Chances are you will have heard of Route 66. It is an iconic route that runs across the middle of America, crossing numerous states and cities: Chicago, Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, before ending in California. It was established in late 1926 and mirrors America’s forceful expansion into the west. Unfortunately it fell into disuse with the signing of the Interstate Highway Act, which created an easier and faster route across the country – literally bypassing many small towns, which led to the abandonment of those towns. The ghosts of these former communities can still be visited on the road. However Route 66 has become a major tourist attraction for locals and holidaymakers. Road trips are a great way to see America and this has to be one of the best you can take.
It may not be the easiest way to travel but it seems that people flock to it still. A lot of the original route has been changed and you may struggle to follow it truly the whole way; it may require slight detours. It should take about nine days to complete your American odyssey. Here’s a few highlights that you shouldn’t miss.
Meteor Crater
The world famous crater where a meteor struck Earth 50,000 years ago. It claims on its website to be ‘the most well known, best-preserved meteorite crater on Earth!’ It’s one big hole, measuring a 2.4 mile circumference and a one mile diameter. It is 550 metres deep – don’t stand too close to the edge – I doubt there’s a ladder long enough.
Two Guns
Found in Arizona, Two Guns is an area of historical importance. If you have an interest in American history then the site was home to a major, bloody conflict between the Apaches and the Navajos back in the 1800s. The site also contains an tourist-centric animal park and the ruins of a gas station.
Food, Glorious Food
At the end of your journey, once you reach California, you can visit the world’s first McDonalds (or at least the site where it stood – it’s now a McDonalds museum).
Film Buff
If you love your films and novels you may feel a special connection to Route 66 as it is the road travelled by the family in Steinbeck’s seminal novel: The Grapes of Wrath and later the setting for the John Ford film adaptation of the novel.
Be careful when travelling, you’ll need a good set of wheels, as at parts the road can get a bit hairy. If you’re going to travel down the road, then make sure you buy a great car. Don’t let money factor into the occasion, get a car loan if you need one. Travel in style and safety.
The road is tied to American history and values like Ayres Rock in Australia, or Knossos in Greece. It symbolised the expansion into the west, it symbolised hard working American’s following the American dream, and it symbolised the future destroying the past – old values being forgotten, lost in the dust of the Mojave desert