Butch Marvin noted that there are two kinds of car enthusiasts.

"Some people that really like cars just like to look at them," Butch said. "Other people that really like cars like to drive them."

Butch and his wife, Charmaine, showed what type of automobile aficionados they are by operating their vintage car on a trip along historic Route 66 and back.

Quarryville residents Butch and Charmaine, along with friends from Delaware, Marvin and Pat Sterling, traversed 6,396 miles in 26 days, leaving home on April 3 and returning April 28.

The Marvins drove a 1954 Ford convertible while the Sterlings steered a 1955 Ford Crown Victoria.

One of the nation's best-known thoroughfares, Route 66 has been frequently referenced in pop culture, including songs, television shows, movies, and books such as "The Grapes of Wrath" by John Steinbeck, who referred to it as the "Mother Road."

The quartet stayed overnight in Indianapolis with members of the Sterling family before driving to the starting site in Chicago and officially beginning their journey to the end of the road at Santa Monica Pier in California.

Route 66, which opened in 1926, is 2,448 miles long, and Butch estimates the group spent 1,000 miles on the original road or where the original road once was. "We followed as much of the old route as possible," Butch said, adding that the road was decommissioned in 1984, meaning it was no longer officially known as U.S. Route 66.

Butch stated that the advent of Interstate 40 in 1957 did severe economic damage to towns along Route 66, including Vega, Texas, which was one of his favorite spots along the way.

"There were 11 service stations, nine hotels, and restaurants open 24 hours a day, and it all went away," he said. "Then the towns started re-creating themselves."

Butch and Charmaine said they enjoyed staying in nostalgic motels, which they did whenever it was feasible. They met people from Canada, Europe, Asia, and Australia, seeing some of the people multiple times.

Butch, who was responsible for planning the trip, said he half-jokingly told the others, "My goal is to drive the old road, so don't be asking for a bunch of distractions on the way out." Of course, Butch eased those restrictions at his traveling companions' request. "Whenever we saw something we liked, we stopped," he said.

The group paused for the obligatory photos at the midway point in Adrian, Texas. In addition to small towns like Santa Rosa, N.M., and Holbrook, Ariz., they saw St. Louis; Oklahoma City; and Amarillo, Texas, and enjoyed trips to Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico, and Lake Havasu City, Ariz.

The Marvins both enjoyed time in Oatman, Ariz., an old western gold town with wooden sidewalks that features a re-enactment of a cowboys' gunfight. Travelers go down a donkey-lined 8-mile road with 19 curves and no guardrails. "It reminds you of days gone by," Butch said of the cities on the route. "There is nostalgic car memorabilia everywhere you go."

Charmaine's favorite stop was in Winslow, Ariz., popularized by the Eagles' song, "Take It Easy," which includes the lyrics, "Well, I'm a-standin' on a corner in Winslow, Arizona, such a fine sight to see." Butch learned that "Take It Easy" is one of Charmaine's favorite songs. "She was like a child in a candy store," he said.

Butch had planned to take the trip with his first wife, Mary, in 2015. They put off the trip to be home for the birth of their first grandchild. Then Mary was diagnosed with cancer and passed away in 2019.

Butch later married Charmaine, who was a widow. Butch and Charmaine met the Sterlings while the Marvins were celebrating their first anniversary at a car show in Burlington, Vt. The couples became friends and traveled together to Daytona three times. The Marvins learned that an expedition along Route 66 had been a lifelong ambition of the Sterlings.

The group discussed making the journey next year during the 100th anniversary of Route 66, but they saw their schedules were free this April and elected to do it this spring.

The vintage vehicles held up. A bracket came loose on Butch's Ford, but it got welded back on. The Sterlings encountered fuel delivery problems and radiator issues but forged ahead.

There were ideal temperatures and only two days of rain. "We had the kind of weather people dream about," Butch said.

Charmaine said, "There was so much to see and just the views of the mountains and lakes were fantastic."

The journey surpassed expectations. "It was more than I thought it would be," Butch said. "I was amazed by the places. The people are cool, and the stories are cool."

Butch is already eyeing another excursion to Route 66 in six years. He and his grandson Carter, 10, are planning to drive a 1937 Ford they are building.