Just Me and the Highway

[imported_Susan]

I am planning to take a leave of absence from work for a couple of months and travel cross-country from New York. One of the things I'm very excited about trying is following the remnants of Route 66 from Chicago to its end. I am planning to start out in either September or October.

I have two basic questions on which I would welcome advice or input.

1. I wonder how safe or unsafe it is for a woman alone to be travelling on a long trip like this. I notice there were some postings under this category, but the answers were about women travelling together. This is just me and my Dodge Neon.

2. Speaking of me and my Neon: How tricky does Route 66 get in terms of twists, turns, and mountain driving? Are there treacherous areas that I might want to avoid? I did some mountain driving in Colorado, and it made me very nervous indeed, especially going down-hill.

Thanks for any advice you might have handy!

[Mark Sedenquist]

Susan,

The trickiest part to following Rte 66 is simply finding it. Much of the original route has been swallowed by newer highways. It is possible to drive the entire route -- but it requires back-tracking in several sections. One of the books I really suggest you check out would be the latest edition of Jamie Jensen's classic "Road Trip USA" (http://www.roadtripamerica.com/read/guides.htm) has a brief review and comments. In fact, the book might serve to introduce you to some real fun roads on your way east from NY.

US Hwy-2 would be my choice for some, if not all, of your journey!

The best on-line resource we have seen is http://www.historic66.com/

We know a number of women who travel alone. As long as you employ good common sense and some road tripping skills -- you will be fine. Read the three posts entitled Women Traveling Alone at (http://www.roadtripamerica.com/roadtripamericaConference/Index.cfm?CFApp=44&Message_ID=1517)

Congratulations on embarking on this grand adventure!

Mark