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Special Edition 80th Anniversary Route 66 Map Pays Tribute to Mother Road and is Available at Club Offices

Travel

(Los Angeles, March 6, 2006) — The Automobile Club of Southern California's special edition of its top-selling Route 66 map to commemorate the 80th anniversary of the highway has been issued and is now available at Auto Club local offices.

The updated Route 66 GreatestHits™ Map features highlights from the Route 66 road trip that an Auto Club travel writer and photographer took last year in a 2005 Ford Mustang coupe and Mustang GT convertible. Members received a preview of what would appear on the map as the pair shared their travels on an Auto Club online travel journal at www.aaa.com.

The best of the cross-country route is published in six shorter road trips that allow travelers to experience as much of the historic highway as they wish, or have time to drive. Each trip overview gives a flavor of the stretch, plus a list of top local attractions. The map offers travelers the option of following the original route, or hopping on and off the freeway.

Members followed Auto Club travel writer Dave Brackney and Auto Club photographer Todd Masinter's trip as they visited the "Mother Road's" unique roadside eateries, historic motels, trading posts, ghost towns, scenic natural wonders and offbeat attractions. All are served up in the updated map to pay tribute to America's "Mother Road."

Brackney and Masinter can be found on the laminated map pictured in front of a Route 66 mural in Tucumcari, New Mexico. The cover photograph features waitress Donna Fenton serving flapjacks, bacon and toast at Lou Mitchell's in Chicago where the 2,400-mile road begins.

"This vivid map describes small towns, landmarks and the colorful Route 66 history and scenery," said Auto Club Editorial Director John Austerman. "Members can use the map for their own Route 66 road trips, or add it to their own Route 66 memorabilia."

Road trip six includes the new Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield, Ill. The Cozy Dog Drive In, which was featured on the previous Route 66 GreatestHits Map, is featured again. The Cozy Dog has perfected the art of making corn dogs since 1949.

Before the federal government took it over in 1926 and renamed it U.S. Route 66, the original transcontinental byway was called the National Old Trails Road. Between 1914 and 1915, the Auto Club's signposting crew installed the 4,000 directional signs between Los Angeles and Kansas City, Mo. Each GreatestHits Map is $4.95 for members and $8.95 for the public. Other titles include Alaska and Maui. The Auto Club plans to release laminated maps for Washington D.C. and San Francisco later in the year.

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CST 1016202-80 Copyright © Automobile Club of Southern California. All Rights Reserved.
The Automobile Club of Southern California is a member club affiliated with the American Automobile Association (AAA) national federation and serves members in the following California counties: Inyo, Imperial, Kern, Los Angeles, Mono, Orange, Riverside, San Bernardino, San Diego, San Luis Obispo, Santa Barbara, Tulare, and Ventura.