America's most storied highway turns 100

Route 66, the famed highway linking Chicago to Santa Monica across eight states, marks its 100th anniversary in November. Once dismissed as just a road, it became a cultural touchstone: jazz musician Bobby Troup urged Americans to “come get your kicks on Route 66,” and the 1960s TV series “Route 66” boosted the route and popularized Corvettes. In literature, Jack Kerouac embraced the journey in “On the Road,” while John Steinbeck’s “The Grapes of Wrath” highlighted the harsh realities of travel. The story recounts a modern trip that stops in Flagstaff and heads to the Grand Canyon for sunrise and lunch views along the South Rim, noting Grand Canyon Village’s El Tovar Hotel dating to 1905 and local facts such as Supai Village’s 208 Havasupai residents.