… play on the U.S. Highways instead.

I’ve come to love driving on the old U.S. Highways when taking road-trips.  Construction on these highways was started in 1926 and were largely bypassed or usurped by the Interstate freeway system beginning in the 1960’s, or have been downgraded to state highways.  The heyday for these routes was the post-war period from the 1940’s and 1950’s.  Remnants and ruins from this period are still visible along the roads, such as restored motels and diners, or the remains of old gas stations.

The symbols for these old highways are black and white shields or badges.  When planning road-trips, I actively seek out these routes on the maps.

In the west these highways are sparsely used.  I love this because it means I can pull off anywhere and take a photo or a pee, or make a U-turn if I passed something interesting.  It’s very relaxing due to the lack of traffic and often very scenic.

I recently took a road-trip to California from Colorado.  A portion of that trip was along U.S. 60 between Socorro, New Mexico and Globe, Arizona.  I came across an old windmill museum.

And then there was Pie Town:

Wildlife I saw along the way:

Jack Rabbit? It was nearly 2 feet tall.

Pronghorn Antelope

In Arizona, U.S. 60 passes through the Fort Apache Indian Reservation south of Show Low.  I was surprised to find this very scenic area called Salt River Canyon.  It reminded me much of Zion National Park in Utah.

More photos from my trip west will be posted soon.