Overview

The western section of Route 66 runs through the US states of New Mexico, Arizona and California. It crosses barren landscapes, deserts and Indian reservations. And only at the end of America's "Mother Road" does the sunny state of California beckon with the promise of the American Dream. Many of the natural wonders on the edge of Route 66 are located on Native American reservations. The Laguna tribe also owns the Route 66 casino. A legal privilege that allowed Native Americans to operate casinos created a kind of prosperity for them for the first time. The gamblers' money creates jobs, schools and hospitals. The Hualapai Indians also benefit from the rediscovery of Route 66, as it passes through the fascinating Grand Canyon. Indian guides now offer rafting tours on the white water of the Colorado River, which forces its way through the rock faces in gorges over 1,000 meters deep.