WHOA! ICONIC American Highway Once Thought DEAD Now Making A Comeback!

WHOA! ICONIC American Highway Once Thought DEAD Now Making A Comeback!

I think this is awesome. I have actually traveled on Route 66 out west. Along with hundreds of other back roads and highways… we are adventurous nomads in my family. I was sad when the iconic highway fell into serious disrepair and was all but abandoned. Now, it is getting a historic face lift and a whole new generation of travelers will get to enjoy the trail it blazes.

You never know what to expect on roads like this… you either carry food and water with you, or chance that you’ll go without. And you had better have a full tank and extra gas cans on board. You just never really know how far it is between gas stops unless you travel these routes on a regular basis. I doubt that your GPS will be much help on these roads as far as amenities go. But you will have incredible fun exploring roads and countryside like this.

From The Federalist Papers Project:

America’s most iconic highway is making a comeback.

After the completion of the Interstate Highway System, Route 66 – stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California – fell into disrepair and disuse. It was finally decommissioned in 1985.

Americans wanted to travel faster, smoother, easier.

Hundreds of towns, thousands of businesses, and millions of people relied on the 2,500-mile road, and it became the main thoroughfare for Americans looking for a better life out west.

But while Route 66 faded into American history, pop culture wouldn’t let go.

So now, the historic highway is undergoing a renaissance of sorts, with Americans re-discovering the joy of small-town America and the open road.

But it’s not just Americans. Foreigners – many of whom live in congested, crowded cities – are becoming the new travelers on Route 66.

“Foreigners come to travel the road because it gives them a chance to experience America before we became generic,” said Michael Wallis, a historian and author of “Route 66: The Mother Road.”

“It’s still the road of adventure because nothing on Route 66 is predictable,” he added. “I often say, ‘You know what you are going to get at McDonald’s … but if you are on an old two-lane such as Route 66, you could go into a cafe, a greasy spoon, a pie place, a diner and you don’t know what you’re going to get.’”

The fastest growing groups of tourists on Route 66 are Chinese and Brazilians, as well as Europeans drawn by the idea of the open space and the “road trip of a lifetime.” Americans should learn to enjoy doing things like this more… it shouldn’t be just an adventure for foreigners. One thing I would recommend if you decide to take a trip like this… be armed. And make sure you follow the appropriate gun laws of each state you pass into. Do your homework ahead of time… it could save you a lot of grief in numerous ways.

“I have clients in their 20s and 70s who are fascinated by this road and everyone is looking for convertible Mustangs and Harley Davidsons to experience it,” said Zsolt Nagy, who twice a year organizes Route 66 road trips that cost up to $8,000 per person. Really? Because any car will do and you can travel that route for a fraction of that cost. There’s lots of history there that you can read up on ahead of time. We should enjoy national treasures like Route 66 as Americans. This country was built on adventure.

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton

Terresa Monroe-Hamilton is an editor and writer for Right Wing News. She owns and blogs at NoisyRoom.net. She is a Constitutional Conservative and NoisyRoom focuses on political and national issues of interest to the American public. Terresa is the editor at Trevor Loudon's site, New Zeal - trevorloudon.com. She also does research at KeyWiki.org. You can email Terresa here. NoisyRoom can be found on Facebook and on Twitter.

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