Beginning of Essay
Prior to moving to Arizona from Switzerland two years ago, I have spent almost all of my vacation time from 1987-1992 (thanks to 6 weeks vacation time per year and airline benefits) visiting the U.S.A. and taking extensive road trips across the country. I followe ....

Middle of Essay
.... of "Get your kicks on Route 66" eluded me too. I remember browsing through a book in a bookstore, Route 66 - The Mother Road by Michael Wallis, and being fascinated by the pictures, the small towns, the old gas stations, the hamburger joints and the old signs. This was what had always fascinated me on the road too, more than the National Parks, Disneyland and the skyscrapers together! I finally bought the book last year and the Route 66 mystery started to unfold. My wife and I took a road trip from Phoenix to Detroit last June but due to time concerns had to pass up on most of the "kicks". Now I really wanted to do a Route 66 trip! We set aside the t ....