One of the biggest things that kept Route 66 in the public imagination over the last few decades was the 2006 Disney/Pixar movie Cars. While it obviously wasn’t a true story, it did tell people what really happened to town after town when roads like I-40 replaced Route 66.
What you might not know is that the crew of Cars took a real trip down Route 66 to gather inspiration before making the movie. While much of the scenery was inspired by sights in New Mexico and Arizona, some big characters and stories came from Oklahoma and the little corner of Kansas that Route 66 went through.
Leaving OKC
My last post ended with us pulling into Oklahoma City with 4% battery after pushing the truck and trailer through some big thunderstorms that produced some tornadoes. The next morning, the battery was full, we were well-rested, and we were ready to continue on I-44, a highway I hadn’t been on before.
This was my first experience driving a turnpike. On all of my other travels, I’ve been accustomed to no frills rest areas. On western and southern highways, there’s a place to go to the bathroom, some truck parking, and maybe a vending machine. In some places, it’s just a place to park (truckers often leave bottles of pee in such places because as they say, when you gotta go, you gotta go!).
It was a pleasant surprise to find not only some bathrooms, but restaurants and fuel for sale at a turnpike rest area. At the one I stopped at, there was even a charging station! While everyone ran in for a snack, I angled the truck and trailer into the first two stalls and got some premium electrons. I found later that this is now a common feature on turnpikes in other states like Indiana and Ohio.
The Real Sally In Oklahoma
All of the Route 66 guides online say that if you’re going through the Oklahoma section, you need to stop at the Rock Cafe in Stroud. So, we got off the fast road and took a stretch of the original Route 66 to get there. What I didn’t know was that this served as a big inspiration for John Lasseter, the writer and director behind Cars.
Here’s a poster that John gave the restaurant’s owner, Dawn Welch:
Here’s a closer look at the message he wrote:
For anyone who can’t read it, it starts with a hand-drawn picture of Lightning McQueen saying “Kachow!”, and then says, “To Dawn & The Rock Cafe, thanks for the inspiration! Dawn, you are the real ‘Sally’! Your Pal, John Lasseter.”
If you’ve seen Cars, you already know the core story of Dawn Welch and the Rock Cafe.
In the movie, Sally famously walks away from a high-powered corporate law career in Los Angeles to take over the Cozy Cone Motel and fight to save Radiator Springs. Dawn’s real-life backstory has a similar twist, but instead of a California law firm, Dawn left behind a life of global travel as a purser on cruise ships. She was actually making plans to move to Costa Rica to open a restaurant when she stopped by the Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma, just to look at some used kitchen equipment. She fell in love with the historic diner, changed her plans on the spot, and took over the lease instead.
The cafe itself is physically built out of the road’s history. When it went up in 1939, the builder used leftover sandstone from the original paving of Route 66. It survived the interstate bypasses and decades of lean years, but a devastating fire in 2008 completely gutted the building. The roof collapsed and the interior turned to ash, but those original Route 66 walls stood strong. Dawn saw that unless someone stepped up right then to rebuild, the dream was over for good. She didn’t just hire a crew and wait around. She got in there, cleaned the soot and ashes out by hand, and started the project herself.
I can see exactly why this real story inspired John Lasseter. When he was scouting locations, he was trying to bring the story of Route 66 to life for kids (and the kid inside all of us grown-ups, of course), and he found that many other people were working hard to keep the dream alive. Dawn’s fierce love for her town was exactly the spark the movie needed.
Now, in the road’s 100th year, people from all over the world stop by to appreciate what she lovingly saved. The food’s good, too!
Two More Awesome Stops in Oklahoma
I’m Not In Kansas Anymore, But I Will Go Back Sometime
When I first learned that Route 66 went through a tiny corner of Kansas, I thought that it might not be worth visiting. I mean, going out of the way and leaving I-44 for such a short segment of the Mother Road didn’t look like a great investment of time. I’m definitely glad I did some research ahead of time, because my first instinct would have made me miss some seriously awesome things!
Galena, Kansas is a real Route 66 Gem. This old mining town is a massive slice of Americana with vintage storefronts and historic brick buildings that look completely frozen in time. It gives you that perfect, authentic mid-century highway vibe from the days before the interstates bypassed everything.
The biggest draw in town is an old restored Kan-O-Tex service station that now operates as a spot called Cars on the Route. Back when Pixar animators were researching for the movie Cars, they stopped here and saw “Tow Tater,” a rusted out 1951 International Harvester boom truck sitting outside the station. That exact truck became the direct inspiration for the character Tow Mater. Today, the real-life Mater is still parked there for photo ops, and the owners have brought the fictional town of Radiator Springs to life by adding replicas of Lightning McQueen, Sheriff, Red the fire truck, and Doc Hudson.
Beyond the movie magic, Galena perfectly captures the spirit of the great American road trip. You can grab a burger at the cafe, check out the restored gas pumps, and wander down Main Street to see spots like the Gearhead Curios station (a reproduction of Doc Hudson can be found there. Taking the time to explore this town proves that getting off the interstate is always a good idea (assuming GPS isn’t guiding you onto a cow path, of course).
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