Route 101: The Pacific Coast Highway
U.S. Route 101 runs right along the Pacific Coast, from Los Angeles, through Oregon and all the way up to Olympia, Washington, offering amazing, picturesque views along the way. Also known as El Camino Real (or “The Royal Road”), the Pacific Coast Highway runs approximately along a centuries old trail linking various Spanish missions, pueblos, and presidios.

Today, driving the 101 will present you with breathtaking sheer cliff sides that plummet into the Pacific Ocean below, especially if you take the California Highway 1 whenever possible to hug the California coast. The 1 will also take you over the Bixby Bridge outside Monterey, where you’ll get to drive right over the Rainbow Canyon as it empties into the ocean.

You can stop just about anywhere along the 101 and 1 to catch an amazing view, but be sure to check out Hearst Castle–the inspiration for Citizen Kane‘s Xanadu–in San Simeon. Or grab a bite at Nepenthe in Big Sur, a mid-20th Century diner that affords oceanside views. And don’t miss the Prehistoric Gardens in South Port Orford, Oregon to catch a glimpse of some life-size dinosaurs, albeit reconstructed out of concrete.

Picking up from ideas first explored by President Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Eisenhower recognized the usefulness of a national highways system for both public, commercial, and military uses. With help from the Secretary of Defense, whom Eisenhower poached from General Motors, the Interstate Highway System was officially revealed in 1955 and construction began in 1956.

Throughout the next 30-odd years, the Interstate continued to snake through the continental United States, officially proclaimed complete in 1992. Of course, there’s more to the Interstate than just the roads themselves. For example, the distinctive “shield” design of Interstate signs used to unify the system was designed by a Texas Highway Department employee named Richard Oliver in 1957. The same year, a numbering scheme was developed that assigns east-west highways to even numbers and north-south highways to odd numbers. Triple digit “auxiliary” highways create detours or loops off of the main system. And even Alaska, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico joined in, albeit without any direct connections to other states.

Though the Interstate System unfortunately came at the expense of a functioning cross-continental mass transit system, the highways remain an integral part to the military, your summer road trips and getting your products fast with expedited shipping.

Alamo Casino (Sparks, Nevada): There are few things the state of Nevada likes more than gambling, so it may not surprise you to learn the state’s penchant for casinos extends even to its truck stops. Case in point: the Alamo Casino, a truck stop in Sparks, Nevada that doubles as a full size casino, complete with slot machines, blackjack, poker and craps tables and live sports betting. The Alamo also includes a 71 room hotel and all the usual shopping, restaurants and truck services. Remember the Alamo the next time you’re passing through.

Clearwater Travel Plaza (Clearwater, Minnesota): If you’re looking for someplace to eat on the road, this is the truck stop for you. The Clearwater Travel Plaza includes a Food Network-approved restaurant, a pub with beers on tap and specialty cocktails and a bakery that specializes in various fritters, pastries and pies made from scratch.

Little America (Flagstaff, Arizona): While it does include a truck stop, Arizona’s Little America looks more like a luxury retreat. In the middle of 500 acres of ponderosa pine, Little American boasts an upscale hotel, a conference center and fine dining. Truckers mingle with travelers and the wedding parties that use the area’s picturesque surroundings to host marriage ceremonies.

Iowa 80 (Wolcott, Iowa): This truck stop claims to be the largest in the world, a boast that seems valid when you realize the Iowa 80 is essentially its own small town, complete with the usual amenities of restaurants, stores and service centers in addition to a dentist, barber shop, laundromat, church services and even a “Dogomat” pet wash. Over 5,000 people a day stop at Iowa 80, which also houses the Truckers Jamboree, an annual celebration featuring an antique truck show, sporting events and live music.

South of the Border (Dillon, South Carolina): As much an amusement park as a truck stop, South of the Border features a camp ground, 300 room hotel with an indoor pool, a fairground with carnival rides, Reptile Lagoon, the largest indoor reptile exhibit in the country, and the Sombrero Tower observation tower. You’ll also find six independently owned restaurants, including the Sombrero, a restaurant shaped like the eponymous hat, and plenty of shops, like Rocket City, the largest fireworks store on the East Coast.

Overseas Highway: If you’ve ever wanted to feel what it’s like to drive across the Atlantic ocean, try taking a Sunday drive on this feat of modern engineering, which connects islands in the Florida Keys with 42 super long bridges. The over 100 mile long highway will allow you to drive all the way from Key Largo to Key West, taking in the gorgeous blue waters and green islands of the Keys as you do it.

Stelvio Pass: If you need to drive through the Eastern Alps in northern Italy, you’ll need to take this road, the second highest paved road in the Alps at an altitude of about 1.7 miles above sea level. The Stelvio Pass features 48 hairpin bends as it snakes up the mountainside, many of them continuous, and includes amazing views of the mountains and adjoining valleys as a nice bonus. Car enthusiasts are particularly fond of the Stelvio Pass–it’s considered one of the most challenging roads to drive in the world.