Route 66, the storied American highway, is marking its 100th anniversary this year, and ABC's travel series 50 states in 50 weeks turned the spotlight on Oklahoma, where much of the road's story began. The state is using the centennial to draw visitors back to the small towns strung along the famous route.
The idea to build the highway was born in Oklahoma, and over the decades it became known across the country as America's Main Street, or the Mother Road. Running from Chicago all the way to Santa Monica in California, it passes through eight states, and its longest continuous drivable stretch, around 400 miles, lies within Oklahoma itself.
The road also holds a place in the record books as the first completely paved transcontinental highway in the United States. A century on from its beginnings, it has increasingly become a destination in its own right rather than simply a way to travel from one coast to the other.
Amy Blackburn, Oklahoma's director of tourism, said the centennial year had brought renewed interest in visiting the small towns and the family-run businesses that line the route. Speaking at the Will Rogers Theater in Oklahoma City, she described that mix of local, mom-and-pop experiences as the real magic of Route 66.
The route is dotted with quirky landmarks that have become attractions in themselves. They include Totem Pole Park, home to what is billed as the world's largest concrete totem pole, and the world's tallest gas pump, a 66-foot structure at the Route 66 Auto Museum. The Rock Cafe, built in 1939 from road rubble, even inspired the character Sally in the Pixar film Cars.
In Tulsa, visitors can wander the Neon Sign Park, a collection of restored neon signs, and experience one of the road's more unusual features. Rumble strips built into the pavement there play the tune of This Land Is Your Land, the song written by the proud Oklahoman Woody Guthrie, turning a simple drive into a piece of music.
In Oklahoma City, the Wheeler Ferris wheel offers sweeping views over the downtown skyline, and it carries its own Route 66 connection, having come from Santa Monica, where the highway ends, before the city bought it in 2008. With celebrations expected throughout the year across the country, Oklahoma is positioning its stretch of the Mother Road at the heart of the festivities.