You’ll get your kicks on Route 66.

When I was a boy, if you wanted to do a road trip across America, the road to take was Route 66.  Also known as ‘the Mother Road,’ it started in Chicago, cut a path across America and then ended in Los Angeles.  Unfortunately the massive US freeway system has taken over most of the route, but large sections of it still remain and many towns have put in a lot of effort to maintain its spirit.

So what you need to do is take a few detours off the freeways and visit some of the towns that Route 66 passed/passes through.  There is a huge range of memorabilia for tourists to buy, as well as lots of displays and iconic images from the days when Route 66 was the only way to travel west.

Give or take a couple of flights (New Orleans to Denver and Denver to Las Vegas), to avoid the Oklahoma tornadoes, Jenny and I have basically taken a road trip across America from east to west.  In our case we travelled from New York to Los Angeles.  But we did get a taste of the Route!

On our way back from the Grand Canyon, we stayed a night in a town called Williams.  This is one of the towns that used to be a part of the Mother Road.  They have gone to a lot of trouble giving the town a real ‘Route 66’ feel.  Lots of window displays pay tribute to Route 66.  You can wander up and down the street and be taken back in time.

We ate at a great little Route 66 restaurant called ‘Cruisers,’ which also doubles as a souvenir shop.  The restaurant was decorated with all kinds of photos, signs and symbols and the food was good too.

Carly & Jon at Santa Monica Pier

The very end of Route 66 is at the Santa Monica pier.  This is where it finally arrives on the west coast! It truly is the end of the road, because the pier ends a hundred metres out in the Pacific Ocean.

So hop on your Harley or into your Corvette, Cadillac or Woodie and do yourself a favour.  Take a road trip on Route 66.  You’ll be glad you did.