The intersection of the Rolling Stones, John Steinbeck and postage stamps. . . .

By Gary S. Vasilash

Generationally, there are plenty of people who probably don’t have a great grasp on the notion of physically mailing anything, and if they have to send a package, it is probably one they got through Amazon Prime that they are returning via a Whole Foods Market.

But people in that generation who are music fans, may be familiar with Chuck Berry’s cover of “Route 66.”

Or at the very least the Rolling Stones version that appears on December’s Children (And Everybody’s), released in 1965, 39 years after Route 66 was commemorated.

Older people are familiar with stamps, Chuck Berry and the Rolling Stones, and for those who also put “auto enthusiast” in their profile, the actual Route 66 to boot.

So it is conceivable that young and old alike may be interested in knowing the U.S. Postal System has released a set of eight stamps commemorating the centennial of Route 66.

Each of the stamps shows a photo of a portion of the road.

David J. Schwartz, who took the photos, said at the ceremony announcing the release of the stamps:

“Route 66 isn’t history behind glass or a velvet rope. It’s living history that people can still step into and become part of. Seeing these photographs travel across the country on U.S. postage stamps is incredibly meaningful to me, because it brings the spirit of the ‘Mother Road’ [coined by novelist John Steinbeck] into millions of homes and hopefully inspires people to experience the road and support the small businesses that keep its story alive.”

If you can’t drive it (the Postal Service says 85% of the original road is still drivable), at least you can get something to acknowledge Route 66 (and perhaps help keep postal trucks running).