A group trying to save a special stretch of the Mother Road stopped outside of an art gallery on Amarillo’s piece of historic Route 66 on Thursday to gather signatures for a petition via a special van. People from all over the world have signed the van, a traveling petition designed to gather support to make a 103-mile section of Route 66 that passes throught the Mojave Desert in California a National Monument, said Route 66 preservation activist and self-described roadie-in-charge James Conkle. Amarillo is an important stop on Route 66, he said. read more