At 100, Route 66 still beckons as a cross-country caravan takes off from Santa Monica

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Around 7 a.m., Saturday, in a lot beside the shuttered Santa Monica Civic Auditorium, a strange set of cars and trucks began to gather.Three Model A’s.

A couple of ’60 convertibles.A 1964 Chevrolet Impala station wagon.

Also, a big bull on trailer wheels.“Am I in the right place?” asked a man in one of the Model A’s.“Going to Chicago?” asked a guy in a white Denali.“I wish I could do the whole thing,” said Joe Hernandez of Pasadena, wistfully standing by.This was the starting line for roughly 70 drivers who gathered to celebrate the centennial of Route 66 with a 2,448-mile, 20-day caravan to Chicago.

Most had come from outside California to share an adventure with fellow “roadies” and boost awareness of the classic scenery and independent businesses along the eight-state route.But soaring gas prices and hesitant international travelers have added uncertainty to a trip that was always going to be a logistical challenge.

Day 1 alone might terrify an L.A.commuter: From the Pacific to Pasadena by surface streets, including miles on Santa Monica and Colorado boulevards.

“I don’t know how it’s all going to happen,” said Gary Daggett, president of the Old Route 66 Assn.of Texas.

But he and his wife, Stephanie Daggett, have more than a little Route 66 experience to draw upon.“This is our 30th trip over 20 years,” Daggett said.“You can’t see everything.

There’s so much...You start meeting the people, you get hooked on the people.”Shortly before their 8:30 departure time, organizer Rhys Martin called drivers together.

“Leaving here is going to be a little complicated,” he said.Martin, who is part of the Route 66 Road Ahead Partnership, is president of the Oklahoma Route 66 Assn., and serves as manager of the National Trust for Historic Preservation’s Preserve Route 66 initiative.

For the journey, he is driving a ’64 Chevy Impala stat...