Route 66: End of the Trail

My Route 66 crusade from Chicago to Los Angeles encompassed more than 2,500 miles of driving through the 8 states Route 66 passes through, plus Nevada. And it was a euphoric feeling arriving at the historic "End of the Trail" in Santa Monica, California, and taking a picture on the Santa Monica Pier to mark such an extraordinary accomplishment. My husband and I also took a photo together in front of the iconic ferris wheel on the pier to capture the moment of completing the journey on America's legendary highway from start to finish. If you factor in our entire trip from Houston to Chicago to L.A. and back to Houston, that totals nearly 7,500 miles of driving! Now, imagine if I could have gotten frequent flier miles for that. ;-) I am so grateful to Fund For Teachers for giving me the opportunity and privilege to bring this important part of American history and culture back to my classroom in Houston. I've learned so much about my own country that I otherwise would never have discovered had I not embarked on this FFT fellowship. It's also eye-opening to find out that more Europeans travel the entire Route 66 from Illinois to California, than Americans themselves, to take part in the lore and adventure of the Mother Road. At one stop, where Route 66 travelers were asked to put a stick pin in a map to mark where they were from, I was the only visitor from Houston. Route 66 is a slice of Americana that can be found nowhere else in the world, and the wonderful people and unique places along the way are what make this journey so special. So now that I've finished my Fund For Teachers Route 66 marathon, what am I going to do next?

I'm going to Radiator Springs! Ka Chow!