A Route 66 road trip is all about the people you'll meet. Start with these legends.

Slow down and talk to people.This advice goes against the grain of American culture and commerce lately, but many “roadies” agree that it’s crucial to getting the best of Route 66.Stories, photos and travel recommendations from America’s Mother Road “It’s the people you meet on Route 66 that make the experience what it is,” said Rhys Martin, Tulsa, Okla.-based manager for the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 initiative.Just as your mileage will vary out there, your people will too.

But these four — a retailer in Oklahoma, a treasure-hunt winner in New Mexico, a barber in Arizona and a hoarder of road wisdom on the Santa Monica Pier — offer a rich sampling of the stories you might hear.Mary Beth Babcock in Tulsa, Okla.Ron Novak in Grants, N.M.Angel Delgadillo in Seligman, Ariz.

Ian Bowen in Santa Monica Behold Buck Atom’s Cosmic Curios, once a gas station and now a well-lighted gift shop on 11th Street in Tulsa.It seems to run on rocket fuel.But no, the force behind this venture is veteran retailer Mary Beth Babcock, 54.As Babcock likes to say, the business was born because one day in 2018, she decided to start looking for a small shop.

Just then, on Facebook Marketplace, she saw that “this little gas station was for rent.And I said, ‘Oh, my God, a souvenir shop in a historic gas station on historic Route 66!’ I couldn’t have created a more perfect scenario.”The only drawback, as Babcock saw it: “There were no giants.”Fiberglass giants, that is.

So she commissioned a space cowboy (Buck Atom) in 2019.Now he is joined on the property by Stella Atom, the Cosmic Cowgirl, both standing more than 19 feet tall.

And there’s more.To see the rest of Babcock’s empire, take a few more steps on 11th Street, which is also Route 66.Quickly you will encounter Buck’s Vintage and its mascot, Cowboy Bob, standing 21 feet tall with guitar in hand.

Across the street, under the neon Meadow Gold sign, you’ll find...