Sights of Route 66 From Chicago-L.A.

Route 66 doesn’t always surface on Google Maps, but it’s there. The most celebrated stretch of asphalt in America rolls out from the heart of downtown Chicago and begins its epic journey west toward the Pacific. So-called “Mother Road” slides through endless farmland, forgotten towns, and the spectacular desert of the American West. The scenery is a thrill, but it’s the stops and sights along the way — each seemingly more mind-blowing than the last — that make the Route 66 road trip. There’s the infamous 1858 penitentiary from Beat literature and Prison Break. You can tour it the day you set off. A barbed wire museum? Texas has one, complete with the recreation of a diner serving 20-cent pie. A landmark “soda ranch” is the pick-me-up pit stop you didn’t know you needed in the Oklahoma plains. Read on for a state-by-state, Chicago-to-L.A. guide for the ultimate American road trip.