by Michael Wallis
ROUTE 66 TURNS 100 YEARS OLD on November 11, 2026. The good news is that Route 66 is humming with life and kicking like never before. Since its inception in 1926, the road has carried travelers during the Roaring Twenties, the Dust Bowl and Depression, World War II, the postwar boom years, a limbo period when some folks thought the road was gone, and now into this time of unprecedented revival and rediscovery of America.
Through it all, Route 66 became a linear village winding its way through eight states and three time zones. Along the shoulders of this well-worn 2,448-mile village, hundreds of communities offer distinctive enticements, yet they are tied together by the 85 percent of roadway that remains. This true sense of kinship has made Route 66 a destination as well as a bastion for all open-road voyagers who are not in a hurry.
The road is an aging celebrity that has achieved American icon status. It has paid its dues. This year as we celebrate the historic highway’s centennial birthday, it is important to keep in mind that Route 66 is forever reinventing itself. Never static but fluid and elastic, it remains a road of movement and change.
Businesses open and close, and some highway landmarks come and go. Heroes and heroines of the road appear and then vanish. Retirement, death, and bad times take a toll. Yet change is both inevitable and necessary. New generations of folks emerge. Familiar roadside attractions from the various layers of the old road survive. A necklace of “must-see” stops lures visitors from around the world to the Mother Road, as John Steinbeck so aptly dubbed the highway in his remarkable novel, The Grapes of Wrath.
Each of the states that contains a stretch of the highway offers a distinct experience for travelers. I have always believed that a trip on the Mother Road reveals remarkable examples of commercial archaeology, diverse natural and fabricated attractions, and gentle curves tailor-made for a purring Harley, a speedy Corvette, or a van filled with family.
As we traversed the highway, we really did “get our kicks” on Route 66.
Finding the People
Still, the first and foremost attraction on Route 66 is its people. In truth, people are what the road has always been about and why it remains active and relevant to this day. No matter the condition of the highway itself, the people of the Mother Road remain — through good and bad times. That will never change.
See for yourself. Venture out on Route 66, and you will find them. They await you in all the towns and cities and wide spots in the road. The people are there. They tend farms and ranches, pump gasoline, rent rooms for the night, fry eggs and bacon, peddle postcards and trinkets. They offer the traveler a dream, an illusion, some comfort.
Each time my wife Suzanne and I go forth on Route 66, we meet someone new and original. We turn over a rock, and a genie appears. We round a bend and find yet another dreamer or poet or keeper of magic. Our extended family grows. The people keep us going, and they keep us coming back for more. They make the journey worthwhile and memorable.
After Route 66 was officially decommissioned as a federal highway in 1985 and replaced by larger interstate highways, I was saddened when so many people spoke of the Mother Road in the past tense. It was true that the familiar shields were taken down, and many highway towns did not get off-ramps to exit the superslabs that were built to take the place of the original road. However, I knew the people were still there along the time-worn highway –– dispensing hospitality, selling gas, food, and lodging.
I felt compelled to halt the total demise of this crooked road –– a road of genius. I knew that most of Route 66 could still be traveled.
Sparking a Revival
That is why I wrote Route 66: The Mother Road. The timing was perfect. In 1990, when St. Martin’s Press initially published my book, it received tremendous response from the public and from national and international media. Considered the primary catalyst of the highway’s revival, the book was dubbed the “Bible of the Mother Road.” The highway again became an important part of the nation’s cultural scene.
At first, the resurgence of interest in Route 66 did not surprise me. I knew there must be other people like me who were committed to keeping the story of the road alive. However, it was not long before I witnessed the unprecedented popularity of Route 66.
Today, global visitors continue to take the open road — the free road. Each year, more people eager to traverse the Mother Road come to America from Europe, the Pacific Rim, and beyond. Many of them cruise the length of the highway in comfortable tour buses or rental cars or on motorcycles.
I enjoy showing all travelers –– foreign and domestic –– the distinct layers of history along the highway. I meet them in diners and curio shops, at Smithsonian lectures, in university classrooms, and all along the road. Through them and their enthusiasm, my sense of pure adventure and passion for the highway and its people remains strong. This great revival made Route 66 a destination in and of itself.
Many people argue that Route 66 is the most famous highway in the United States. I agree. Others claim it might be the best known in the world. I will not argue with them. This much is fact — for me and tens of thousands of others, this fabled American highway will never die.
Route 66 has evolved into a timeless monument to the people who live on its shoulders and the legions of motorists who travel its length. A trek down the highway is pure pleasure for all those who find time sacred and want to experience the America that used to be — America before the nation became generic.
The road of John Steinbeck, Will Rogers, Dorothea Lange, Woody Guth-rie, and Jack Kerouac is still the best path for dreamers, drifters, and ramblers on a quest. From Illinois to California, the Route 66 revival not only continues but gains momentum. The Mother Road is stronger than ever. It has new life and meaning. As I wrote in 1990, the high-way survives as a grizzled veteran with the allure and prestige of an aging celebrity. It remains the ultimate symbol of a restless nation on the move. The world still comes to Route 66.
Steering toward Success
In 2001, after St. Martin’s Press published the updated Route 66: The Mother Road 75th Anniversary Edition, there was another surge of interest in the highway. That same year, Route 66 got another boost when Pixar Animation Studios, based in Emeryville, California, chose the Mother Road as the canvas for what became the commercially and critically acclaimed animated film Cars.
Pixar’s creative team was drawn to the famous highway that had been declared obsolete but refused to die. Soon after reading Route 66: The Mother Road, they contacted me, and I became their consultant for all things Route 66. To give the creative team a true feel for traveling the route, I led tours on the various alignments. Every journey on Route 66 was unforgettable.
The first trek, in June 2001, included enough directors, producers, writers, and animators to fill a trio of rented Cadillacs. As we traversed the highway, we really did “get our kicks” on Route 66.
We frequently stopped to move box turtles off the road, dance in fields of winter wheat, examine roadkill, sample local cuisine, and take in the natural and created attractions. We spent time with road celebrities, road warriors, and travelers from every corner of the world. I introduced the Pixar team to people who later became the animated car and truck characters. Pixar even modeled a car character after me. I provided the voice for the sheriff of Radiator Springs, a 1949 police cruiser who enjoys telling stories of his beloved Mother Road.
Cars was ready for release in 2006. Before the world premiere, I viewed the finished film, and when the credits rolled, tears filled my eyes. I knew then what the film would do for Route 66. Pixar got it right. Cars placed Route 66 in front of a worldwide audience and helped to increase business on parts of the road by as much as 30 percent. The Cars franchise eventually included sequels Cars 2 in 2011 and Cars 3 in 2017.
In the summer of 2012, Cars Land, a twelve-acre themed attraction, opened at Disney California Adventure in Anaheim. Cars Land features a full-sized recreation of the mythical town of Radiator Springs, including all the residents. Inspired by the Cars films, it was created through collaborations between Disney Imagineering and Pixar. As I did with the Pixar creative team, I served as a consultant for the Imagineers and guided them on a memorable research expedition on the Mother Road. The results speak for themselves and help inspire future generations of Route 66 travelers.
Promoting the Highway
Beyond my focus on Route 66 as an author and voice actor, I found other ways to boost the Mother Road. In 2009, I founded the Route 66 Alliance, a nonprofit corporation dedicated to the preservation, promotion, and enhancement of historic Route 66 –– past, present, and future.
Headquartered in Tulsa, the acknowledged “Capital of Route 66,” the Route 66 Alliance supports the efforts of other organizations and people in all the Route 66 states to preserve historic sites, architecture, institutions, merchants, and attractions that touch the lives of all people who travel the length of this historic highway. The Route 66 Alliance also partners with the state associations to encourage tourism and economic development on the entire Route 66 corridor.
It was my good fortune in 2015 when Ken Busby became the executive director and CEO of the Route 66 Alliance. The reputed “Cultural Czar” of northeastern Oklahoma, Ken previously served as director and CEO of the Arts and Humanities Council of Tulsa for 12 years. Ken’s professional and educational résumé and list of awards and honors speak to his achievements as a preservationist and civic leader.
Managing a small nonprofit with a large presence takes a great deal of work just for day-to-day operations. Yet as Ken explains, “My routine is never the same twice, which I love! This position allows me to work across America with a truly international appeal. Every day I’m meeting tourists, making connections, and striving to be a useful advocate for Route 66.”
I consider Ken Busby and Rhys Martin, president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Association, my highly capable and effective wingmen. They proved invaluable to me as the greater Route 66 community prepared the world for the 100th anniversary of the highway.
Four years before the Mother Road centennial, President Joe Biden honored me with a presidential appointment to the U.S. Route 66 Centennial Commission, established by Congress to oversee the 2026 celebration.
The commission, comprised of members from each of the Route 66
states, was charged with identifying and recommending significant projects, events, and activities that honor the highway and promote and enhance preservation, tourism, and marketing. Ken and Rhys assisted me with my work on the federal commission and were key players on the Tulsa Route 66 Commission and Oklahoma Route 66 Centennial Commission. Together, we spread the word that the 100th anniversary was just another milestone in the highway’s long and storied history. There is so much more to come.
When you make your own Route 66 journey, keep in mind that this crooked road remains a work in progress. Shun the superslabs whenever you can.
Remember that life truly begins at the off-ramp.
