Route 66 Miles of Possibility 2026
Day 1
Poised for Possibilities
Day 2
Signs and Boats and More
Day 3
Conference Day 1
Day 4
Conference Day 2
Day 5
Heading Home
October 11, 2026 (day 5)
I joined a few other conference attendees at the Illinois State Museum to
see the Miles of Memories exhibit. From there, I headed north to check out
new giants and meet new museum owners in Atlanta. Then it was eastbound
and down.
October 10, 2026 (day 4)
The day started with a visit from Abe Lincoln and ended with a sky full
of neon. Great presentations, a trivia contest, and a prize drawing kept
us quite busy in between.
October 9, 2026 (day 3)
This was the first day of presentations, and some really good ones
followed Jerry McClanahan's excellent keynote address.
October 8, 2026 (day 2)
I saw some wonderful signs, floated over some old Sixty-Six, looked
over some great art, and connected and reconnected with some really cool
people.
October 7, 2026 (day 1)
Some expressway, a bit of the National Road, and a little Historic Route
66 got me within a short distance of Springfield, ready for tomorrow's
activities.
Prelude - June 15, 2026
When the conference ended last year, I was undecided about attending the
next one. In fact, I recall being more inclined to skip than not. But over
time, my inclination shifted, and I just registered to attend my fifth
consecutive (seventh overall)
Miles of
Possibility conference. This one is in Springfield, IL.
My original hesitancy clearly came from my intention to essentially stay off of Sixty-Six during its centennial year. It's a long road, so I don't doubt it will be able to accommodate any overall increase in traffic the occasion brings. That might not be true of specific spots on specific days, however, and a desire to avoid that is part of my thinking. Another part is my ambivalence toward all the hoopla directed at the route's 100th birthday. There are many things unique and special about Route 66 but November 11, 1926, isn't one of them. It's the day when the United States Numbered Highway System became official and that involved more than 190 routes in addition to US 66.
Date's that are exclusively Route 66's in the world of roads include June 27, 1985, and April 30, 1926. The 1985 date is when the route was decommissioned and I get that celebrating the death is not as much fun as celebrating the birth. Besides, the centennial of that is still 59 years away. April 30, 1926, is when the telegram accepting the number 66 was sent. It might make sense as the basis for a route wide celebration but Springfield, MO, (where that telegram originated) has already used it for an annual festival which makes it not so attractive elsewhere.
So, I can understand how this is a great time to have a party for Route 66. It is certainly something worth celebrating as the number one symbol of road oriented heritage tourism in America. I just wish those nearly 200 siblings weren't being almost completely ignored in the process. It's kind of like having big Fourth of July parties from Georgia to New Hampshire to celebrate 250 years of Delaware's independence.