Route 66 Has anyone tried it?

[Guffalo]

We were kicking around some ideas for a vacation. Watching some different documentaries and came across "Passport to the world : Route 66" and wondered if anyone has done the drive from Chicago to Santa Monica via the old route 66.

 

Lots of interesting restaurants and nostalgic sites along the way.

Anyone tried it?

Is it worth the drive?

Tips for best things along the way?

Edited March 2, 2023 by Guffalo

[ArdmoreRyno]

Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma is a must stop for food. The writers of the movie "Cars" spent a lot of time in that place coming up with the script.

 

(I'm from Oklahoma, never driven the whole Route 66)

 

But it sounds like fun! Just make sure you don't leave the dog tied to the bumper

 

[ExiledInIllinois]

I have been to Wilmington, Illinois and drove past the "Gemini Giant"... "Launching Pad Restaurant."

Is kinda neat...

 

Antique shops in Wilmington, nice little town on Kankakee River...

Edited March 2, 2023 by ExiledInIllinois

[BillsPride12]

Never done it before but it does sound like fun.  I think you should go for it and then come back and give us a report on it ☺️

[ExiledInIllinois]

I am Will County... If you find yourself there, you can check out the tall grass prairie... They have a herd of N.American bison:

 

https://www.fs.usda.gov/midewin

 

 

 

3 minutes ago, BillsPride12 said:

Never done it before but it does sound like fun.  I think you should go for it and then come back and give us a report on it ☺️

We want the full Congressional reports in 3 years, by the winter of ole '26... Pics of Meriweather Lewis much obliged too.. 

[plenzmd1]

1 hour ago, Guffalo said:

We were kicking around some ideas for a vacation. Watching some different documentaries and came across "Passport to the world : Route 66" and wondered if anyone has done the drive from Chicago to Santa Monica via the old route 66.

 

Lots of interesting restaurants and nostalgic sites along the way.

Anyone tried it?

Is it worth the drive?

Tips for best things along the way?

would love to do it, but you being an old codger with nothin but time ,  you should drive The Lincoln Highway (rt-30) to Illinois and then catch RT 66

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Highway

[ExiledInIllinois]

30 minutes ago, plenzmd1 said:

would love to do it, but you being an old codger with nothin but time ,  you should drive The Lincoln Highway (rt-30) to Illinois and then catch RT 66

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lincoln_Highway

I live a few miles... Word of advice: 

 

Drive really, REALLY FAST through Ford Heights, Illinois!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Heights,_Illinois

 

"...Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States,[9] Ford Heights has experienced high levels of political corruption, decaying infrastructure, and an elevated crime rate. In 2008, the Cook County Sheriff's Department took over law enforcement duties for the village.[10] Between 1980 and 2010, the population of Ford Heights declined by more than 48%."

 

 

[\GoBillsInDallas/]

https://www.google.com/maps/@37.8288419,-92.1058331,3a,15y,149.95h,86.01t/data=!3m6!1e1!3m4!1sa7107D4ds9thwc5ZLjoBxQ!2e0!7i16384!8i8192

 

[LeGOATski]

Stay at the Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook, AZ. Where they still don't know that they're called tipis.

[Johnny Hammersticks]

Do you get your “fix” or your “kicks” on Route 66?

[Simon]

I've driven across this country many, many times and you'd have to pay me a lot of money to take that route.

I think it would be painfully boring with nothing to see or do but look at cheesy billboards, eat overpriced eggs in worn-out diners and wish you were making time on the interstates that run right next to it for most of the way.

[Wacka]

2 hours ago, ArdmoreRyno said:

Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma is a must stop for food. The writers of the movie "Cars" spent a lot of time in that place coming up with the script.

 

(I'm from Oklahoma, never driven the whole Route 66)

 

But it sounds like fun! Just make sure you don't leave the dog tied to the bumper

 

Watch that whole scene to where they pan out to the whole area. Filmed in LA. There are palm trees visible.

44 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

I live a few miles... Word of advice: 

 

Drive really, REALLY FAST through Ford Heights, Illinois!

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ford_Heights,_Illinois

 

"...Often viewed as one of Chicago's most impoverished suburbs and at one point the poorest suburb in the United States,[9] Ford Heights has experienced high levels of political corruption, decaying infrastructure, and an elevated crime rate. In 2008, the Cook County Sheriff's Department took over law enforcement duties for the village.[10] Between 1980 and 2010, the population of Ford Heights declined by more than 48%."

 

 

How is that different from today?

[ExiledInIllinois]

1 hour ago, Wacka said:

How is that different from today?

Probably not much different.  Maybe worse. But there's less people! 😏 

[T&C]

This is the one I'd take... goes through Buffalo/Lancaster too. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_20

[Just Jack]

Bookmark this, or get the app.  It'll show you all the quirky road side attractions.

 

Roadside America - Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions

[Tierlifer]

Rte 6 is another good cross country American 2 lane highway. Cape Cod to just about Death Valley. 

[T&C]

35 minutes ago, Just Jack said:

Bookmark this, or get the app.  It'll show you all the quirky road side attractions.

 

Roadside America - Guide to Uniquely Odd Tourist Attractions

That is exactly the kind of stuff we avoid.

[ExiledInIllinois]

2 hours ago, T&C said:

This is the one I'd take... goes through Buffalo/Lancaster too. 

 

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/U.S._Route_20

Galena, Illinois is a nice town to stop in. Old Northwest.  Had the largest hotel in the west, IIRC correctly @ 7 stories (since lowered to 3), when Lincoln stayed there, the DeSoto House Hotel... 

 

https://desotohouse.com/hotel-history/

 

The driftless zone kinda unique geography... Untouched by glaciation. So it's kinda hilly, looks unlike the rest of upper midwest.

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Driftless_Area

 

Old mining area, lead mines... Almost all the Union lead during the Civil War came out of that area of Iowa, Minnesota, & Wisconsin... Dubuque, Iowa still has a shot tower. 

 

https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shot_Tower_(Dubuque)

 

The saying in Galena was: "Galena is the city, Chicago just the town." 😆 

 

 

[Bad Things]

I've heard that the old route 66 has gotten to become quite a sad place in recent decades. 

Just sayin'.

[Draconator]

I've been on many parts of Route 66 in California and Arizona. My favorite part is it runs through Oatman, AZ where wild donkeys come down from the surrounding hills and roam the streets. Oatman is a working ghost town, meaning it was big during the gold rush days, but then the gold dried up, and the town went away. Some folks moved back into the town now it has a Main St will a few shops, food stores, and a restaurant with rooms for rent above it. 

[Mark80]

My understanding is that it is a shell of its former self.  Killed by the interstate, most of the cool stuff is now out of business and a lot of it is just gone.

[Irv]

On 3/2/2023 at 2:44 PM, ArdmoreRyno said:

Rock Cafe in Stroud, Oklahoma is a must stop for food. The writers of the movie "Cars" spent a lot of time in that place coming up with the script.

 

(I'm from Oklahoma, never driven the whole Route 66)

 

But it sounds like fun! Just make sure you don't leave the dog tied to the bumper

 

 

 

I specifically ordered the Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the CB and the optional Rally Fun Pack.  

 

 

 

Edited March 6, 2023 by Irv

[GaryPinC]

Well, I know from visiting the blue hole in New Mexico, much of it is simply I-40 now!

https://www.santarosabluehole.com/

[Jrb1979]

23 hours ago, Guffalo said:

We were kicking around some ideas for a vacation. Watching some different documentaries and came across "Passport to the world : Route 66" and wondered if anyone has done the drive from Chicago to Santa Monica via the old route 66.

 

Lots of interesting restaurants and nostalgic sites along the way.

Anyone tried it?

Is it worth the drive?

Tips for best things along the way?

Look up the Carpetbagger on YouTube. He did a vlog doing route 66. It would give you an idea if it's worth it. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

4 hours ago, Mark80 said:

My understanding is that it is a shell of its former self.  Killed by the interstate, most of the cool stuff is now out of business and a lot of it is just gone.

So... Radiator Springs is dead? They won't build a dome there?

 

😏

[SinceThe70s]

5 hours ago, Irv said:

 

I specifically ordered the Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the CB and the optional Rally Fun Pack.  

 

I specifically ordered the Antarctic Blue Super Sports Wagon with the CB and the optional Rally Fun Pack.  

 

Not the Family Truckster in metallic pea green? If you think you hate it now, just wait until you take it cross country!

(paraphrase)

[WotAGuy]

I did it in 2006 with a buddy in his Corvette convertible. I flew into St Louis where he picked me up. We went out to the Grand Canyon and then came back to NY. 
 

I did a lot of research into all the old places to see and whatever old tourist traps still exist. We weren’t obsessed about taking the old abandoned parts of the road, but tried to take it as often as possible whenever the option was there. 
 

There was a lot to see back then; not sure how much of it all exists 17 years later.  The Blue Whale in Catoosa?, Oklahoma was a treat.  We met the son of the guy that built it so he told us all about what it was like in its heyday. 
 

Williams, AZ was another cool spot. Elsewhere, there was a soda museum-like store, round barns, train car motels, etc.  A HUGE cross and life-size stations of the cross in Groome, TX. The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM was a trip; the rooms were all decorated with 50s phones, etc. 

 

Very cool peek into our recent cultural history and you’ll see a lot of this beautiful country. We came home north through Colorado and drove Independence Pass. Beautiful!

 

RIP Kevin!❤️

Edited March 3, 2023 by WotAGuy

[ExiledInIllinois]

9 hours ago, WotAGuy said:

I did it in 2006 with a buddy in his Corvette convertible. I flew into St Louis where he picked me up. We went out to the Grand Canyon and then came back to NY. 
 

I did a lot of research into all the old places to see and whatever old tourist traps still exist. We weren’t obsessed about taking the old abandoned parts of the road, but tried to take it as often as possible whenever the option was there. 
 

There was a lot to see back then; not sure how much of it all exists 17 years later.  The Blue Whale in Catoosa?, Oklahoma was a treat.  We met the son of the guy that built it so he told us all about what it was like in its heyday. 
 

Williams, AZ was another cool spot. Elsewhere, there was a soda museum-like store, round barns, train car motels, etc.  A HUGE cross and life-size stations of the cross in Groome, TX. The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM was a trip; the rooms were all decorated with 50s phones, etc. 

 

Very cool peek into our recent cultural history and you’ll see a lot of this beautiful country. We came home north through Colorado and drove Independence Pass. Beautiful!

 

RIP Kevin!❤️

Interesting... Of course you know you can take an automobile from Chicago to Catoosa, Oklahoma... BUT, did you know you can also take a boat from Chicago to Catoosa. Yup. 

 

@BringBackFergy

[ArdmoreRyno]

On 3/3/2023 at 5:46 PM, WotAGuy said:

I did it in 2006 with a buddy in his Corvette convertible. I flew into St Louis where he picked me up. We went out to the Grand Canyon and then came back to NY. 
 

I did a lot of research into all the old places to see and whatever old tourist traps still exist. We weren’t obsessed about taking the old abandoned parts of the road, but tried to take it as often as possible whenever the option was there. 
 

There was a lot to see back then; not sure how much of it all exists 17 years later.  The Blue Whale in Catoosa?, Oklahoma was a treat.  We met the son of the guy that built it so he told us all about what it was like in its heyday. 
 

Williams, AZ was another cool spot. Elsewhere, there was a soda museum-like store, round barns, train car motels, etc.  A HUGE cross and life-size stations of the cross in Groome, TX. The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari, NM was a trip; the rooms were all decorated with 50s phones, etc. 

 

Very cool peek into our recent cultural history and you’ll see a lot of this beautiful country. We came home north through Colorado and drove Independence Pass. Beautiful!

 

RIP Kevin!❤️

 

I've driven past that thing 100 times and never stopped. My best friend lives right outside Catoosa in Claremore, I lived in Broken Arrow for a few years. 

 

BTW: There is a "Port of Catoosa" there which got millions after 9/11 for "port security" and people outside of Oklahoma got so pissed because they didn't understand why the government was giving money to a place in the middle of Oklahoma. They didn't know it's a huge transport port that can offload shipping containers. 

[ExiledInIllinois]

3 hours ago, ArdmoreRyno said:

 

I've driven past that thing 100 times and never stopped. My best friend lives right outside Catoosa in Claremore, I lived in Broken Arrow for a few years. 

 

BTW: There is a "Port of Catoosa" there which got millions after 9/11 for "port security" and people outside of Oklahoma got so pissed because they didn't understand why the government was giving money to a place in the middle of Oklahoma. They didn't know it's a huge transport port that can offload shipping containers. 

Intermodal. 

 

Catoosa is the farthest point on Inland Waterways... Petrochemical products more cost effective to move by water than rail or truck. Adds an ancillary transportation system to an already clogged national system.  

 

Here in Chicago... We get petrol-Chem products shipped via waterways from Texas/Oklahoma...

[Buffalo716]

On 3/2/2023 at 2:11 PM, Guffalo said:

We were kicking around some ideas for a vacation. Watching some different documentaries and came across "Passport to the world : Route 66" and wondered if anyone has done the drive from Chicago to Santa Monica via the old route 66.

 

Lots of interesting restaurants and nostalgic sites along the way.

Anyone tried it?

Is it worth the drive?

Tips for best things along the way?

My buddy and his girl did it this summer 

 

they said they tried taking the old route as much as they could 

Edited March 7, 2023 by Buffalo716

[Guffalo]

8 hours ago, Buffalo716 said:

My buddy and his girl did it this summer 

 

they said they tried taking the old route as much as they could 

That seems to be a recurring theme, as we get closer I expect we will jump back and forth from the various super highways to see the attractions. If we are retired and have no definite schedule, time is not an issue. My first thought is we would start in a rental car from Chicago, drive one way covering the route and then take the California Zephyr from Sacramento to Denver and fly home from there. Give ourselves a decent cushion to allow for the train/flight connections and just enjoy the drive.

[ExiledInIllinois]

After Route 66... You should do the Great Loop!

 

https://www.greatloop.org

 

 

[Big Turk]

I've been on random stretches of it but never actually intentionally drove it the entire way or part of the way.

31 minutes ago, Guffalo said:

That seems to be a recurring theme, as we get closer I expect we will jump back and forth from the various super highways to see the attractions. If we are retired and have no definite schedule, time is not an issue. My first thought is we would start in a rental car from Chicago, drive one way covering the route and then take the California Zephyr from Sacramento to Denver and fly home from there. Give ourselves a decent cushion to allow for the train/flight connections and just enjoy the drive.

 

Love Amtrak...have been on the Zephyr a few times.

[Guffalo]

46 minutes ago, ExiledInIllinois said:

After Route 66... You should do the Great Loop!

 

https://www.greatloop.org

 

 

I have looked into the Great Loop, the only issue I have with it is my current boat uses considerably more fuel than would be advisable. The average speed on the loop is 8 MPH between the locks and the various wake limits. To change out boats I would prefer to go to a diesel powered around 32-34 in that class I love the Mainship Pilot 34 Sedan, (Rumrunner edition). The loop also requires about a year to complete and I would be best served doing it when and if we sell our current home, prior to moving on to the next one.

[ExiledInIllinois]

15 minutes ago, Guffalo said:

I have looked into the Great Loop, the only issue I have with it is my current boat uses considerably more fuel than would be advisable. The average speed on the loop is 8 MPH between the locks and the various wake limits. To change out boats I would prefer to go to a diesel powered around 32-34 in that class I love the Mainship Pilot 34 Sedan, (Rumrunner edition). The loop also requires about a year to complete and I would be best served doing it when and if we sell our current home, prior to moving on to the next one.

Yeah... That's the tough part... All in or out. Do partial trips... Like rent houseboats in Ontario for summer and do the Trent-Severn part... Would be nice if someone did that in the Southern US for the winters...