‘Miles to Go’ follows a family’s exploration of America on Route 66
Brennen Matthews wasn’t always a Route 66 enthusiast. He grew up in Africa and only lived in North America for a few years before packing a Volkswagen SUV with his wife and eight-year-old son to visit The Mother Road. Now the family travels Route 66 twice a year and Matthews is known for his coverage of highway history.
In mid-October, Matthews released his book, “Miles to Go: An African Family in Search of America along Route 66.” The 285-page book chronicles the family’s first trip down Route 66 in 2016. Matthews, along with his wife Kate and son Thembi, spent two and a half months traveling, starting in Wilmington, Illinois and ending in Los Angeles.
When Brennen and Kate began planning their trip, Brennen had no intention of writing a book about their experiences. It was only later, on follow-up trips, that Brennen began to realize the need. There are plenty of guides for traveling along Route 66, but Brennen felt it lacked personal accounts.
Formatted like a travel diary, “Miles to Go” takes readers through each of the big cities and small towns explored by the family. Matthews also weaves the history of Route 66 into his personal narrative, fleshing out details of the iconic restaurants and motels they visit.
“I have this little tape recorder and I record everything as I travel; it’s just my style,” Matthews said. “Even without any anticipation of the writing, I recorded everything as it happened.”
A common topic throughout the book is the comparison of American culture to Kenyan culture. Brennen and Kate met in Kenya at Daystar University and gave birth to Thembi there. Time and time again, the family encountered visitor center attendants, restaurant workers and other tourists who were shocked at where they had come from.
Matthews often compares American food portions to those in Kenya, which are significantly smaller. Elsewhere in the book, he compares America’s respect for truckers to Africa’s distaste for them.
“In America, there is a romanticized notion of the truck driver, and truckers are given a level of respect that is miles away from their African counterparts,” Matthews wrote. “There are no country songs about African truckers, even though they are the backbone of many African economies. Instead, they are generally seen as a nuisance and a threat on the highways.”
The book preview is written by Michael Wallis, author of “Route 66: The Mother Road”, published in 1990. Considered an expert on the history of Route 66, Wallis is known for his work with Pixar Animation Studios to create “Cars”. He was the sheriff’s voice actor in the film.
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“Let the People of Springfield Celebrate”
Chapter 11 of the book describes Matthews’ time in Springfield. The trio stayed at the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven on Glenstone Avenue and explored the Steak ‘n Shake across the road, Park Central Square and the History Museum in the plaza.
“Our goal was generally to avoid the big cities as much as possible, but Springfield was one we couldn’t afford to miss,” Matthews wrote.
The Matthews’ last trip on Route 66 was this summer. They spent about three months on the road, exploring new spots and revisiting old favorites. While in Springfield this year, the family visited Fantastic Caverns and Laura Ingalls Wilder Historic Home & Museum in Mansfield.
Matthews said Springfield remains one of his family’s favorite cities, for its diverse culture and collective celebration of being the birthplace of Route 66. On a typical visit, they stay about four or five nights .
“Let the people of Springfield celebrate; they should,” Matthews said of his time in town.
Now a Route 66 enthusiast himself, Matthews has a piece of advice for people: slow down. Matthews said the majority of tourists he’s encountered along Route 66 are eager to get out west. While Matthews loves this area of the country, he stressed the importance of making time for what’s on offer in the Midwest.
“Illinois, Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma…the first four states (mentioned in the book), we think people need to slow down,” Matthews said. “If people don’t have time to do what we do – and most people don’t – then do it in stages, but give those first four states their due.”
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Ultimately, Matthews hopes “Miles to Go” inspires readers to experience the uniqueness of Route 66.
“For too many people, Route 66 is like an amusement park, it’s like a Disney ride,” Matthews said. “That’s not really what Route 66 is. It’s a living artery that crosses the country and represents Americans of different cultures, classes, ethnicities, economic backgrounds and interests. . “
“Miles to Go” is available for purchase on Amazon at amzn.to/3FpX0a2. Paperback copies are $24.95 and Kindle eBooks are $8.99.
Today, Brennen, Kate and Thembi live in Toronto, Canada. Brennen is the publisher of “ROAD Magazine”, a bimonthly publication dedicated to documenting the culture’s history of life along Route 66.
