D
id you ever plan to motor west?
The 2,448-mile journey from Chi-
cago to LA along what's also known
as the Will Rogers Highway, the "Mother
Road," and "America's Main Street," is one
of America's most iconic drives. Along rem-
nants of a now almost obliterated historic
highway, the original Route 66—designated
in 1926—begins at a sign on Adams Street,
road trip on Historic Route 66
CREDIT: ARTUR DEBAT/GETTY IMAGES
Chicago on the shores of Lake Michigan,
cuts through Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Okla-
homa, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and ends
at the Pacific Ocean in Santa Monica, Cali-
fornia.
Decommissioned in 1986, actually travel-
ing on the original Route 66 means taking
detours and can be long-winded (you can
use Interstates to cut out sec-
tions and make up some time),
but in any case this trip is most-
ly about the deliciously Ameri-
can towns, cities, and attractions
along the way. Examples include
the Route 66 Drive-in for 1950s-
style movies in Springfield,
Illinois, the National Cowboy
& Western Heritage Museum
in Oklahoma City, and the bi-
zarre Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo,
Texas. Detours not counted, the
drive takes about two weeks.
Here's where and when to go
and how much it costs to do
Route 66.
With some advanced planning and time
(which we seem to have a lot of these
days) you can feel accomplished and
have something to look forward to in the
months/years ahead. Carpe Diem and safe
travels!
