta sign our trunks,'” Brisbois said.
The cars became rolling records of their journey to Los Angeles, with signatures from people they met along the way. Some of the most memorable encounters happened in Tucumcari, New Mexico.
“In Tucumcari, it’s almost like the closest thing to time travel. We were in 1960s cars. These towns were—you could tell they were thriving in those periods,” Brisbois said.
After visiting the Odeon Theatre, the group made a chance stop at Lionel’s Barbershop, where they met 86-year-old Lionel Martinez.
“He’s 86 years old, and he remembers when he was one of many barbers, and he was part of a barbershop that was very busy,” Brisbois said.
Martinez shared his memories of Tucumcari and added his name to the car.
“He signed my trunk, and I helped him shuffle and walk on the curb,” Brisbois said.
At the Blue Swallow Motel, Brisbois experienced history preserved.
“It felt original and old, but not in a rundown way. It was kept up. They had pride in that. They had the rotary telephones that still worked,” he said.
For Brisbois, Tucumcari highlighted both what Route 66 has lost and what its communities are fighting to save. By the time the group reached Los Angeles, more than 40 signatures adorned his car’s trunk—memories he might have missed had he rushed home.
“Tomorrow’s not guaranteed. And the things that we end up saying, ‘Oh, I’ll do that one day’—that one day may never come unless you commit to doing it,” Brisbois said.
As Route 66 turns 100, Brisbois hopes his journey inspires others to take the long way home and embrace the memories waiting to be made along the way. To see their full journey click here.
