Route 66

Route 66 is a road from Chicago to LA that we have all probably hear of, but do you know why it was important?  It was completed in 1929 and was responsible for opening the way from the East of the US to the West. The the increasing availability of automobiles, and the great depression made a new life in the West very appealing to many people. Route 66 also ran through the main street of many small towns bringing them many travelers.

By the late 40's, the Interstate system was constructed, which bypassed the small towns but was much faster. This change killed off a lot of the small towns, depriving them of income.

The 'Historic Route 66' was born out of a tourism drive for a town called Seligman, where we stopped for lunch.

We drove the longest contiguous segment remaining of Route 66 which is about 60 miles long.  The rest is either short segments, or has disappeared entirely.

The old vehicles in the lot behind the restaurant we ate lunch in was the inspiration for the Disney/Pixar movie 'Cars'

No clue what this was about, but it had my name on it!

This is me, getting my well deserved kicks on Route 66.