Route 66, The Trip That Every Motor Racing Fan Should Take

On the list of things to do before death of many driving fans there is one that never fails, traveling the mythical Route 66, whether by car, caravan or motorcycle. This route has become a benchmark and today we are going to see why.

In general, the average trip usually lasts a week, enough time to enjoy everything that this excellent road offers us.

If you also want to feel like a true American ‘Yankee’, run to a car rental agency and choose a Ford Mustang, the perfect combination.

Route 66 in detail

This route is 3,495 kilometers long, and crosses eight states from the starting point. Its beginning takes place in Chicago, continuing  to  Los Angeles.  Currently it is the second longest route in the country, just behind Interstate 90, which skirts 5,000 kilometers and crosses thirteen states.

This road’s fame came in the 1950s, when it became the main route for vacationers heading to Los Angeles, all supported by the buoyant economy of the time. This highway crossed the desert of Arizona and even the well-known Grand Canyon of the Colorado.

One of the stops that became famous was the Arizona Crater. At that time, the tourism sector was booming, so all kinds of attractions along the road became famous. You could find the most varied hotels, hundreds of restaurants with food from the area and shops with curiosities of American assets.

However, the route that we know today – and the one that existed in the 1950s – hardly resembles the one that existed a few years ago. Many were the changes that were made during the decade of the 30s, among them the most notable was its transfer to the east, near what is now Interstate 55.

What to see on Route 66?

According to those who have already been lucky enough to be able to do this route, there are events that we cannot miss during our tour of this famous road. There are so many tourist spots that here we will collect some of the most interesting.

Enter a tavern under the rails of the Chicago subway.

Many are the steel and wooden beams that line the streets of downtown Chicago. From the outside it seems as if the city was built in layers: first we find the sky, the wind and the skyscrapers; and underground a network that allows us to travel the city from one side to another with little effort.

In turn, under these routes we can find taverns, such as the Billy Goat Tavern, one of the oldest taverns in the city. To this day it is still as popular as the first day, as well as being the favorite of journalists in the area.

Find a graveyard for vintage cars.

This is something that is not in short supply in the United States. Americans lovingly keep their cars from the mid-20th century . However, there are cases in which this does not happen and that is why it is quite common to find scrap yards in which we can see Dodge, Chevrolet and Plymouth piled up.

This is possibly one of the most important points of the trip, and unlike in our country, we can freely access the site and walk around while looking for pieces or simply enjoying the moment.

Admire the painted murals.

In the United States the so-called Streetart is quite famous  . In each town that you pass through on Route 66 we can find a painted mural whose objective is to highlight the virtues of the region and the country. Oil, rail, or flags are some of the most common icons on red brick walls.

Spend the 4th of July in Oklahoma.

If there is something that makes the state of Oklahoma so special, it is the fact that it is the city of the Indians, of the Redskins. For this reason, spending the 4th of July in the most authentic state of America is an experience full of contrasts. There we can enjoy the famous  hot dogs , beer, live music and above all, a lot of respect.

Sit on a lonely straight road.

Between Kansas and Oklahoma the roads are endless, and we can find kilometers and kilometers of asphalt in which we will see mirages because of the heat. If we stop in the gutter, we must be sure that an American who passes by will ask us if we need help or have a breakdown.

This is normal, since there is nothing or no one in a great distance. Finally, we must not miss the opportunity to look for the sections of the old Route 66, which still have the original asphalt.