Nothing could stop me from driving my Mustang on Route 66

When’s the right time to drive Route 66 in your 1966 Ford Mustang? When you turn 66, of course.

I live in Alaska, so just getting to the road was a challenge. I didn’t want to drive the Mustang all that way, so I found a trailer and had my 2001 Ford F-250 inspected—twice—to ensure it was roadworthy. Nevertheless, in Rugby, North Dakota, the transmission quit. The tiny town (population: about 2500) had a Ford dealer, but the truck would be out of commission for a while.

I hadn’t come this far not to finish, so I unloaded the Mustang and kept driving. I picked up longtime friends (Kathi Henrickson and Sandra Birdsall, also 66) and met up with my brother and his son, who had come up from Texas. Everyone was excited to be on the Mother Road.

And hot! We drove with the top up most of the time to provide shade and eyed the temperature gauge, worried the heat would overwhelm the 289’s original four-blade fan. Yet the only issues we had over 4500 miles were a leaky hose and, near the end, a loss of taillights.

There’s plenty to see on Route 66, yet for many, we were the point of interest. Folks would approach and tell us about owning a similar Mustang or someone they knew who had. I thought many others would be driving Route 66 in classic cars—evidently not.

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This article first appeared in Hagerty Drivers Club magazine. Click here to subscribe and join the club.

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