We could not miss the chance to drive along parts of the iconic Route 66. We were in the western part of the US, and that was on our bucket list. It was totally worth it!

The legend of route 66 is still alive … It is not the same as in the past when it crossed the whole country connecting several states, but even with the construction of new roads and the improvement of old ones that have allowed commuters to get from A to B in a shorter time, Route 66 is still active in some parts of the country. These days it is more like a rock star, as tourists and nostalgic Americans don´t miss the opportunity to drive along the road.

In some places, Route 66 is located along other interstates but, of course, it has a lower speed limit. So whoever drives along it is just there for a pleasant ride. It is funny that in our minds we connected Route 66 with Harley Davison riders and we were not wrong … Many riders of the famous motorcycles were there, but we saw other types of motorcycles and lots of cars driving really slowly while taking pictures of the remains of the road.

Abandoned shops and petrol stations are very normal on the road, but not of course without “Historic Route 66” signs.

Our experience on Route 66

The beginning of our journey along the road was in Albuquerque, where we spent the night in the beautiful Hotel Andaluz. Just a few miles from the city, we saw a “Historic Route 66” sign. From that point to the town of Santa Rosa, our next stop, there was not much to see.

When we left Santa Rosa we took the wrong road by mistake, and it was parallel to the interstate we were supposed to take. We could have simply turned back and taken the correct one, but those are the moments when you just want to ride and peacefully enjoy the views.

About 20 miles later we got back to the interstate and a bit further on we entered Route 66 again. This time it was to see a town which was mostly abandoned (on purpose) and each establishment had a “Historic Route 66” sign.

Americans really know how to pay tribute to a symbol of their country. We truly enjoyed the bits that we saw and now we can proudly say “we drove on Route 66”.

We continued our journey through the west, this time going towards Durango. On the way we made a little stop for dinner in the beautiful town of Santa Fe.

Next stop San Juan Scenic Highway in Colorado!