Grand Canyon To Las Vegas

Route 66, from Chicago to Santa Monica, was established in 1926, creating an economic boom in the 1930s for towns along its path, including Seligman, Arizona

The boom was particularly significant in coming against the background of the Great Depression

Prosperity grew further in the post-War 1940s and 1950s

But the writing was on the wall in 1956 when President Eisenhower signed the Interstate Highway Act, bringing an autobahn-like system to the US

Traffic soon bypassed the towns of Route 66, and a big economic decline set in

But in the late 1980s a revival began, based on nostalgia for what was seen as a golden era of road transport

Part of our journey to Las Vegas took us through another former Route 66 success story, Kingman, Arizona, where we stopped for lunch in a 1950s-style diner

Nostalgia is big in Kingman

So is Donald Trump

Kingman was also on the route of the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railway, this steam locomotive dating back to 1928

After 277 miles we cruised down The Strip on the way to Las Vegas airport