I grew up near part of the historic Route 66, but I
never knew much about it until high school. One of my friends took a road trip
on the Illinois section of the road, and he wouldn’t stop talking about it! He had
said, “If you ever take a road trip, you should travel on Route 66.” So when I
decided to take my first road trip, I thought, “What’s better than Route 66!”
So I started doing research. Route 66 stretches
2000 miles across the United States, starting in Chicago, Illinois and ending
in Los Angeles, California. It passes through seven states in total, most of
them states I have never visited. It was established as an official highway in
1926, but it has been gradually replaced by the freeway system. It was officially
retired in 1984. Now it is only used by people like me who take road trips and
want to experience a bit of mid-century American atmosphere.
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| Photo by Lars Plougmann |
I also looked up what attractions to see along the
way. I was told that there are some famous rest stops along the way. If I stop at
these places, I should eat good, local food like barbequed chicken and buy Route
66 souvenirs. And if I drive as far as I want to drive, I should get out of my
car and walk around!
After researching and planning my itinerary, I
started looking for places to sleep overnight. I could go camping, but I prefer
a real bed, and so I looked for any bed and breakfasts along the route. No
luck! There are mostly motels off of Route 66: truck drivers need cheap places
to stay! Because motels do not normally take reservations, I can decide where I
want to sleep when I want to sleep!
What do you think? Would you rather sleep in a
motel or go camping? Where are you sleeping on your road trips? While you are
planning, you may have to change your minds!
