The legendary Route 66 goes all the way from Los Angeles to Chicago, but I’ve only had the pleasure to drive on a portion of it from St. Louis to Chicago. Over the last century, the alignment of the road changed several times, so signs tell drivers which sections of road were designated as Route 66 during which points in history.
To help understand all of this, I visited the Litchfield Museum and Route 66 Welcome Centre. Apart form the history of the road and its impact on the town, there are also cool pieces of Americana on display and nifty little souvenirs. I bought a lapel pin with the road’s black-and-white logo on it.
The road is mostly straight with a couple of kinks in it here and there between property lines. Some of it has no land markings on it at all making it feel just like the 1920s. The tall stalks of corn on both sides make it look as if you’re navigating through a maze of roads and every corner can be a surprise.
