Route 66 author to sign books at Arcadia Round Barn

Photo provided by David Wickline

ARCADIA – David Wickline, the author of several popular books about traveling along Route 66, will sign copies of his latest guide, the “Route 66 Handbook,” from noon to 2 p.m. Sunday, Aug. 21, at the Arcadia Round Barn.

The handbook, published July 31, is a planning tool for Route 66 trips as well as a daily guide along the 2,450-mile trail from Chicago to Santa Monica, Wickline said. It features information about more than 2,000 attractions, eateries, museums, motels, hotels and recreational vehicle parks, complete with GPS coordinates.

“I was a home builder in Ohio when I discovered Route 66 while on a trip with my daughter Chelsea to Tulsa,” Wickline said. “I began taking photos along the way and after a few years found that attractions and icons along the road were disappearing. That is when I self-published the ‘Images of 66’ books, Volumes 1 and 2. These photo essay books are now in their seventh printing.”

Wickline then authored three tour books before launching the “Route 66 Handbook” project. “I noticed that many Route 66 travelers began their trips unprepared about what attractions to visit, where to eat, where to sleep, what museums to visit, what RV parks were recommended and what attractions would be of interest to their children,” Wickline said. “Thus the ‘Route 66 Handbook’ was born.”

The 224-page handbook sells for $20, and copies will be available during the book signing. The Arcadia Round Barn, which carries Wickline’s Route 66 merchandise in its gift shop, is located six miles east of Interstate 35 on Historic Route 66. Parking is available on the north side of the barn.