Born near Springfield in 1945, Bob Waldmire developed a lasting passion for Route 66 after a 1962 family trip to California along the highway. He spent the rest of his life traveling the Mother Road in a school bus mobile home, a 1964 Mustang, or a 1972 Volkswagen Van, supporting his nomadic and eclectic lifestyle by painting and drawing for clients along the route. His artwork became famous worldwide, and Pontiac has one of his Route 66 roadmaps painted inside the Route 66 Museum as well as his 66-foot-long Route 66 Map Mural. In 1987 he bought a used 1966 school bus from a New Mexico dealer and transformed it into a home with a bed, kitchen, and work area. The bus ultimately included solar panels for electricity, a rainwater collection system, a back porch, a storage loft, a toilet, and a shower, and it was filled with mementos from his life on the Mother Road.