Phillip Varney is the author and photographer of seven books about ghost towns. He has toured and photographed more than six hundred ghost towns throughout the American West. He lives in Tucson, Arizona.

Jim Hinckley is the author of twenty books and hundreds of feature articles on Route 66, the American Southwest, and the American auto industry. He has been a featured speaker at European Route 66 festivals in Germany and the Czech Republic, and at events in the United States and Canada. Hinckley is a former associate editor for Cars & Parts, and currently writes a monthly feature for New Zealand-based MotoringNZ. He also assists with the creation of visitor guides for communities such as Tucumcari, New Mexico, and the development of historic district walking tours. Jim is the creator of the Jim Hinckley's America network that includes a website (jimhinckleysamerica.com/), social media, the weekly livestream "Coffee with Jim" program, a YouTube channel, and the "Wake Up with Jim" podcast. Linked with this are community education programs developed to foster an increased awareness of an area's history and its role in the development of tourism as a component in economic development.