Route 66 is called the Mother Road because that’s how it was described in the novel The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck.  In the novel, the historic route is a symbol of both desperation and hope as people flee the effects of the Dust Bowl and the Great Depression. The road would take them West to new beginnings and jobs, and potentially create opportunities for new adventures. Over the years, the road has become somewhat of a mother figure. I’m not being a creep here. Folks young and old have traveled its length not only to get from one place to another but to embrace the changing times.  It was a changing of the guard of sorts from old to new, or dirt to highway.