"If you ever plan to motor west

Travel my way, take the highway that's the best

Get your kicks on Route 66.

It winds from Chicago to L.A.

More than 2,000 miles all the way

Get your kicks on Route 66.

You go through St. Louie, Joplin, Missouri

And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty.

You'll see Amarillo, Gallup, New Mexico

Flagstaff, Arizona, don't forget Winona

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino.

Won't you get hip to this timely tip

When you make that California trip

Get your kicks on Route 66."

Immortalised in song by Bobby Troup, Route 66 is a two lane road that stretches across America, from Chicago, Illinois to Los Angeles, California -- about 2,400 miles in all.

Rather, it used to stretch this distance, as now Route 66 is officially decommissioned. Decommissioned, however, does not mean non-existent. It does mean virtually non-existent on any modern map. However, it is there, usually in plain sight. While still a fairly intact ribbon of road, it has been renamed virtually all across the U.S., usually taking up non descript nomenclature such as "County Road 62" or some such dribble. Any local citizen will likely be able to point the way to Route 66 in his/her town.

HOW TO TRAVEL ROUTE 66

Many excellent guides exist to traveling Route 66. One of the best is "An Illustrated Guidebook to Route 66" available at Amazon.com. While some states (such as Illinois) have signage for "Historic Route 66" for the entire length of the state, other states have virtually no signage. While dictating directions for the entire Route is beyond the scope of H2G2, it is important that the casual reader be able to get a working knowledge of Route 66 in order to travel it.

WHY TRAVEL ROUTE 66?

Why travel Route 66, you may ask? Well, Route 66 is about the best cross-sectional slice of good Americana that is left. Despite appearances, the U.S. is not all giant mall, strip malls, video stores, and home improvement superstores...not at all. Those are simply the by-products of urban enclaves. Between the enclaves, you find Americana...

Route 66 is a two-lane journey through this Americana. The journey starts in the bustling Metropolis of Chicago, heads down through the cornfields of Illinois, through the hills and forests of Missouri, into the plains of Kansas and Oklahoma, onto the flatlands of Texas, into the deserts of New Mexico and Arizona, through the mountains of California, on to the beautiful sea at Santa Monica pier.

Also, Route 66 is a great source for classic American "Road Food," such as hamburgers, chili, tacos, and big, big steaks.