"America Is Hitting the Road Again"

"Gas is cheaper than it has been in over a decade, and a nation weary of cutting back is getting behind the wheel and spending to make road trip memories."

"ON ROUTE 66 IN NEW MEXICO — Bob Pack forgot to bring his James Taylor CDs. Still, he and his brother and sister were having a blast, rolling among the sandstone mesas, ghost towns and kitschy tourist attractions.

They reminisced about family trips as children back in the 1950s, Mr. Pack and his sister, Joann, said, and not even their brother’s 'annoying' habits of chewing tobacco and telling dirty jokes could ruin the drive. 'I wanted to see West Texas one more time,' he said over breakfast at the Route 66 Casino Hotel.

Over in Arizona, Kay McNellen, a 23-year-old actress from San Diego, said she took to the highway almost every weekend these days, just to see how far she could drive. She has motored across the Mojave Desert, admired Sequoia National Forest and Instagrammed the Grand Canyon. 'This is a better view than Netflix will give you,' she said."

Clifford Krauss reports for the New York Times June 3, 2016.