WHEELING — Uniglobe travel will be back on the road in September traveling Route 66 from Oklahoma City to Santa Monica, California.

Route 66, also known as “the Mother Road” and “The Will Rogers Highway,” was decommissioned in 1985. It had been the main highway for travel from Chicago to Los Angeles since 1926.

“This is a trip back in time”, said Bill Bryson from Uniglobe. “It is a chance to relive those times when travel meant staying in motels, eating at local diners and experiencing a slice of life that has been frozen in time”.

The trip begins in Oklahoma City and travels the Mother Road to Amarillo, Texas; Santa Fe and Albuquerque, New Mexico; Holbrook, Williams, Winslow, Winona and Kingman, Arizona, before crossing into California and visiting Needles, Barstow, San Bernardino and finally Santa Monica, California.

In Amarillo, Texas, you will get a chance to make your mark by adding your own graffiti to the 10 Cadillacs planted nose down in the ground. That attraction is known as the “Cadillac Ranch.”

“There are some fabulous small towns along the route as well,” Bryson said. “One of my favorites is Tucumcari, NM. The 3 miles along the street through Tucumcari look like they did in the 1960s.”

Tucumacari advertised more than 12, 000 motel rooms and was one of the main stops along Route 66.

“Seeing these old hotel buildings and old neon signs is really amazing,” Bryson added.

Santa Fe may be the most beautiful city along Route 66. The Loretto Chapel and the San Miguel Church (the oldest church building in the United States) are worth visiting.

And the Turquoise Trail (Route 14) from Santa Fe to Albuquerque offers outstanding scenery. Along the Turquoise Trail you will be making a stop in Madrid, a former ghost town, that has been brought back to life by artists and artisans. There are now more than 40 businesses in this town with a population of only 320.

Arizona presents some very interesting attractions.

In Winslow, Arizona, travelers will have the chance to visit the “Corner” the Eagles song “Take it Easy” describes as “Standing on the Corner in Winslow Arizona”.

A meteor crater near Flagstaff and the Petrified Forest National Park will be additional sights to visit.

Kingman, Arizona has done an excellent job of maintaining the history of Route 66. Restaurants, museums and diners proudly display the Route 66 logo.

Leaving Kingman, Route 66 climbs through the mountains of the Mohave Desert to the very interesting town of Oatman, Arizona. Here the Burrows come into town daily to greet the visitors. Their streets are still made of dirt and a wooden boardwalk fronts the various shops and restaurants.

In California, a stop at the unofficial McDonald’s museum in San Bernardino is a must. The McDonald brothers opened their first restaurant in Morovia, California, in 1939 and moved the operation to this site in San Bernardino in 1940. Those original prices were 15 cents for hamburgers and 10 cents for french fries. They began franchising in 1955 at the suggestion of Ray Kroc, who opened his first franchise McDonald’s restaurant that same year.

One of the lunches will be at Bob’s Big Boy. Opening in 1936, The Big Boy Restaurants originated in Glen Dale, California, with the “Big Boy” being the original double decker sandwich.

Dining options during the trip will include classic restaurants like The Big Texan, The Beaver St. Brewery and Mr. D’z diner. More than 20 meals are included in the trip.

There are more memories to be found on Route 66. Places like the U Drop Inn Café, The Slug Bug Ranch and the Candy Lady in Albuquerque are all waiting to share their stories.

Roundtrip airfare is included for this adventure departing Sept. 7.