The Mother Road Turns 100

Route 66 isn’t the oldest, nor the longest, highway in America. But it’s the stretch of asphalt that gearheads favor most when it’s time to hit the road. Originally commissioned in 1926, and reaching through eight states — Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California — that road west represented a pathway to better times shortly after the Dust Bowl and Great Depression nearly smothered Midwest Americans. But it was John Steinbeck’s novel, The Grapes of Wrath, published in 1939, that forever etched Route 66 into American lore. Eventually, Route 66 earned “The Mother Road” moniker, and later became known as “America’s Main Street.”

Route 66 originally stretched about 2,480 miles, from Chicago to Los Angeles. Today, that figure pales compared to the 4.4 million miles of paved roadways in America, of which three million miles are rural roads. And even though today’s fast-moving Interstate highway system accounts for a scant 1.2 percent of total pavement, the Interstate Highways are what slowly overtook Route 66. It was October 13, 1984, that engineers paved over the last stretch of the original Route 66 with fresh concrete intended for Interstate 40 near Williams, Arizona, ending an era.

Or was it the end? Immediately, a coalition that became known as Historic Route 66 slowly revived the highway’s nostalgic appeal. Signs of life slowly returned along the old road, and one person who wanted to be part of that road-bound renaissance was a good friend of mine, Mike Byrne, who, in 2010, was retiring from a career as a California public school administrator. To celebrate the occasion, he would ride his Honda Gold Wing the entire length of Historic Route 66, using the traditional starting point at Grant Park in downtown Chicago. Mike told me, “I’m going to celebrate my 66th birthday on Route 66 this October 6, [2010].” I sensed a pattern forming, one that included his 6-cylinder motorcycle, a birthday date of “6,” and, of course, double-6 for the highway and for his newfound age. He shipped the Wing to the Midwest, where he’d retrieve it after visiting relatives in Indiana. He left to “motor west” September 26, 2010 (6 again!). His schedule allotted time with friends and family along the route to California.

Before leaving, Mike recalled when, as a boy, his dad often reminded him, “Michael, always remember to stop and smell the flowers.” Sage advice, especially now, when Mike began his journey through the prairie country. “The aroma of sage and the sweet scent of wet grass,” Mike recalled, “filled the air.”

Meal stops at local eateries were just as rewarding. “The Rose Grille in Chelsea, Oklahoma, offered the inviting smell of fresh home-style cooking,” said Mike. “The walls were covered with black and white photographs of celebrities from the 1950s, too!”