She recalls cone-shaped landmarks such as the Wigwam Hotel as they passed through Holbrook, Ariz., along the famed U.S. Route 66 - the nation's first major highway connecting the Midwest to the West.

As a child, traveling in the dark was scary. She often counted her blessings every time she saw the familiar black-and-white Route 66 signs beaming from the headlights.

"It's a familiarity you hang on to," the Upland resident said. "When you saw the signs, it was a sign of relief because you knew you were on the right track."

Now in her 50s, Sayers uses her collection of Route 66 memorabilia to keep those memories alive.

"I have old and new postcards and the Route 66 magazine," Sayers said. "I keep clips of articles, old tin cans, photographs - anything with the name Route 66.

"Another thing I'm getting into is fold-out maps that were free at the gas stations back then," Sayers said. "Those are my favorite."

The collector maps are a rare item since new maps do not include the old Route 66. The original route spans 2,448 miles long, crossing eight states and three time zones.

Built in the 1920s and completed in 1938, the major arterial snaked diagonally from Chicago, Ill., through rural communities in Missouri and Kansas out to Los Angeles. It was the road Americans traveled most through the 1960s.

Each year, Route 66 fans anxiously await the Route 66 Rendezvous event Sept. 17-20 to show their colors. Sponsored by Stater Bros., the 9th annual event is one of the largest cruising events in Southern California, according to the California Division of Tourism.

As a spectator Sayers has her gear ready for the four-day cruise, including a video camera, plenty of VHS tapes and lawn chair. She's hoping her '71 Dodge Dart or '67 Malibu will be ready one of these days so she can ride in the cruise.

Donald Fuller celebrates the big event with other Route 66 fans at his diner, Route 66 Cafe on Foothill Boulevard in Rancho Cucamonga. At one time, parts of Foothill Boulevard were a part of Route 66.

The cafe's owner, Fuller has some souvenir goods he likes to keep and some he sells, including Route 66 root beer specials, road signs, mugs, t-shirts, books and caps.

"I've been a fan of Route 66," Fuller said. "I used to watch Route 66 on television a long time ago."

The nostalgia runs deep - and sometimes as long as 300 miles - for fans of the Historic Route 66, which extends through San Bernardino County from Needles to Upland.

Despite the superhighways that span across the country, the Historic Route 66 remains true to its roots as it weaves through hundreds of roadside communities.

Reminders of the historic road are found in the names of local businesses from flower shops and cafes to car service shops and museums.

Bob Lundy keeps the route's history fresh. Known as "Dr. Route 66," Lundy is a collector and a founder of the Route 66 museum in Rancho Cucamonga.

"The charm of Route 66 is that it can not buttoned down to just nostalgia," Lundy said. "It's an opportunity for people to express their individuality and pursue their own American dreams which involves traveling."

The window front only museum display has rusted signs, beaten gas pumps such as a red Phillips 66 and oil canisters, old photographs of gas stations and cafes, maps, shot glasses, dented license plates and a miniature model of the Route 66 monument among 50 other items donated by locals and volunteers.

The museum is operated by the nonprofit San Bernardino County Tourism Development Council, Inc., also known as Route 66 Territory Visitors Bureau.

"This is the country's most historical and scenic highway," Lundy said. "It's an alternative to the hated interstates."