Road Trip | Complete Guide to Western Route 66 Journey 🚗✨

In December 2023, we embarked on a road trip centered around the iconic Route 66 in the American West. This trip, themed "exploring a historic highway," was filled with longing for the classic route and unexpected real experiences. I’ve organized it into a guide to share with friends who also want to check in on Route 66, hoping to help everyone plan their itinerary more clearly～ 📅 Travel Time & Core Route Date: December 2023 (traveling in winter, some sections may encounter low temperatures or strong winds; check the weather in advance) Core Section: Oklahoma City → Albuquerque (New Mexico) The entire journey is approximately 550 miles (about 885 kilometers), with an estimated driving time of 8 hours via navigation. Most of the journey follows the signs for the "historic Route 66." I originally thought this would be a journey full of "Western wilderness romance"—after all, Route 66 is known as the "Mother Road of America," and countless movies and documentaries depict it as a "road carrying freedom and dreams." But after actually driving the entire route, I realized my expectations might have been a bit too high: The scenery along the road was more monotonous than imagined, with alternating stretches of desert and grassland, lacking layered changes; Many sections marked as "Old Route 66" have long been abandoned, with bumpy roads that are completely impassable. In the end, we mostly drove on parallel highways, missing the ritual sense of "taking the historic old road"; Although there were scattered vintage internet-famous check-in spots and small museums along the way, the overall scenery didn’t live up to the "shock" I imagined. Even the dream I once had of "driving from Chicago to Los Angeles and completing the entire Route 66" has quietly faded—maybe keeping a little "unfulfilled longing" will help me remember the uniqueness of this journey even more～ 🌈 Must-Visit Landmarks (with Real Experiences) Oklahoma Route 66 Museum One of the most "highway-themed" museums along the way! It displays vintage cars, model gas stations, and diaries and photos of travelers from the past. You can quickly learn about the historical changes of Route 66, making it perfect for nostalgic travelers 🚗💨. Cadillac Ranch A classic among classics! Ten Cadillacs half-buried in the ground, their bodies covered in graffiti by tourists, full of street art vibes. However, we went in winter, and the strong wind made it hard to keep our eyes open. We had to wrap up tightly and take photos in a hurry. It’s recommended to visit in spring or autumn for a more comfortable experience ❄️📸. Midway Point of Route 66 This Route 66 trip wasn’t as "perfect" as I imagined, but the cold-wind check-ins, the hot burgers at the vintage diner, and the old stories in the museum have all become unique memories. Perhaps the meaning of a road trip is never "seeing how beautiful the scenery is," but every little accident and every real feeling encountered on the way—that’s the most precious "guide" of all～ #Route66 #TravelBlog #TravelMoments #SpontaneousTrip #TravelDiary #OnTheRoad #RoadTrip #USRoadTrip