A trip down Route 66 – Search Videos Traffic passes under a neon Route 66 sign on the west end of Albuquerque, New Mexico © (Susan Montoya Bryan / Associated Press)
‘Go Get Your Kicks’: The Europeans Obsessed With a U.S. Highway – The New York Times
Sunsets are proof that endings can be beautiful too 
– Search
Why sunsets matter
Sunsets show us that endings are not always about loss — they can be moments of grace, beauty, and transformation, just as the daily ritual of the sun’s descent is.
Watching the sun dip below the horizon is a quiet, universal reminder that the close of one thing can be as beautiful as its start.
The sky shifts through gold, crimson, lavender, and deep blue, not abruptly, but with a gentle, deliberate grace www.mgssevafoundation.com. This slow, luminous farewell is nature’s way of showing that endings can be peaceful, even celebratory.
A shift in perspective
Many of us fear endings — seeing them as failure, loss, or the closing of doors 
But the sunset reframes this: it doesn’t rush, it doesn’t demand applause, and it simply does its job, leaving the world more beautiful than it found it
This mirrors how some life endings — whether the end of a relationship, a career, or a chapter — can make space for new beginnings, healing, and growth 
Lessons from the daily cycle
- Endings are part of a cycle — the day ends, but the sun rises again
www.mgssevafoundation.com.
- Beauty can be in letting go — the sunset’s soft retreat is an invitation to appreciate what was and prepare for what’s next
- Change carries magnificence — even when it’s inevitable, it can be profound and meaningful
After 59 years, the iconic Route 66 enters the realm of history and decertified | June 27, 1985 | HISTORY when the American Association of State Highway and Transportation Officials decertifies the road and votes to remove all its highway signs.
Embracing the beauty of endings
If you’re facing a goodbye or a closing chapter, the sunset offers a gentle reassurance: you’re not broken, you’re becoming
By allowing yourself to see the beauty in the fade, you can find peace, gratitude, and hope. As one writer put it, “Just like the sunset, every ending carries within it the quiet promise of something new on the horizon”
So the next time you watch the sun dip below the horizon, remember: it’s not just the end of the day — it’s a reminder that endings can be beautiful, and that beauty is part of the story that continues.
Eight states, three time zones and a ton of history:
Take a trip down Route 66 as it turns 100 0n November 11, 1926…
Story by Susan Montoya Bryan
Key takeaways
- Historic Journey: Route 66, known as the Mother Road, has evolved from a 1930s escape route for farmers to an iconic American road trip, featuring neon signs, classic diners, and quirky roadside attractions.
- Cultural Stops: Highlights include Cozy Dog Drive In in Illinois, Cadillac Ranch in Texas, and restored drive-ins like the TeePee Theater, offering a taste of vintage Americana and local culture.
- Heritage & Stories: The highway crosses multiple states, showcasing Native American lands, historic bridges like Missouri’s Chain of Rocks, and sites tied to civil rights history, such as Oklahoma’s Threatt Filling Station.
If you’ve ever planned to motor west and take the highway that’s the best, this might be the time: Route 66 turns 100 this year.
The Mother Road, as author John Steinbeck dubbed 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 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 travelers to restored motor lodges, classic diners and roadside attractions.
On Route 66, these are the best stops in every state
U.S. Route 66 or U.S. Highway 66 (US 66 or Route 66)
Was one of the original highways in the United States Numbered Highway System. Established on November 11, 1926, with signage erected the following year,[4] the highway ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri, Kansas, Okla
US 66 became a major route for westward migration, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and contributed to the economic development of communities along its path. It later faced decline as traffic was diverted to the Interstate Highway System in the mid-20th century.
The highway was officially removed from the United States Highway System in 1985[2] after being largely replaced by Interstate highways. Many segments of the former route have since been preserved as Historic Route 66, a National Scenic Byway, and incorporated into state and local road systems.[3]
Route 66 has been widely represented in American popular culture and is often referred to by nicknames such as the Mother Road, a term popularized by John Steinbeck‘s novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939), as well as the Main Street of America and the Will Rogers Highway.[6] It was also celebrated in song and on television. The road and impact of the Interstate Highway System bypassing small towns along the route was central to the story in Disney and Pixar’s 2006 animated film Cars. – Wikipedia
Route 66 – Samantha Brown’s Places to Love
Each stop turns the wheels of the imagination, leaving travelers to contemplate what life was like for the people and communities that have made the road hum over the years.
Illinois
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, Oklahoma businessman Cyrus Avery, known as the Father of Route 66, knew it wouldn’t be long before automobiles would dominate the transportation landscape, and 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 U.S. 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 travelers, the journey is fueled 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 hot dogs on a stick have stood the test of time. 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.
Missouri
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 (1.6-kilometer-long) Chain of Rocks Bridge hovers more than 60 feet (18 meters) above the Mississippi River.
Engineers eventually built a straighter, higher-speed option, and a poor resale market spared the original bridge from the scrap heap. Today it’s reserved for pedestrians and cyclists.
A median in Missouri is home to St. Robert Route 66 Neon Park, which features orphaned neon signs that once beckoned travelers 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.
Kansas
The Sunflower State hosts only a short stretch of Route 66, but it packs a punch with the Kan-O-Tex Service Station in Galena. A classic example of roadside fare, the station served as inspiration for the animated 2006 Pixar film “Cars.”
Director John Lasseter and his crew took road trips along the route, digging into history and looking for elements that could bring the project to life. It was in Galena where they spotted the old boom truck that served as the basis for the character Tow Mater. The plot wasn’t far off, as so many once bustling towns — like the fictional Radiator Springs — nearly faded away after being bypassed by an interstate.
Kansas also is home to the Brush Creek Bridge, otherwise known as the Rainbow Bridge. It’s on the National Register of Historic Places and is one of few remaining examples of the concrete arched bridges designed by James Barney Marsh.
Oklahoma
There was a real danger for some who traveled the road, particularly Black motorists passing through inhospitable and segregated areas during the Jim Crow era. The Green Book — a guide first published in 1936 by Victor Hugo Green — listed hotels, restaurants and gas stations that would serve Black customers.
The Threatt Filling Station near Luther wasn’t listed in The Green Book, but it was a safe haven — not only for getting fuel, but for barbecue and baseball. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, it was the only known Black-owned and operated gas station along Route 66.
Route 66 is littered with abandoned buildings and faded signs, but one example of the highway’s resilient spirit stands tall in Sapulpa, near Tulsa. The restored Tee Pee Drive-In Theater offers a step back into the 1950s, when the booming car culture helped spawn thousands of drive-in theaters nationwide.
Built in 1949, the drive-in officially opened in the spring of 1950 with a screening of John Wayne’s “Tycoon.” It was one of the few drive-ins at the time to have paved pathways. Over the years, it survived a tornado, a fire that destroyed the concession stand and break-ins before being shuttered for more than 20 years. It reopened in 2023.
Texas
Blink and you might miss it, but a stop at the Cadillac Ranch in Amarillo is a must for any Route 66 journey. For decades, visitors have been spray-painting the 10 vintage Cadillacs at the site and mulling the transitory nature of time as Bruce Springsteen did in his 1980 song of the same name.
It’s not a ranch, but rather a public art installation created in 1974 by the art and architecture collective Ant Farm. At first, the cars — which were half-buried front-down at a 60-degree angle — were used for target practice. Others would scratch their initials into the metal. The spray painting started later.
Arrive in Adrian and you’re halfway through your trip. Steps from a white line marking the midpoint of Route 66 is the Midway Cafe, where the “ugly pies” are anything but.
If you’re still hungry, head back to Amarillo for a 72-ounce (2 kilogram) steak and all the sides at The Big Texan. If you can finish the meal in an hour or less, it’s free.
New Mexico
More than half of Route 66 cuts through sovereign Native American lands, often tracing routes used by tribes long before settlers arrived. Much like the railroad in the 1800s, the highway opened the door to a new era of commerce, but it also fueled stereotypes about cultures along the way.
There are still faded and crumbling references to tipis and feathered headdresses at some stops along the historic highway. The symbols were easily appropriated for marketing by roadside vendors but weren’t indicative of the separate and distinct Native American cultures in the area.
Today, tribes are telling their own stories and showcasing their creations, whether it be pottery, fruit pies or poems.
Albuquerque boasts the longest intact urban stretch of Route 66. Those 18 miles (29 kilometers) pass through several neighborhoods and business districts, from historic Old Town to Nob Hill.
Some of the old motor lodges and neon signs along what is now Central Avenue have been restored. Other signs are being reimagined using hubcaps, elaborate lowrider-inspired paint jobs and New Mexico’s classic yellow and red license plates in a nod to the car culture that is very much still alive in the city.
Arizona
Musician Jackson Browne was taking his own road trip in the early 1970s when his car left him stranded in Winslow. The experience inspired the lyrics to the Eagles’ hit “Take it Easy.” But it’s certainly not the only song that is a must-have for a Route 66 playlist.
Bobby Troup created a classic American road anthem in the 1940s with “(Get Your Kicks on) Route 66.” Nat King Cole, Chuck Berry, The Rolling Stones and Depeche Mode carried it through the decades, each covering the song with their own flair.
While standing on a corner in Winslow, don’t be surprised if someone saunters up with a guitar and starts strumming favorites from their own road trip playlist.
Before leaving the state, the one-time gold mining town of Oatman features a Wild West atmosphere, daily staged shootouts and beloved burros. Oatman was a destination along one of the original alignments of Route 66 via a treacherous path through the Black Mountains, but it was later bypassed as part of improvements made in the 1950s.
California
Once a desert oasis, Roy’s Motel & Café in Amboy is a quintessential Route 66 landmark. The towering neon sign is one of the most photographed spots along the road. Inside, foreign currency left by international visitors lines one wall. Across the street, a clothing post decorated with shoes, shirts and other items juts up from the desert floor.
This stretch of the highway through the Mojave Desert offers a special kind of solitude. The pavement gets rough in spots and the landscape takes charge, showing off Joshua trees, wide-open spaces and the remnants of ancient volcanic activity.
Much of the area is undeveloped, meaning it looks a lot like it would have when Route 66 was commissioned in 1926.
After making it through oft-congested Los Angeles, the iconic Santa Monica Pier marks the end of the line, and it’s nothing short of a perpetual party with a steady stream of spectators and performers. Although many stretches of Route 66 have lapsed into decay, the breathtaking views of the Pacific Ocean are a reminder of the pursuits made possible by the road over the last century. route 66 art – Search Images
What Samantha Brown discovered after eating her way across Route 66
© (Embroidery by Jenna Blazevich a.k.a. Vichcraft / For The Times)
Route 66 Turns 100. Here’s Our Mega-guide To America’s Mother Road. | Binghamton Herald
Story by Christopher Reynolds
Key takeaways
- Historic Journey: Spanning 2,448 miles from Chicago to Los Angeles, Route 66 has inspired books, songs, movies, and countless road trips.
- Roadside Culture: Highlights include vintage motels, neon signs, Muffler Men, road food, and 20th-century ruins across eight states.
- Cultural Evolution: The highway reflects Dust Bowl history, segregation, postwar boom, freeway-era decline, and its reemergence as a living historic landmark.
Two-thousand, four-hundred and forty-eight miles. That was the span of Route 66 when highway officials stitched it together to link Chicago, Los Angeles and countless cities and towns in between. But as an enduring American symbol, this highway reaches much further than that, inspiring books, songs, movies and countless road trips.
It turns 100 this year, so with summer coming, we drove it all.
Across eight states, we scouted out vintage motels, new businesses, neon signs, friendly Muffler Men, road food, vivid characters and 20th century ruins. We also kept our eyes open for hints of the road’s evolution, from the Dust Bowl years, segregation and the postwar boom to the freeway-era slump and the reemergence of Route 66 as a long, winding and living historic landmark.
Now we’re taking you along for the ride. If you’ve ever daydreamed about covering some part of the famous roadway, hop on in and let’s get our kicks, shall we?
Route 66 Turns 100: The Ultimate Guide to America’s Most Iconic Road Trip in 2026 – Gear Up Travel
Bryan writes for the Associated Press. AP writers John O’Connor in Springfield, Ill., and Sean Murphy in Oklahoma City contributed to this report.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
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Bobby Troup conceived the song during a 10‑day cross‑country drive from Pennsylvania to California in 1946. His wife, Cynthia, suggested the title “Get Your Kicks on Route 66” after they joined U.S. 40 and then U.S. 66
The lyrics function as a mini travelogue, naming key towns along the route — St. Louis, Joplin, Oklahoma City, Amarillo, Gallup, Flagstaff, Winona, Kingman, Barstow, and San Bernardino