GET YOUR KICKS ON ROUTE 66
BY DAN MILLER
(originally posted June 27, 2005)
I've always wanted to travel Route 66, but I've been putting it off for almost 45 years.
When the government built its original national highway system, one leg of that system -- arguably the most famous part -- was Route 66, completed in 1937.
It stretched across 8 states and 3 time zones, from Chicago to the beach at Santa Monica, California.
It was dubbed "Main Street of America".
Millions of people migrated west along 66, to start new lives. And every year, untold thousands would take vacations traveling the famous highway.
Part of the appeal was the beautiful scenery along the road.
But then came something else.
Between 1960 and 1964, the collective imagination of Americans was ignited by a television show titled simply "Route 66".
It was about two guys -- played by Martin Milner and George Maharis -- who, every week, would travel along Route 66 -- in their Corvette -- finding adventure, romance, and usually trouble.
Whether by coincidence -- or the power of suggestion -- starting around 1961, my boyhood pal Paul Wolfe and I would occasionally entertain the idea of taking off in his old Chevy Corvair (not quite a Corvette) and seeing what adventure we could stir up along Route 66.
But, as happens, careers and families took precedence in our lives, and we never got around to our excellent adventure.
Meanwhile, over the decades, the Interstate Highway system was changing the way Americans traveled.
When I-40 was completed and officially opened in 1984, big stretches of Route 66 were closed off, or had been converted to interstate highway.
And with a sharply reduced number of travelers (and customers) businesses and even towns along 66 were forced to scale back, or shut down completely.
On June 27, 1985 -- exactly 20 years ago -- Route 66 was quietly decertified by the government.
The old road signs were taken down, and barricades were put up in some places.
You'll no longer find Route 66 on official road maps.
Still, I'm told that more than 80% of the old highway remains in place, and thousands of adventurers check it out every year.
A couple of weeks ago, down in Georgia with my wife and daughter, we had dinner with my pal Paul, and again -- as always -- our conversation turned to the prospect of finding great adventure along Route 66.
But, again, we put our plans on hold.... for now.
What the heck...... I found romance long ago.....
Every day is an adventure (with a 6-year old)....
And I don't really need any more trouble.
So I said goodbye to Paul and to Georgia for awhile, and happily drove my family home to Tennessee, via I-20.... I-75..... I-24..... I-440....
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