Route 66 Still a Scenic Favorite

What comes to mind when people think of Route 66? Days gone by of road trips across the U.S. on the highway with silver trailers in tow, roadside oddities and diners along the way filled with Army troops en route to WWI and WWII. But, the magic still exists, and while the past 20 years of air travel has become the fastest way to ‘get there from here’, there is still something to be said for road trips.

In its day, Route 66 was seen as the “Super highway” to the West, and can still be seen as such today. Route 66 is a particularly important staple in Americana among sites to see, and provides much in the way of scenery and history of the United States. The two-lane highway, which no longer is shown on most modern maps spans across the U.S. from Chicago to Los Angeles spanning a total of 2300 miles across eight states.

Established on November 11, 1926, Route 66 was gaining popularity, and by 1938, the highway was fully paved. Shortly thereafter more than 200,000 migrated via the highway to California to escape the Dust Bowl of the Midwest symbolizing the highway as the “road to opportunity”. During WWII the highway served as a way for transportation of troops, equipment and products across the country, including the soldiers’ trip back home to family and friends.

Over the years of regulation of divided highways, and with the passing of the Highway Act in 1956 roads such as Route 66 began its decline in tourist activity, and by 1984 the highway was almost lost when the last section at Williams, Arizona was bypassed by Interstate 40. As the years went on the highway signs were removed, and the road almost lost, but due to the resurgence of interest Route 66 is being revisited today.

The recent movie by Pixar, Cars, denotes many of the key places and events that took place over the highway’s 70+ year history, and has drawn a new interest to the historical icon, including Lincoln’s Stomping Grounds in Illinois; Vega, Texas(a Prairie Town in the Panhandle), and Beyond Winslow, Arizona. And, you will see many more as you drive across the richly infused memory laden highway as you cruise through history while seeing the sites.

One popular city to visit along Route 66 is Needles, CA. Visit the Mojave National Preserve which protects approximately 1.6 million acres of desert habitat. Located just west of Needles, visitors can observe ranching activities, and traverse the old Mojave Road as the Indians, soldiers and homesteaders did. Geologic features such as Cima Dome, the Cinder Cones, and the Kelso Dunes add to the visual attractions of the area.

Other popular scenic routes include California's Highway 1, skirting central California's glorious wind swept coast. Take your time when you drive from quaint San Luis Obispo to historic Monterey. You can make the trip in about four hours, but you might enjoy it more if you made more time to take in the scenery and the sites.

U.S. Route 101, or U.S. Highway 101 which runs north-south through the states of California, Oregon, and Washington, on the West Coast is another popular route. It is also known as El Camino (The Royal Road) where its route along the southern and central California coast approximates the old trail which linked the Spanish missions, pueblos and presidios. It merges at some points with California Route 1, but is still well worth the drive.

Taking a road trip is all about serendipity. You’ll want to make sure you have the time to properly enjoy the unexpected finds you make along the way and enjoy them. To help make this happen make sure that you have all the maps you need (remember, not all modern maps have this route included), and research ahead of time the places you’d like to go for sure. The internet is a great resource to research your adventure. Sites such as www.roadtripjournal.com offer a wealth of information on scenic trails, national parks and places to stay and things to do along the way. Take a look and see where you might want to go next. While the entire route may not be on the map, it’s still there…waiting for you to see it. Enjoy!