This one is a special one for me.
I stopped in a lot of towns on my Route 66 road trip between Sapulpa, Oklahoma and Springfield, Illinois, but I developed an unmatched fondness for Galena, Kansas. The town itself is beautiful, but the best parts were Cars On the Route and Geared, Curios - both having inspirations for the characters in the Pixar movie “Cars”. My daughter and I used to watch that movie all the time when she was little, and we even watched it with my other two daughters before I left on my trip. Seeing the “original characters” in person was something special and brought up very fond memories.
Gearhead Curios
The first four frames of this next set are some of my favorites from the whole Route 66 trip.
These images are from Gearhead Curios just down the street from Cars On the Route. A restored Texaco station at 520 South Main St in Galena, KS, the location closed in 2000, but Aaron Perry began restorations in 2018 and reopened as Gearhead Curios, a souvenir shop and tribute to old Route 66 in 2023. It’s also the only official Kansas Tourist Information Center along Route 66.
But my favorite part is Doc Hudson. Voiced by Paul Newman for the movie “Cars,” Doc Hudson is based on a 1951 Hudson Hornet. You can see him located along the red brick wall toward the back of frame one and in full in frames four and five. Also in this set are other characters and scenes from Gearhead Curios as well as a few selections from Main Street.
And More
This final set is comprised of random around-town shots in Galena, KS.
