Since ROVA began, our ultimate goal has been to share the magic of the road trip. This year, as the Route 66 celebrates its 100th year, ROVA celebrates, too, with this special centennial issue that showcases the road trip to end all road trips.

ROVA has long championed the roads less traveled, the quirks of life in an RV or van, the oddities that can be found in the pockets of America’s townships, and the people who make a place a community, not just a destination. So, it feels right that we should dedicate a whole issue to Route 66, which exemplifies all of these things, and so much more.

Route 66 is a fascinating and vital driving trip, with boundless treasures for curious travelers. You can do the whole damn thing in just a couple of weeks, zipping past neon in a blur of your own taillights, stopping for pie and coffee at diners so retro you’ll feel like you’re in a 1950s Polaroid, and snapping pics of the roadside oddities that pass by the car windows—and you’ll still have an incredible time. Alternatively, you can slow down, learn about the route’s checkered history, meet some Route 66 mainstays, and dig around like you’re a bargain hunter in a vintage store (sometimes on Route 66 this is exactly what it feels like!).

Take detours, find deserted landscapes, drink tequila with the bartender, park your RV under dark skies or in cactus plains. Try dirt‑flavored soda, grin beside a dinosaur, do an art tour, eat fry bread, conjure ghosts. Route 66 really has it all!

In this special centennial edition of ROVA, we’ve explored the many sides of Route 66. From its history to its culinary offerings, to the old-school business proprietors keeping the route alive and the oddball roadside attractions that have brought folks joy for decades, we’ve done our best to discover as many Route 66 kicks as we can.

Whether you’re planning your first Route 66 adventure or your fifth, we hope these pages inspire you to hit the road, take the scenic route, and create your own stories along America’s Main Street.

Here’s to 100 amazing years of Route 66—and to the next generation of travelers who will keep its spirit alive.

Happy travels!

Gemma Peckham

Editor

ROVA