https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdER71cjmKA
Route 66 was the first transcontinental highway connecting Chicago to the Pacific coast at Santa Monica. It cut the trip by over two hundred miles. Hotels, restaurants and other local attractions sprung up along it’s corridor. Many of these stops have served customers from the start. For the centennial, 85% of the original road is usable.
The route was first opened in the spring of 1926 to promote travel and tourism between Chicago and Oklahoma and onto the west coast ending at the ocean. The trip took about a week to ten days depending on road conditions and the driver’s skill. Today people travel at a more leisurely pace to visit iconic attractions and have photos opportunities taken in front of these sites. Today the terminus is in Santa Monica at the intersection of Olympic and Lincoln, a mile from the Pacific Coastal Highway.Though decommissioned in 1985, many travelers still drive the historical route.
It was used by migration during the dust bowl in the 1930’s to travel to
California. Nat King Cole recorded the hit ,”Get Your Kicks on Route 66.”It was recorded in 1948 to further the popularize the road trip. Each year about forty million people travel some portion of the highway. This year’s celebration will draw even more crowds.
In our travels, we have driven much of the route. One worries when in the western section there were signs that warned that the next gas station was the one hundred stretch across the Mojave desert. Today it takes about two hours to travel that stretch. The original mountain crossing was in Santa fe until it was rerouted in 1936 to crosses the Black Mountains in Arizona, traveling west through Flagstaff at 7000 feet before dropping to the Colorado River basin.The higher elevations can cause lightheadedness for people from lower elevations. I became lightheaded and had difficulty sleeping at this elevation. Currently section of the Pacific Costal Highway is one way due to reconstruction. Traffic signs post a 25 mph speed limit. The Palisades fire in 2025, burned much of the vegetation. Heavy rains in the winter caused mud slides and flooding, damaging portions of the highway.
Some of the attractions along the route include Lou Mitchels a diner with 1920 decor. The Corn dog drive in in Springfield is renowned for serving the first corndog.
The 30 foot statue of a fiber glass astronaut. The Blue Whale in Tulsa has a photo opportunity with a 20 feet by 80 foot replica of a whale.
Caverns, the St. Louis Arch and several ghosts towns with roaming wild burros dot the route. The iconic end of the trail sign is on the pier at Santa Monica.
Travelers , the world over are driving the route bringing old memories to the fore front and making new ones. “Get Your Kicks on Route 66.”
carolaspot@aol.com
copyright 8-31-2026
traveling up and down the blind highway 