[image:tauzero.com]
This famous Inter-state highway is the ultimate route for an epic road trip.
Running from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 was first officially established in 1926, during the time of national highway construction. It was to become one of the main East-West arteries, bringing access, trade and new businesses to many remote towns and villages all across the US.
It was used extensively in the 1930s by people wanting to immigrate from the East to California, land of opportunity. Generations were told the story of the epic journey from the Dust Bowl to the land of the sun, which helped immortalize Route 66 in the American consciousness.
Today, sadly, Route 66 is not what it used to be. It declined during the late 1950s after the Interstate Highway Act was signed by President Eisenhower. Many parts of it have been replaced by interstate highways or other state roads, or bypassed completely.
However, Route 66 associations started up in the late 1980s and have since tried to restore and preserve this historic route which is an integral part of Americana.
[image:fordsalvage.net]
The ‘Main Street of America' starts in Chicago and passes by Springfield, St Louis, Rolla, Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Shamrock, Amarillo, Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Albuquerque, Gallup, Holbrook, Winslow, Flagstaff, Kingman, Barstow, Los Angeles and ends in Santa Monica.
With careful planning, it is still possible to go on this epic road trip. Get some good tunes in your car, a reliable companion to travel with (who can read a map!) and enjoy some of America's classic diners, motels, gas stations, old trading posts, and villages on the scenic ‘Mother Road'.
[image:kix66.net]