"Route 66, The People-The Places-The Dream"

Jay Leno with Sal Santoro and Bob Walton

Summer is the time for travel, and U.S. Highway 66, popularly known as Route 66 or the Mother Road, is a magnet for travelers wishing to explore America's heartland, from the shores of Lake Michigan to the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica. Bob Walton and Sal Santoro felt the pull and took to the road in Bob's 1968 DeVille convertible. On Wednesday, July 16 at 7:00 pm, Mr. Walton will present a slide show and talk at Bernardsville Public Library on the trip and the resulting book which recounts their journey, "Route 66, The People-The Places-The Dream” (2012). The book became a Jay Leno Book Club selection.

Mr. Walton, a retired Bergenfield teacher who resides in Wyckoff, will chronicle the 38-day, coast-to-coast road trip--a round-trip odyssey that covered 7,292 miles including all of historic Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles. The two good friends had always had many things in common, not the least of which was a lifelong desire to travel Route 66, the legendary roadway. Mr. Walton says that both were admirers and collectors of classic Cadillacs, and they really wanted to make the trip in a vintage Caddy. We “talked about it for years, researched, prepared [my] red 1968 DeVille convertible, planned and then planned some more,” he says. When the time was right, they set off on their odyssey across America. "Route 66, The People-The Places-The Dream" tells the story of this once-in-a-lifetime adventure. Through their book, which contains over 500 color photographs, readers meet the many unique characters along Route 66 and enjoy the iconic sights of “The Mother Road” as well as the natural beauty of America. 

In 2012, Jay Leno invited the two authors to Burbank, California to visit his spectacular car collection and be interviewed about their book, which he then selected for his book club. Paul Taylor of “Route 66 Magazine” called it “a photojournalistic achievement,” and “MotorWeek Television” classified it a “must read.”

There is no charge to attend the library workshop, but advance registration is requested. Click here to sign up, or call the library at 908-766-0118 to sign up.