From most every perspective Route 66 is unique in the annuals of American roadways that over the years have included the National Road, the Sauk Trail, the Santa Fe Trail, and the Oregon Trail. It is a decommissioned US highway, fragmented and broken with the remnants that remain bearing signage that designates the segments as county or state highways. Still, from Chicago to Santa Monica it is known as Route 66.
It is a highway littered with ghostly vestiges of better times that provide tangible links to a not so distant past that is remarkably different from the present. It is a colorful string of time capsules from an era when neon lit the night, the tail fin represented the latest in automotive design, and the station wagon had yet to be replaced by the mini van. It is also a vital highway that links the past with the future as evidenced by plans for alternative energy powered vehicle rallies along its route.
Is has served to elevate Dust bowl refugees and itinerant artists to a level of acclaim once reserved for the Greek heroes of the Trojan War. Look at the heart felt admiration and acclaim being poured out for Bob Waldmire, an icon of the highway that has captured its very essence with his unique art work that ranges from intricately detailed post cards to panoramic wall murals.
All of this reflection may be old news but as I dig deeper into the story of the ghost towns of Route 66 for the next book it has taken on a new dimension. I now see the legendary highway as the Main Street of America that has served as the parade route for more than a century of our nations trials, tribulations, and triumphs. 
