The road most travelled

April 2026

Route 66 was my everyday road growing up in Chandler—now, its centennial reminds me the most historic journeys are the ones that lead us home.

For most people, Route 66 is a destination. For me, it was the way to get somewhere.

I grew up in Chandler, Oklahoma, a town where the Mother Road runs straight through the middle of everyday life. Long before I understood the history or the mythology of Route 66, I simply knew it as the road we took everywhere to school, church, the grocery store, ball games, friends’ houses and family dinners.

The road didn’t feel historic. It felt familiar. It was the route my parents drove every morning to school and the one where the afternoon sun hit the windshield just right on the way home. It was passing the same storefronts again and again, waiting behind slow tractors and watching pickup trucks roll through town.

Looking back now, those short drives stitched together the rhythm of childhood — ordinary trips that quietly became the backdrop of growing up.

Today, as Route 66 celebrates its 100th anniversary, people from around the world still come to Oklahoma to experience the road. They stop at neon-lit diners, vintage gas stations and quirky roadside attractions, photographing the signs and collecting stories along the way.

The funny thing is, growing up along the road means realizing that spirit was never just about nostalgia. It’s about people and the stories happening right now in towns like Chandler.

This month, Oklahoma Living celebrates the centennial of Route 66 and the communities that keep its story alive.

For some readers, Route 66 is a once-in-a-lifetime road trip.

I’m grateful one of the most historic roads in America is the same one that simply leads me home