It's just your ordinary basic day on Route 66. Native plants coated with early-morning dew show off the colors of fall. A westbound car sporting two tones of red--one from a replacement hood--hugs the center line of this narrow 1924 bridge.

Ahead in both directions, 66 beckons with curves, gentle hills and small towns. Drivers on adjacent I-44 can only anticipate the next generic Travel Center.