AAA Texas: Follow Our Route 66 80th Anniversary Map Research Trip Online

IRVING, Texas--May 1, 20057, 2005--AAA Texas has created a special web page so members and the public can follow its travel writer and photographer on an 80th anniversary of Route 66 map research trip that will take 22 days to complete.

The route's unique roadside eateries, historic motels, trading posts, ghost towns, scenic natural wonders and offbeat attractions will be served up in AAA Texas' Route 66 GreatestHits(TM) Map to be published next year to pay tribute to the 80th anniversary of America's "Mother Road."

The page, which can be reached by going to, www.aaa.com, describes the AAA's historic contribution to the creation of the route, biographies about Route 66 travel writer Dave Brackney and staff photographer Todd Masinter, images from the corporate archives of AAA, plus a map with the pair's daily itinerary. A unique feature of the trip is a Route 66 "geocache" treasure hunt.

The pair begins their expedition in Chicago today and will finish at the Santa Monica, Calif., Pier, near the western end of the route on June 7. The interactive web page will feature a daily journal with entries and photos sent in electronically from the road. Members and the public can send their own Route 66 memories and questions to AAA Texas via email at Route66@aaa-texas.com.

"This top-selling map describes small towns, landmarks and colorful Route 66 history," said AAA Texas spokesperson Rose Rougeau. "Members and the public will enjoy the travel journal, in addition to the 80th anniversary map we publish next year."

Hertz and Ford Motor Company are sponsoring the vehicles for the road trip: a 2005 Ford Mustang coupe and Mustang GT convertible.

Before the federal government took it over in 1927 and renamed it U.S. Route 66, the original transcontinental byway was called the National Old Trails Road, where AAA signposting crews installed 4,000 directional signs between Los Angeles and Kansas City, Mo.

Each GreatestHits(TM) Map is $4.95 for AAA Texas members and $7.95 for the public. Other titles include New Orleans, Oahu, Maui, Hollywood and Alaska. A GreatestHits laminated map will be released for Boston in fall.

AAA Texas, an affiliate of AAA National, has been serving Texans since 1902. Today, more than a million AAA Texas' members benefit from the organization's roadside assistance service, insurance and financial products, travel agency, automotive pricing, buying and financing, trip planning services, and traffic safety programs. Information about these products and services is available on AAA Texas' web site at www.aaa-texas.com.