Route 66

"If you ever plan to motor west.
Travel my way, the highway that's the best. Get you kicks on Route 66!"

The Mother Road or Main Street of America....now it is called Historic Route 66, and I-40 travels most of it. This 2-lane road connected Los Angeles to Chicago, over two thousand miles all the way. We have been following it through Flagstaff, Albuquerque, Santa Fe, Santa Rosa, Tucumcari, and Amarillo. We have seen great displays of neon signs, rusty middle-of-nowhere truck stops and run down motels. Much of the landmarks have not been renovated and still display the charm of the era they were built. Much of the highway was essentially flat, making it a popular truck route. It also passed through many small towns, helping to create the rise of mom-and-pop businesses. It was originally gravel or graded dirt, but became the first highway to be completely paved in 1938. With the building of the Interstate, like I-40, many of these small towns could not thrive once the traffic was diverted.

We actually spent the night in Tucumcari and drove through the town on Route 66. This town worked out a deal with the state and federal government in determining the I-40 bypass to be as close to their business area to permit easy access to the localities. Tucumcari has a lot of the original buildings and signs. It is not built up or modernized, just an old town which makes you feel you're back in the 1950's, driving a back street highway.