A New Year always feels like the start of an epic road trip. And like the best road trips, while we often start with specific destinations — or goals — in mind, the most memorable moments are often the ones that take us completely by surprise.
ThisNew Year, the road trip analogy is even more appropriate than usual. Why? Because 2026 marks the 100th anniversary of Route 66.
“The Mother Road,” as author John Steinbeck once called it, is perhaps the most famous highway in America. Stretching from Chicago to Santa Monica, California, Route 66 was the primary route for Americans migrating west due to the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl of the 1930s.It supported tens of thousands of families who dreamed of making a better life for themselves and their children…and who risked nearly everything to make that dream happen.
But people who traveled that road — or who travel it today — quickly learned that the road itself was something of a dream. All along the route could be found towns and communities, inns and hotels, diners and drive-ins, artwork and architecture, all unique in their own way. To travel Route 66 was to experience everything America had to offer, all on a single road.
While the highway was eventually supplanted by our modern interstate system, with many sections falling into disrepair, efforts are currently being made to restore those sections so that they appear exactly the way they did in their heyday. But even as time has passed, Route 66 remains a symbol of something very powerful: That everyonehas the right and the freedom to dream what they want to dream and go where they want to go…and that the journey matters as much as the destination.
With that symbol in mind, let’s make this year like traveling on our own personal Route 66. A year for following your dreams and pursuing your goals…while always leaving time for the unexpected sights and hidden gems that surely lie beyond each hill or around every bend.
Happy New Year! And Happy 100thAnniversary, Route 66!
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1“U.S. Route 66,”Wikipedia,https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_66
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