Alignment ?

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In the context of Route 66, an alignment is a the route or course taken by a road.

There are multiple alignments over time as Route 66 got "realigned" (re-routed) many times over the course of its existence.

The most famous alignment will be the one that Route 66 got in 1926. But it is also the most difficult to retrace today as it is most interrupted into dead-end sections, reclaimed by nature (many sections were never paved), private property once again or even under water. Still retracing the still accessible sections is possible, fun and very time consuming for those so inclined.

The least famous alignment is in many cases the very last alignment Route 66 ever had: The dreaded Interstate. In many places Route 66 got co-signed on the Interstates in the years before it was decommissioned, bypassing the town, the businesses and all the fun in exchange for a faster pace.

Choosing the right alignment should be done based on a number of parameters, including

• Your personal preferences
• The vehicle you drive (e.g. a road hugging sports car might not like potholes on alignments that stopped receiving maintenance for the last 70 years, your big bike might not be up to gravel roads)
• The weather: Even a Ford model T, designed for muddy roads could get bogged down on Route 66 in the early years (e.g. the infamous Jericho gap), roads with a gravel or dirt surface are not a good choice to drive when it rains or when there is a chance of rain. Even your 4x4 SUV can easily get stuck on those lonely roads.
• Roadside attractions: If you seek (old) roadside businesses, they are mostly concentrated on the last alignment of Route 66 prior to the Interstates as the businesses that existed prior to that moved with Route 66 to where their customers were driving. If you seek old infrastructure such as bridges, they are mostly on the oldest alignments. In fact quite a few actually predate Route 66's birthday as Route 66 was built using already existing infrastructure in many cases.
• Condition of the road: Conditions change all the time, even a section that was nearly forgotten might all of a sudden see maintenance, or even the best maintained road could develop a huge washout.
• Time: driving a long way on a difficult to navigate road to find a bridge that was torn out many years ago can be a lot of fun, but if you're in a hurry, this is nothing for you as it can consume many hours. Similarly, progress on e.g. a dirt road is far slower than on a 4 lane later alignment.

In the end which alignment to take is a personal choice, as well as a good excuse to go back and take on one of the other choices (some places have many choices), and it's best to be flexible and adapt to local conditions.