Route 66 was officially decommissioned in 1985. This means it was removed from the United States Highway System — it no longer appears on federal highway maps, no longer receives federal maintenance funds, no longer qualifies as a numbered route in the national grid.
It also means nothing. The road is still there. Almost every mile of it is still driveable, maintained by state or county authorities or preservation organizations or, in places, by nobody in particular but still navigable. The gas stations and diners and motels that survived the decommissioning are still operating. New ones opened, specifically to serve travelers who came to experience the old road after it officially ceased to exist.
There are traveler associations, preservation societies, annual cruises, and international clubs dedicated to the highway that doesn’t officially exist. There are museums in the towns along the route that document its history with a thoroughness usually reserved for far older subjects. There are children growing up in Barstow and Winslow and Shamrock, Texas, who will spend their adult lives working on Route 66 in some capacity because the road is what makes their town visible.
The mythology of the road was always larger than the road itself. The idea — that you could get in a car and drive west into something that felt like freedom, or possibility, or at least forward motion — predates Route 66 and will outlast whatever happens to the asphalt.
Some roads you drive to get somewhere. Some roads you drive because the driving is the point. Route 66 was always the second kind. That’s why it’s still going.
The beer is cold. The road is long. There’s no reason to hurry.
We are offering licences for ROUTE 66® Beer in specific territories. An invitation to others to become part of this story. To carry a piece of the road with them and to contribute to the story. We will share a percentage of royalties with Route 66 associations to keep the story alive.
The journey continues. This story is brought to you by ROUTE 66® BEER. Find us at ROUTE66BEER.COM
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