North East Travel News

Issue 118

When it comes to epic road trips, America’s Route 66 is arguably the world’s most famous. Roadside attractions, museums and signage have been receiving upgrades ahead of the historic highway’s centenary in 2026. That means there’s no time like the present to plan a journey on ‘the Mother Road’. That term became popular after John Steinbeck used it in The Grapes of Wrath. Telling the story of the Joad family’s westward journey along Route 66 during the Great Depression, his novel conveys a sense of the hope it offered. Billy Troup’s much-covered song, written in 1946, encouraged people to “get their kicks” on Route 66. The hit further popularised the appeal of driving the 2,448- mile highway between Chicago and Santa Monica. Unlike today’s multi-lane highways, Route 66 had just one lane in each direction when it opened in 1926. An example of that can be seen at Carpenter Park…