Navigating Route 66 in Chandler, Oklahoma with artist, author Jerry McClanahan

CHANDLER, Okla. (WLS) -- It's a long and winding road that leads to Santa Monica Pier and the normal GPS guided apps standard on smartphones often don't cut it when traveling on Route 66. The Mother Road's circuitous path through small towns and along highways make for a slower journey and most apps are designed to get travelers to their destinations quickly. For ABC7 Chicago's series "Pier To Pier: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66," Ryan Chiaverini chose the analog route, bringing the EZ66 Guild For Travelers along for the ride. He interviewed its author and illustrator, Jerry McClanahan, in Chandler, Oklahoma.

"Sitting in the backseat as a kid, we would hit 66 at Victorville and we followed through Oklahoma City," said McClanahan, recalling family road trips on the Mother Road from southern California to Arkansas. "[I] Looked forward to vacation every year and as an adult I wanted to try to recapture what I missed as a kid."

McClanahan did the research and included all the stops he missed as a kid in his first edition of EZ66 in 2005. Now in its 6th edition for the route's centennial celebration, Jerry feels pride that his guide is helping promote history and business along the route.

"I really love being able to be a part of keeping these places open," said McClanahan. "It's great to be a part of that long community of Route 66 shops and people and visitors."

At McJerry's Route 66 Art Gallery, McClanahan gave Chiaverini a tour of his road artifacts and art available for purchase. His detailed paintings, which can take days to finish, feature classic cars at iconic scenes all along the Mother Road.



"I am obsessed by the details. It's like this one with the reflections in it," said McClanahan pointing at a painting featuring a '57 Chevy. "Halfway through I'm saying, why oh why did I put on the reflections in that painting?"

Chiaverini made sure to have McClanahan autograph his copy of the EZ Guide, but not before Jerry updated it with new detours on Route 66. Chiaverini would need the revisions because there's plenty more to see on his journey toward the Pacific ocean.

"Pier To Pier: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66" is sponsored by Hyundai