Day 5 - Route 66, first steps

 

A decorative panel in a museum celebrates the states connected by the Mother Road

First Impressions

Stories about Route 66 abound. As I prepared for our trip, I read blogs, articles, and a few books about the Mother Road.  YouTube added the music, voices,  and so much more.

A vintage sign at the start of our adventure 

Sometime, it was an overload of information and even repetitive. So, I will do my best to avoid the cliches of describing the bus, the miles, every authentic cafe, diner, garage, or sign we have seen.  Instead, I will compress time and share the highlights.

Chicago!

Point of departure: Chicago. A vibrant city that feels young. We hit the road and began the litany of states: Illinois, Missouri, and Kansas. The towns were  many. Among them Joplin, Springfield, Galena, and Saint Louis.

Where are we??

The interstate is flanked by vast expanses of open country.  Farms and pastures extend to the horizon.  My partner remarked, “In America everything is XXL!”

Kansas… where tornados are strong.

  He’s not wrong.  This isn’t about clothes size.  It’s the wide roads, copious restaurant portions, parking lots, Big Box stores, and the welcoming spirit of the Americans who greet us along the way.

 

This goodwill is no sales pitch.  We feel it again and again in the smiles, salutations and words exchanged with total strangers who are also exploring Route 66.

Happy Motoring! 

The next part is coming soon, please be patient 😇

 

Day 4: Get Your Kicks!

 

Once upon a time there were giants on the road.

Reflections while on the Mother Road 

Route 66! More myth than macadam, it was christened in 1926. But it was deemed more efficient to cut new straight roads for commerce and in 1985 it decommissioned. Towns got bypassed. The byways crumbled. The Mother Road was dying. 

An early runner on the Mother Road

In 1999, President Clinton signed a bill to restore the historic features along the old road. Tours, like the one we are on, breathed new life into Route 66.

There are so many amazing signs and painted murals along the way!

Along the route, are so many museums, original signs, garages, and diners that unless you take 3 to 4 weeks, you can’t see it all. Wisdom says take two weeks and you will see a lot. If you’re pressed for time, you could do it in a week and see a few sights.

The museums hold beautiful cars from every era.

For 16 days we are rolling down Highway 40, which principally follows old Route 66.  Ocassionally we deviate from the Interstate and take it slow just so we can roll on original parallel roads that were decommissioned. 

These beauties are from the 40’s

At  every chance, the group stops to breathe in the joy of those who are keeping the flame alive. Their enthusiasm has brought back the beauty, nostalgia, and vibrant culture that made the Mother Road “The Highway That's The Best.” 

A cool guy takes “the pause that refreshes” from a working vintage Coca-Cola cooler.

The adventure will continue soon… with a few of our favorite stops so far.

Day 3 - Hitting The Road on Route 66

 

The mythic Route is 2,488 miles of memories.

Time to roll!

The bags were packed and ready to go.  Today, the grand adventure began: Travel Route 66 from Chicago, Illinois to Santa Monica Pier in Los Angeles, California.

This is why we flew to Chicago!

After ten months of dreaming, it was going to come true.  We thought about driving it ourselves, but then decided that letting someone else take care of the hotels, excursions, tickets, and driving would be more enjoyable.  

Point of departure in Chicago

My French partner is learning English.  Traveling with a group of people would let him hear many accents and have more conversations.

Little did I realize that it was uncommon for a born and bred American to take this tour.  We soon discovered that our fellow passengers were from England, Wales, Scotland, Ireland, Australia, and New Zealand.  Talk about accents!

Our first stop was in Pontiac. Yes, there is a car museum with Pontiacs. 

Chicago was in the rear view mirror.  The miles rolled by. Our guide shared anecdotes, music, and videos.  With each passing hour, we learned more about the history of the “Mother Road.” 

 

Chubby’s is a tiny iconic bar & grill on Route 66

There are so many sites and resources about it, that I will only say this.  Now is the time to travel this mythic road.  2026 marks 100 years since it’s christening.  

This is the moment to savor the renaissance of Route 66. 

To continue the story - click here.

Let’s go!

Day 2 - Chicago

Navy Pier

 The 9-hour flight from Barcelona to Chicago passed quickly.  The taxi delivered us to the downtown hotel. As soon as the bags were in our room, we were off!  

Chicago!  “Tall” is not sufficient to describe the skyscrapers. Maybe Neck-breaking would be more fitting for my eyes were constantly drawn heavenward.

The Wrigley Building

The winding river at the heart of it fed by Lake Michigan holds reflection within reflection of the glass-sided buildings.  

There are 10 Trump Towers.
This one is in Chicago.

The blue September sky was as warm as the smiles that met ours.  We walked along the RiverWalk enjoying our street food wraps and stopped for a local beer.  We sat beneath the trees and watched the pedestrians and river cruises go by.

The work of art named Cloudegate but known affectionately as “The Bean”

The warmth of the day faded. By evening a light jacket was indispensable.

The next day, we joined our group to tour the city, by foot, by water and by bus. By evening, we once again found ourselves down by the river. 

The former library, now the Cultural Center has the world’s largest Tiffany Glass Dome.

This time we celebrated our safe arrival with a sit down dinner.  We spoke with our server about the high cost of living in her dynamic city filled with light. 

Then we slept deeply. 

 Tomorrow would be another early departure.

Bye bye, Chicago.

Day 1 - Let’s Take Off!

 

Our Launch Pad!

The Journey’s Debut 

After that moment of angst when our flight was canceled but happily rescheduled, we slept well. 

Now for the 5:40 shuttle!

The 6 AM alarm never rang for we woke an hour early, filled with anticipation. 

At check in, “We’ve changed your seats,” meant we were in different rows.  We said it didn’t matter.

Not long now before we board!

On the plane, my partner found his center seat. Mine was an aisle seat, which I detest.  I suggested we trade places to give him more legroom. 

Then as often happens, the man next to me showed that most people are good, kind, and thoughtful. He said, “Why don’t I change places with him so that you can sit together?” I demurred thinking he was just being polite. But he insisted, “It will not make much difference to me to be in this row or the one in front.” Gratefully we accepted. 

No shade to pull, the windows lighten
or darken at the push of a button.

We settled in and realized that, not only had the airline changed our seat numbers, we had been upgraded! The seats were cushy! There was plenty of leg room. 

Oh my goodness, I have taken flights for years and this was a first. It seemed to me that the stars above were shining for us. Chicago, here we come!

The adventure continues in a click, here!

Day Zero - Two Tix for the States!

 

Debut of a new adventure - USA here we come!

Our bags rested on the hotel suitcase racks, ready for our 2:45 a.m. alarm. Time to shut eyes and rest so we could catch the airport shuttle and start our autumn adventure.  I was about to put my phone into sleep silence mode but I took one last look at our flight app.  

All packed & nowhere to go?

A lightning bolt pierced my heart - EMERGENCY!  Our connecting flight was cancelled!  The app said they would reschedule us but then said, “No flights found.”

 We were now wide awake.

The dream… can we still achieve it ?

In less time than it took to key in these words, I was on hold with the helpline.  We scanned the net for alternative flights.  We were supposed to meet our tour group in Chicago in 24 hours! 

The minutes ticked by as the robot voice assured us that “Our call was important.”  Thirty minutes later a text arrived, “We have rebooked you on the next flight.”  

Checking in!

With some trepidation, we looked  at the new tickets.  Joy! Not only was the flight for mid-morning, it was a DIRECT flight to Chicago! 

 We could sleep in until 6:00.  Wonderful!  

It was a good omen and the adventure was back on track.

Chicago, here we come!

 

And, there was even time for breakfast before the flight. 👏🏻

The adventure continues here. Click!