Route 66 is the roadtrip. Born of America’s love affair with the automobile, 66 is the embodiment of vintage, pregeneric America, heavily colored with classic car culture, mom and pop diners, endless museums and a healthy love of the fifties. Each year thousands of travelers find that spark that is American spirit and ingenuity in the wonder-specked open road, driving not to traverse the distance between Chicago and L.A. but to live in the space that is that distance; to experience this consistently authentic and relaxed space in the midst of the encroaching fast America chain-mania. From its lakeside beginnings in Chicago, IL , it’s about 2400 mi. of iconic neon signs and lonely two-lane roads to the glistening Pacific waters and bustling boardwalks of Santa Monica, CA .
Route 66 is one of the most famous American roads. Known variously as the “Main Street of America,” the “Mother Road,” and the “Will Rogers Highway,” Route 66 appeared in Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath (the term “Mother Road” comes from here), has been memorialized in song by Bobby Troup, and—most importantly—has been driven by millions. Designated in 1926 and continuously paved by 1938, over the subsequent decades the road saw the westward migration of thousands of families heading to California, looking to escape the dust and poverty of the Great Depression. It also spawned the development of the motel, the drive-through, and, of course, the assortment of mom-and-pop businesses that sprang up along the way.
While Route 66 was pummeled by WWII truck convoys, downgraded, eventually eclipsed by the many-laned sterility of the Interstate Highway and officially decommissioned in 1985, the road is experiencing a revival in the form of thousands of modern-day migrants who seek to re-create the classic journey of generations past. Purists fear the influx of tourists may result in higher prices and loss of character route-wide, but the roadtripper needn’t worry—whether you’re searching for yourself or just good burger and a cheap motel room, Route 66, in all its neon-lit glory, delivers character in spades.
Where it cannot be driven, the original route can often be traced along paths of rickety telephone poles and seen in the shadow of the ever-near railroad tracks. From Chicago, where the strains of blues and the aroma of deep-dish pizza spills into the streets, our route follows the original as closely as possible. The introductory miles will take you through the rolling cornfields of Illinois and Missouri, home to the best burger and fries at Krekel’s Custard in Springfield, IL along with Henry’s Rte. 66 Emporium and Rabbit Ranch. From here, the next stop is Stanton’s heavily advertised Meramec Caverns. After stopping at Memoryville USA in Rolla, MO, just one of the many vintage car museums along the route, it’s on to the dusty red plains of Oklahoma, where cows are many, 66 history is strong, and almost every town has a street (or at least a park) named for Will Rogers. Stop at the Rock Café in Stroud, OK, for a buffalo or crocodile burger or in El Reno, OK, where Johnnie’s Grill proudly cooks up the world’s largest hamburger each May. There is no shortage of museums devoted to the mother road, like the wonderful Route 66 Museum in Clinton, OK. Through Texas the road has been paved over with highways but the quirky authenticity of Route 66 shines through in roadside havens like Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo. As you enter New Mexico you, too, can stay in “Tucumcari tonight” at the Blue Swallow Motel, one of the most famous motels on the route.
Route 66 then cuts a magnificent swath across New Mexico and Arizona, through miles and miles of scrubby desert alternating with lush hills, where skies are blue and sweeping, and colorful little trading posts line the road, peddling Navajo crafts, road snacks, and, of course, every type of souvenir to which shop owners could affix a Route 66 shield. The road passes through Santa Fe, where Spanish colonial architecture, Native American influence, and green chiles come together in one spicy, delicious mix, and continues on through charming Albuquerque, the stunning and scenic pueblo country of Arizona, and the one and only Petrified Forest National Park. Take it easy in Winslow, AZ before reaching Flagstaff, where you can consider taking a brief jaunt off 66 to visit the Grand Canyon. Continue through Seligman, where the Historic Route 66 movement began and Oatman, where wild burros roam the old-western film worthy streets before crossing the punishing Mojave Desert toward Los Angeles, the sprawling city of the stars. Finally, the near-perfect road trip reaches its near-perfect end at Santa Monica; dip your toes in the ocean, kick back on the pier, and watch the sun set over the Pacific. You have been enrolled in the highest echelons of unwritten road trip fame and you are in the company of millions of like-minded adventurers who have put their tires to pavement to become part of the road over the last 80 years. Tote your souvenir key chain with pride, you are a seasoned road tripper, a 66er, a child of America’s Mother Road.
Tags: 66er, Krekel's Custard, mom-and-pop, neon signs, the mother road
