Take a trip on Route 66: still delivering kicks after 100 years | Road trips – The Guardian

Take a trip on Route 66: still delivering kicks after 100 years

The US’s most famous road celebrates its centenary. The 2,400-mile highway crosses eight states and three time zones from Chicago to LA

By Susan Montoya Bryan/AP, Mon 27 Apr 2026 02.00 EDT

The Mother Road, as the author John Steinbeck called it, has evolved over the years from an escape for poor farmers fleeing the devastating dust storms of the 1930s to perhaps the quintessential American road trip route that’s still delivering kicks.

Although there have been faster and more direct routes between the nation’s second and third largest cities for some time, Route 66’s neon still burns brightly and its vintage signs beckon travellers to restored motor lodges, classic diners and roadside attractions.

Each stop turns the wheels of the imagination, leaving travellers to contemplate what life was like for the people and communities that have made the road hum over the years.

Chicago has long been one of the country’s economic engines, with access to international waters and railroads that linked all corners of the country. In the 1920s, the Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, who became known as the “father of Route 66”, knew it wouldn’t be long before automobiles would dominate the transportation landscape, and thought the Windy City would be the perfect place to start the journey he envisioned.

A member of the federal highway board appointed to map the US highway system, Avery opted to go with the number 66. He knew those double digits were ripe for marketing and could be seared into the minds of motorists.

For some travellers, the journey is fuelled more by the food than the scenery, and there’s plenty to choose from – slices of homemade pie, thick shakes, cheeseburgers and an assortment of fried delights.

The Cozy Dog Drive In in Springfield, the Illinois capital, is one of the many diners that sprang up along Route 66, and its breaded hotdogs on a stick have stood the test of time.

The third-generation owner, Josh Waldmire, says the recipe is a secret. Waldmire’s grandfather Ed saw the concoction’s potential as fast and convenient road food and developed a system for frying the dogs vertically.

Route 66 has its share of twists and turns, and it’s no surprise that a highway famous for its quirky roadside attractions would cross the nation’s most famous river on one of the more peculiar bridges known to modern engineering.

As the road nears St Louis, the mile-long (1.6km) Chain of Rocks Bridge hovers more than 60ft (18 metres) above the Mississippi River, taking a 22-degree turn in the middle.

Engineers eventually built a straighter, higher-speed option, and a poor resale market spared the original bridge from the scrapheap. Today it’s reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.

A median in Missouri is home to the Route 66 Neon Park in St Robert, which features orphaned neon signs that once beckoned travellers to stop at certain sites and businesses along the highway. Often handcrafted, they weren’t only markers for motels, cafes and gas stations, but were also folk art and symbols of local culture.

Editor’s Note: Many photos on the original site, and I could not add them here. View online in the article. –DrWeb

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