On the 50th anniversary of the interstate highway system, Kevin A. Wilson of Automotive News comes up with a novel argument for the interstates’ existence that benefits Route 66, too. I’ve used this argument myself.

I’ll let him explain:

Many such changes, however, are matters of choice, and how we use the highway system is also a matter of choice. In 1997, almost 10 years after making that 2000-mile/two-day trip, I again traveled Michigan to Arizona, only with an entirely different approach. This time I used the interstate to go fast so I could slow down and enjoy the trip.

I had a schedule to meet, again, to generate a TV segment for AutoWeek on Speedvision (both the show and the network in its original form are sadly no longer with us). But with Mrs. Wilson again riding shotgun in a Jaguar convertible, we wanted some downtime to relax. So each morning we would start early and move as quickly as the spanking new speed limit signs would let us, until lunchtime. Then we would go adventuring.

We took in Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri. We had a great lunch at the Rock Café in Stroud, Oklahoma, an old stone building where buses once carried soldiers on their way to and from World War II duties.

We toured the Route 66 museum, sought out the original Steak ’n Shake, enjoyed the Grand Canyon, Sedona and Tucumcari. Yes, many of these tourist destinations were on the old Route 66. But that was slow, slow, slow. This was interstate-enabled.

One moment we were zing-ing along, making miles of I-40 disappear in the XK8’s rearview mirror at an outrageous rate of knots, the air conditioning turned up to “frosty” while we hummed along with Willie Nelson and Leon Russell.

Ten minutes later the top was down and we were creeping through the Painted Desert, content to follow the Winnebagos at a walking pace while we swivel-necked to gape at yet another of Arizona’s natural wonders. Oohing and aahing the whole way, we stopped at most of the scenic turnouts, crawled over stone logs in the Petrified Forest, chased a lizard, examined the visitor center, stopped in the parking lot to answer questions about the beautiful car. Then we headed back to the interstate and dropped the hammer; we were running a little late for dinner.

That is how it went for an entire 4500-mile trip… Detroit-Phoenix-Detroit, taking full advantage of this slick Jaguar grand touring car and the equally fresh speed limit signs to go quickly whenever we could so that we could afford to go slowly whenever we wanted. Thanks for the option, Ike.

We’ve done this several times. After cruising Route 66, the high-speed interstate allowed us to get back home in time so we didn’t have to eat up any more vacation time. Some hardcore Route 66ers were shocked by this admission — that we used the interstates — but I was never the sort who allowed purist stances to overrule pragmatism.

Rick and Jane McKinney, the evangelical couple who traversed part of Route 66 in their Walk to Reclaim America, are near the end of their journey. They have just two miles left before they stroll into Washington, D.C., and they’re going to finish on Independence Day.

And it sounds like Rick is eager to do more:

This has been the greatest adventure of our lives. We have learned more and been changed more by this event than any other event in our lives except for salvation. There will be much to say over the next few weeks and months about this journey. The website will be updated several more times over the next few months. The calling of America back to God is not over. The call on our lives to call the church to action is not over. We are not sure what all the Lord has in store but we know that this mission is not complete. If you have followed this walk we encourage you to stay in touch with us. Don’t think that this is the end. This has only been the first in a series of many adventures that are ahead for us.