End of the Road

Just in time for the end of our trip west: a google doodle celebrating Route 66. 

April 30, 1926, was the date when "US 66" was proposed as the ID for the developing route from Chicago to Los Angeles. "The iconic highway," says Google, was "known for its retro diners, quirky motels, eclectic art installations and extraordinary landscapes." 

Google says: "Today's video—set to the classic music track 'Route 66' by Bobby Troup—celebrates the cultural significance of one of America’s first national highways, and how it became a symbol of a changing nation."

This week we drove along the New Mexico, Oklahoma, and Missouri parts of the route. Of course we took the wide and speedy modern Interstates that replaced old Route 66 by the mid-1980s. On previous trips west, we've driven virtually the entire route of the old "Mother Highway." 

The old Chain of Rocks bridge near St. Louis, replaced in 1970 by the more modern bridge that we 
crossed when driving on Highway 270 into Illinois. (Image: Wikipedia)

Saturday morning, we drove from St. Louis across the Mississippi River at a location called "Chain of Rocks," which was in fact on the original Route 66, and which I remember well from my childhood in St. Louis. Although the quirky diners and motels are pretty much a thing of the past, the landscapes are just as extraordinary as ever!