Route 66- Chicago to Santa Monica -

Day Thirteen

2008-05-11T13:36:00.010-05:00

Well, this is it. The last day on Route 66. I started the day by returning to snap a couple of pictures of the El Rancho in Barstow, where I failed to spend the night and purchased the beer can airplane the previous evening. Apparently this entire hotel was constructed from railroad ties.

Cool sign along the road.

Obviously this one caught my attention, so I decided to stop for (a very yummy) breakfast. There's no real Holland connection, it was the first owner's last name.

Hummingbird feeders! I don't think I'd ever seen a hummingbird in real life, at least not outside a zoo.

I like the graffiti head.

Victorville CA.

After crossing the mountains the weather went south; gloomy and cold. Again, unused westbound lanes roadbed running alongside the current two lane road.

Of course I had to see what was past this.

Nothing much apparently but the end of the road, with the freeway that replaced it running in the background.

Some pictures heading into San Bernadino, which as a town does not appear to have a single redeeming quality I could discover. Many of the old motels seem to still be in use, some residential, some as motels, although none of them appeared to have any activity.

Trademark dispute anyone?

Bad (snapped while driving) pic of a cool sign. Almost in Pasadena now.

A very rare Citroen SM, an old French coupe with a Maserati engine. A friend's dad used to own one, but it was neat seeing one in the U.S.

I MADE IT!

Palm trees... The weather cleared up just as I was heading into Santa Monica, which was a great relief as I would not have wanted to end the trip under a steel gray sky.

Hmm, the light isn't quite right.

The Will Rogers (for whom Route 66 is named) plaque at the end of the road.

There are some beautiful vintage hotels along the waterfront in Santa Monica.

Obligatory into-the-sunset-palm-tree-pic.

After sitting in the car for a while and then chugging a Patron margarita on the pier, the lights come on.

And so the main leg of the trip ended, and what an amazing adventure it was. The whole journey turned out to be much more interesting than I had expected setting out from Chicago two weeks earlier. From restored little vintage gas stations to the ruins in Jericho TX, from the Grand Canyon to goofy little motels, I feel like I succeeded in capturing some of the spirit of the old road.

Only time will tell what will become of many of the things I saw along the way (except for the Grand Canyon, presumably that's here to stay). There were many more old buildings still standing than I had expected. Living in a big city where an empty structure is either put to a new use or bulldozed, I was astounded. Many of the buildings seemed ready to fall down - with little economic incentive for anyone to restore them.

As with many other wonderful things in the world, their fate is a paradox. Only tourism can save them, but the same tourists who could bring investment to some of these forgotten and blighted areas will also either ruin their decrepit charm or turn them into a Disneyesque parody of themselves. Luckily, this seems natural and right. The old road was lined with gaudy tourist traps, and any resurgence in people taking the Great American Road Trip would only bring about more of the same.

The decay I take joy in observing is not a natural state, and if it continues little will be left of this intriguing stretch of modern American history in ten or twenty years. If it is reversed, we will have a new version to enjoy of the garish, twenty four hundred and eighty eight mile long theme park that Route 66 was once. Whichever comes to pass, I am grateful to have had the opportunity to drive the old road and catch a glimpse of America as it once was.

I will post some pictures tomorrow night from the Bay Area and the trip back for friends and family, but for those of you that are interested in Route 66 this will be the last post of interest. Thanks for coming along with me, and get out there and drive it yourself before it's gone!

Day Twelve

2008-05-08T03:14:00.004-05:00

Almost there! This was the second to last day of Route 66, and it was nice to be back on the road after my side trips to Phoenix and the Grand Canyon.

After all that camping and walking I started off the day with a fantastic breakfast at Goldie's Route 66 Diner in Williams AZ.

Cooper Tires! My family's from Findlay OH...

These were all over the place. I know they're not historic, but they are funny.

G@%&^~n hippies!

Seligman AZ. The famous Snow Cap is there, but I was disappointed to find the entire town dolled up like some Disney version of a run down Route 66 town. Moreover, it was full of tour buses. What kind of person would want to see Route 66 in a TOUR BUS? I snapped a few pics and escaped.

The Snow Cap, unfortunately closed.

Mmmmm. Dead chicken.

Mmmmm. Burgers.

Seligman.

Operational service station at Grand Canyon Caverns.

Not so operational service station.

Truxton AZ.

I wonder how the Exxon Corporation feels about this sign?

Another abandoned motel.

With an intriguing Hungarian plaque.

Apu lives here!

The old General Store in Hackberry.

Very strange place. Some type of motel or trailer park, the owners of which obviously had an alien fascination of some sort.

Kingman AZ, as in Kingman, Barstow, San Bernadino.

The Hill Top Motel. I bought a picture book from the owner's wife and she signed it for me.

I don't know why, but I am in love with this parasol.

I guess this is the hotel's former dining or ball room.

It's actually (still?) called Route 66 (again?) in a number of places.

Funky diner in Kingman.

The original route follows the train tracks for the most part, there is a strong connection between Route 66 and transcontinental railroads.

Between Kingman and Oatman.

They are building NEW cabins. It was very odd to see construction after all the decay I've seen.

The mysterious and uninviting Ed's Camp (no trespassing signs everywhere, I had the distinct feeling I would get shot if I went any closer).

The drive from Kingman to Oatman over the old Gold Road is beautiful.

A deserted mining shack. According to the owner of the Hill Top Motel the hole in the roof is from some idiot tourist climbing on the roof. Apparently he had to dig his way out. Near Darwin Award!

The very odd town of Oatman AZ. It's an old mining town that now features mock gunfights in the streets and wild descendants of the original mining donkeys.

I can think of a couple of bars in Chicago that should be called this...

The Oatman Hotel, 106 years old.

The room in the hotel where Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent (part?) of their honeymoon.

Before the miners used to go underground they would tack a dollar bill to the wall with their name on it so they would be entitled to a beer when they came back out of the mine after three days. The tourists have continued the tradition and there are well over 50,000 bills on the wall now.

Of course I had to add one too.

Nice t-shirt.

More abandoned mining structures.

The famous wild burros of Oatman.

Snowcone?! Sounded pretty good, it was HOT.

I really like these old gas pumps.

Detail.

You remember these guys, Wesley!

A service station that apparently has been converted into a church of some stripe.

Hilarious!

Welcome to California.

And welcome to California again.

My friend the BNSF, coming out of the Mojave Desert.

Needles CA, gateway to the Mojave. The desert was the last major obstacle to overcome for old time travelers. The crossing was often made at night to spare beat up old cars.

Detail of the El Garces train station and hotel, currently under restoration.

What IS it with couches and the desert?! They're everywhere!

Interior of an abandoned building. Boots and pans still on the stove.

This was a stange little place in the desert. Apparently it's some type of protest site.

The creators of which do not appear to share my love for anything hand built, Italian, and FAST.

I am at a complete loss here.

Amboy Crater.

Watch out buddy! This is the second time I almost ran over a tortoise in the desert, so I had to get out and chat with him for a little bit about his road crossing technique.

This is not the original Bagdad Cafe if I am correct. The movie was filmed around here somewhere.

Angry window!

Driving through Dagget I spotted a sign for "Calico Ghost Town" and decided to investigate. It turns out it's an actualy deserted mining town that has been turned into a mini amusement park. I arrived after closing and wandered the deserted streets for a while. Strange sensation to be in a ghost town amusement park that is actually a ghost town. Used a dark and deserted restroom and then beat a hasty retreat.

I arrived in Barstow CA in the evening, and the only historic motel that looked worth staying at was the El Rancho. I couldn't find anyone in the office and nobody answered the night bell or phone, so I decided to drive around the motel and then leave. All of a sudden a man carrying a red airplane appeared and said "I make airplanes out of beer cans." "That's what I do," he said. He introduced himself as John Bates and showed me his collection. He uses only a pair of scissors, glue, and a pair of needlenose pliers to make them. They have a little battery and the propellors actualy spin. Of course I had to buy one. It is a little worse for wear after being in the passenger seat of the convertible, so I will have to email John and get some maintenance and repair guidance.

Days Ten and Eleven

2008-05-05T23:43:00.013-05:00

Days ten and eleven were consumed by a hike down into the Grand Canyon, all the way to the Colorado River and the canyon floor. There were no camping permits available, so I scored a permit to bunk in a dorm at the Phantom Ranch at the bottom. I took the Kaibab South trail down and Bright Angel back up the next day. Kaibab is about six miles with a mile vertical drop, which took about four hours. Bright Angel is just under ten miles with a mile vertical climb and took a bit over six. For those of you who live in Chicago, the hike out of the canyon was like walking downtown from Oak Park and then climbing the Sears Tower four times. Pretty brutal but totally worth it. The Grand Canyon is just the most amazing place...

The South Kaibab trail down.

Note the path zigzagging all the way down that big rock formation.

I thought it might be a condor, but upon closer inspection it turns out it's just a raven.

A mule train coming in the opposite direction. As a tourist you can ride a mule down into the canyon, but mules are also the only way to get supplies, luggage, mail, and pretty much anything else to the canyon floor.

Halfway down, at Skeleton Point.

Finally! The bridge across the river off in the distance! There are two bridges that cross the Colorado here at the bottom. Both are used by hikers, only this one is used by the mules. They can see through the bottom of the other one and categorically refuse to cross it. The steel suspension cables for this bridge are 168 meters long, and had to be carried down on the shoulders of men as it was impossible to get them down by mule. Makes you grateful for your desk job.

Tired and dusty.

Getting closer...

The Colorado, from eye level at last.

The Silver Bridge just after dawn the next morning.

One last look at the Colorado.

The morning sun starting to hit the upper parts of the canyon.

Another mule train, this one headed down.

Camp back up on the rim, and a gorgeous sky.

The Official Phantom Ranch Paper Brain. Food! Shelter! Maslow's hierarchy in action... My needs that evening were quite different and are reflected by my paperweights.

Days Eight and Nine

2008-05-05T23:16:00.012-05:00

As I mentioned in my previous post, days eight and nine were spent in and around Phoenix, and driving up to the Grand Canyon. For those of you that are reading this blog out of interest in Route 66 rather than in my comings and goings, this post and the next may be entirely uninteresting. Tomorrow I am heading back to the Route, so relevant pictures will resume the post after next.

First of all some pictures from a drive through the Superstition Mountains. Sepcifically we were following the old (unpaved, yes even on my day off) Apache Trail.

Funniest sign ever considering I grew up outside Amsterdam.

The first of several beautiful lakes.

Read this. No, seriously. Read this.

Roosevelt Dam, when first completed in 1911 the largest stone dam in the world. The original masonry arch has now been replaced by a concrete gravity arch.

Stephanie (disclaimer: I didn't actually take this picture, it's from the day after I left)

Passed through Sedona on the way back to Flagstaff and the Grand Canyon.

I remember staying here as a kid!

The Little Colorado River Gorge, gateway to the Grand Canyon.

First views of the Canyon...

These were just some first shots of the Canyon, all taken from the rim. The combined post for days ten and eleven will include many shots from inside...

Day Seven

2008-05-04T08:35:00.017-05:00

Day Seven was a lot of fun! I think Arizona has to be one of the coolest states on Route 66, with beautiful scenery, silly buildings and other stuff, national parks, you name it. Right now I am sitting in a lodge in Grand Canyon National Park, and just scored a permit to hike down into the canyon and back up the next day. I was on the waiting list, so I had to show up at 6:30 to see if my name was called. Anyway, back to Day Seven. After leaving Gallup NM I drove as far as Flagstaff on the Route, and then headed south to Phoenix for some much needed R&R. I hung out with my friend Stephanie in Phoenix, who was an awesome host and took me for a drive through the beautiful Superstition Mountains. Pictures of that to follow in the next post.

An old fighter (F4?) outside Gallup Municipal Airport.

Defunct tourist store.

A cool old bridge over Querino Canyon, on a now-unpaved section of the route.

Some ruins at the east end of the bridge.

Another abandoned gas station.

And an old sign. Mmm. Martinis.

Reach out and touch someone.

A couple of picturesque wrecks.

The (open for business) Apple Dumplin.

Arizona's Painted Desert.

Historic Painted Desert Lodge.

More Painted Desert.

Leaving Painted Desert National Park and crossing over into the adjacent Petrified Forest National Park I ran into a little Route 66 memorial. It had this old car and a plaque with a pretty good little text on 66. I quote:

"You are standing near old Route 66. The line of the roadbed and the telephone poles in front of you mark the path of the famous "Main Street of America" as it passed through Petrified Forest National Park. From Chicago to Los Angeles, this heavily traveled highway was not only a road. It stood as a symbol of opportunity, adventure, and exploration to travelers.

A trip from Middle America to the Pacific could take about a week - no interstate speeds here! For many, the journey was not just across miles, it was across cultures and lifestyles - from the most mundane to the exotic. Of course, getting to your destination was important, but the trip itself was a reward. From the neon signs of one-of-a-kind motels to burgers and chicken fried steaks of the multitudes of restaurants, from the filling stations that served as miniature oases to gaudy tourist traps, these mote than 2,200 miles of open road were magical.

Gaze down the long road and listen. You may hear echoes of the past - echoes of Route 66."

Evil Trees!

A familiar sight, far from home.

Newspaper Rock. Natives carved these petroglyphs into the rocks many years ago to keep one another abreast of the latest news.

More of Petrified Forest NP.

The Agate Bridge. An arroyo formed below this petrified Agate tree when the softer soil washed out from underneath it.

Wacky dinosaurs and an old trading post in Holbrook AZ.

The Wigwam Motel, also in Holbrook. The Cozy Cone in Cars was based on this motel.

Driving.

I have seen WAY too many of these signs. My car hates me.

I think this was part of a campground.

The famous Jackrabbit Trading Post.

The Falcon Restaurant. Had fantastic quesadillas in this vintage diner (in business since 1955).

Meteor Crater AZ, the first proven meteor crater in the world and former Apollo program training site.

This is a REALLY long shot of the little square you see in the middle of the crater in the previous photo. Note the waving astronaut.

Ruins at Two Guns AZ. This town has a weird little history, which is related here.

While poking around here I ran into a guy who told me he remembered passing through here as a kid and seeing mountain lions, coyotes, and snakes all cooped up in cages. I asked him whether they did shows or anything, and he said "nah, they just kind of suffered."

One of the mountain lion enclosures.

And, uh, a couch.

Old bridge in "Don't Forget" Winona.

Day Six

2008-05-02T10:06:00.009-05:00

Most of Wednesday was spent driving through dust storms and featureless desert, so there are not that many exciting pictures. One of the high points of the day, car nerd that I am, was the Route 66 Auto Museum in Santa Rosa NM. I also figured out what to do with the jerrycan of gasoline; some lady flagged me down outside a gas station and started some story about not having enough money to get home, so I handed her the can of gas and drove off. Problem solved! I also visited the Pueblo ruins at Pecos National Historical Monument, which was really cool. The ruins are of a native village with a Spanish mission church. Originally from the 1500's, the villagers revolted and burnt it to the ground. The remains you see in the pictures are of a rebuilt version from the 18th century. I spent Wednesday night in another cool vintage motel, the El Rancho in Gallup NM.

Cold beer!

This abandoned store looks to be older than most of the ones I've encountered along the road.

This is actually a functioning post office, believe it or not. I think it is in Cuervo NM.

Old gas truck. Note the Phillips 66 logo on the door.

The Route 66 auto museum.

My car's mommy!

Diner in Santa Rosa.

The old Club Cafe, also in Santa Rosa.

The road goes on and on.

Nice.

Jerrycan Lady.

My way and the highway, running side by side again.

Snowcaps in the distance!

The ruins at Pecos. This is a reconstructed "kiva," a native ceremonial room.

The remains of the Spanish mission at Pecos.

This is a very old stretch of road running down La Bajada Hill, which I hiked up as the road was only passable by 4x4. Look at the switch backs and imagine driving down this in a 1920's car with leather brakes. Must have been terrifying.

Is this a piece of someone's car that didn't make it?

Budville Trading Post.

The El Rancho in Gallup.

Day Five

2008-04-29T22:35:00.011-05:00

Ah! Comfort! AC! Bed! Shower that you don't have to wear flip-flops in! I am sitting at the writing table in my adorable motel room at the vintage 1939 Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari NM. It's a lot more comfortable than the KOA laundry rooms from the last couple of days, I tell you. The Blue Swallow, along with the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook AZ, is one of two motels I was excited about staying at as they're both historic Route 66 motels. Part of the experience!

Anyway, this has been an interesting day. After visiting the ghost town of Glenrio, I missed a "this road is about to turn from pavement to gravel and angle sharply to the left for good measure" sign, and almost spun out. After several harrowing seconds I got the car back under control and got out for an emergency cigarette and to see what the hell that sign back there said. Walking back to the car I encountered a toothless yokel, sorry, local, who told me her truck was out of gas and her husband was waiting by it.

I had room nor inclination to give her a ride, so I said I would drive up and see what was going on. Anyway, her equally toothless husband muttered something about gas as well, and I was now faced with a moral dilemma. Leave them in the sweltering heat on a dirt road in the middle of nowhere, or try to help. Sucker that I am, I promised to find a gas station and bring back a couple of gallons of fuel. Anyhoo, I ended up driving almost twenty miles to the nearest (?) gas station, that of course did not have a jerrycan. Luckily the one across the freeway did, so I finally managed to obtain a can of gas and drive the twenty miles back, only to find that the truck and its inhabitants had vanished into thin air. That's an hour of my life and twenty bucks I'll never see again.

Now I am stuck with a two gallon jerrycan on my passenger seat. Problem is, I don't have room for it and chain smoke while driving, but I have this karmic feeling that the second I throw it away I will need it desperately. Poll: do I throw the two gallons of gas in the car and pitch the jerrycan, risking certain death in the desert from some yet-to-be-determined cause involving lack of a jerrycan, or do I drive around with a fuel-air bomb baking next to me in the southwestern sun? Vote on the top right of the page; under the archive links.

On the way out of Amarillo, Ding How!

Nice to see one of these old-time businesses still in operation.

The Cadillac Ranch, creation of some eccentric Texas millionaire and the inspiration for the Cadillac (mountain) Range in Cars.

Roadrunner Drive-In, Vega TX.

Yes, it's another abandoned service station. Sorry.

Later, when the machines rule us, maybe he will remember me kindly.

Inside the restaurant next to the gas station.

I made it! The Midpoint Cafe, exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica!

Fran Houser, in addition to being the inspiration for the character "Flo" in Cars, and the owner of the Midpoint Cafe, makes a mean omelet and the best apple pie on earth.

I signed the truck!

And no, that is NOT my comment about the cheese, although I wholeheartedly concur.

And so did Michael Wallis, who played The Sherrif in the movie.

Ghost town of Glenrio TX.

This would have said "First Motel in Texas," it's right by the New Mexico state line.

Sign that says, "Hey, I'm turning to pavement now." Its friend on the other side of the road was the one I should have heeded, but nobody shot that one up so you get a picture of this one.

Exciting skid marks. Note approaching Scary Vanishing Gas Bumming Wild Goose Chase Sending Lady in the background. And in case you're wondering, which you're not, this is actually an unpaved stretch of 66.

Dude! Shouldn't you be behind a fence or something?! Holy crap!

ICK! Note piece of shrubbery stuck in grille.

Daddy, bub-boo-bath! NOW! Apparently washing your own car is also part of the Route 66 experience; I haven't seen a single hand car wash since leaving Chicagoland. I scrub-a-dub-dubbed her, but there's no after pic.

The Blue Swallow Motel.

Totally vintage. Note the original bakelite phone from 1939.

Hey, I forgot! The camera has a remote! I get to be in some of my own pictures without having to explain my camera to a Swedish tourist!

Nice skies out west here.

Car tucked into a garage right next to the room, just as you've seen in some of the decrepit motels in previous pictures.

Boy am I glad that I splurged on a tripod today.

Day Four

2008-04-29T10:16:00.017-05:00

I've discovered the ideal location for making these posts. This one and the last have both been made from KOA laundry rooms, which feature chairs, a table to fold your clothes, power, and when lucky free wireless. Currently I am in the one belonging to the campground (or Kampground) outside Amarillo. More pictures than usual today, so I've been here longer than planned! After this it's onwards to Amarillo proper, and then to the Midpoint Cafe, exactly halfway between Chicago and Santa Monica. The character "Flo" in Cars is based on the owner. There was some confusion regarding this, I thought I was going to meet Sally the Porsche, but the lady her character is based on runs a little place in Stroud OK, so I've already passed it.

Some of you have asked me how I am following the old road. I'm using Jerry McClanahan and Jim Ross' map set, and when confused winging it either by eye or with the navigation system in the car. I haven't used a "real" map yet.

Leaving El Reno OK yesterday, the three quarter mile "Pony" Bridge over the South Canadian River.

A bad-ass bird. Looks like a carrion eater, but I'm no ornithologist. Hope the car doesn't break down with him watching ;-)

Wherever you go...

In the ticket booth of another abandoned drive-in.

An old farmhouse in southeast Oklahoma. I don't know if it's Dust Bowl era, but it could be.

You can see how this place would have dried up and blown away with any kind of drought.

The old road and the new running side by side.

The Glancy Motel.

Next door to the motel.

A used car dealership outside Clinton OK.

Another old service station along the road.

And another.

And another.

Looks like we're getting close to the South!

Serious disappointment, I thought I might actually get a Dr. Pepper out of the deal.

Beautiful detail though.

Two sides of the same sign. Every dog in town (I forget which town) was barking at me and my idling car by now so I didn't tarry long.

This stretch of road was unknown to both my map set and the nav system, looks like nobody has passed by here for a long time.

The Elm Motel with eponymous tree.

Note the garage attached to the motel room, many of the roadside motels were constructed this way.

Another modified sign, this time to my liking.

The "ghost" town of Texola.

With the prettiest wreck in the world sitting in a junkyard.

Rolf, who along with Texola's other 44 inhabitants would dispute its ghost town status.

Some very awful pictures of the very beautiful and very famous U-Drop-Inn. You see, to get a good picture of it you have to be standing in the middle of the road, so I only shot a few to avoid getting killed and they were all crooked unfortunately.

Yet another service station with some nice shadows.

Unfortunately you see a lot of these "American Owned" signs along the way. I guess this owner's raciscm didn't do him much good.

Sign across the street from the Texas Motel.

Cool drug store sign in McLean TX.

Yep, we're definitely not in the Midwest anymore!

Some awesome ruins in Jericho TX.

Gratuitous car shot.

Leaning water tower in Groom TX. I sure hope it's empty!

They take their god-stuff VERY seriously in Texas. For scale, note the trucks standing at the base of the cross. This thing is freakin' HUGE.

The first cold beer in two days. Lone Star, yum.

My little setup once again.

MUCH less exciting than the buffalo steak! Cheddar Broccoli pasta in a bag, a can of popeye brand spinach, condensed milk, parmesan, and cayenne pepper. Definitely edible though...

Day Three

2008-04-28T08:37:00.008-05:00

Three sub-optimal things have occurred.

On Saturday night I kept on driving too long and ended up staying in a shitty Holiday Inn, and then the next morning I missed one of my favorite Route 66 landmarks, the crazy whale thing in Catoosa. I guess I'm still adjusting to the pace of this trip, and I shall endeavor both to take my time for the rest of the trip and to do a little more research.

The third thing was sadder than both of those. Gary, who runs the pretty little service station from day two, told me that according to Crocodile Lile - chairman of the Route 66 Association - the best burgers in the world are to be had at Happy Burger in Sepulpa OK. With watering mouth and growling stomach I pulled in to HB at one in the afternoon yesterday, only to find it closed!

Gary had given me a signed picture of his gas station to give to the lady who owns it, so I wrote a little note on the back and slid it under the door. I included the address to this blog, so if you own Happy Burger and are reading this please know that you owe me a burger!

Anyway, after leaving the hotel in Joplin MO yesterday morning I made my way through the 13 mile stretch of Route 66 that runs through Kansas. In contrast to Webb City MO, right across the border, this corner of Kansas is pretty gloomy and economically depressed. Here is a former service station in Galena, now a liquor store.

Another cool stencil on the road.

Gloomy Galena.

An old tow trunk done up like Mater from Cars. This one's name is Tow Tater.

More gloomy stuff.

ULTIMATE gloominess. Could a house BE any more creepy?

Probably the prettiest gas pump I've seen so far, outside the little restaurant where Tow Tater lives.

Neat Pepsi and Mountain Dew murals.

Sign outside a little neighborhood along the road. I didn't want to investigate too much as I made a series of highly illegal traffic maneuvers to get the pic and then noticed the sign was right next to a cop's house.

The Marsh Arch Rainbow Bridge over the Spring River. This is the only remaining bridge of its kind along Route 66. I had a nice side shot of it, but forgot to bring a copy of PhotoShop so couldn't straighten it without fuzzing it up.

Sweeeeeet. That had to be one kickass ride when it was new. I can totally picture myself with three flapper chicks, a cigar, and my tommy gun chilling in the back of that.

I wonder what the kitten thinks of all of this.

More falling down cabins.

Happy Burger! Oh no! It's closed! Sad Burger!

This bridge lives along a section of the Ozark trail that became part of Route 66 in 1926, five years after the bridge was built. It remained part of 66 until 1952.

An abandoned drive in theater along the Ozark trail.

Here you go, dad.

An old service station in Davenport OK.

This is an interesting structure. It is one of the only stone service stations of this design left standing in this part of the country, but more interestingly it was the site of a $10 bill counterfeiting operation during the Capone years.

Nice flower box in the window.

Interior view. The little window in the back on the right led to the secret money printing shack behind the station.

A very old stretch of roadway. Main Street of America, now the road less travelled.

The famous and aptly named Round Barn in Arcadia OK. It is over 100 years old, but in '88 the roof caved in and it was moved from its original location and turned into a gift shop. I shot it from the only angle that doesn't show the obnoxious signs.

State Capitol in Oklahoma City.

Ah yes, this is what a little bit of planning will get you. A camp site before dark with a blazing grill.

Buffalo ribeye. Score.

A meal fit for a king with the addition of powdered four cheese mashed potatoes and a can of peas. Ka-bar makes a hell of a steak knife too.

Day Two

2008-04-26T23:19:00.000-05:00

So, it's the end of day two and time for a few notes and clarifying comments.

First of all, the posts on this blog are going to be fairly long and are meant to be read top to bottom, but will be posted chronologically with the most recent at the top. That means scrolling halfway down, reading down, and then scrolling up, and then reading down. Hey, blogs were meant for brevity and it's not a skill I have mastered.

Secondly, I should take a moment to thank Ron of http://rwarn17588.wordpress.com/, a very comprehensive Route 66 site which provided me with inspiration, some to do list items, and an exceedingly useful list of campgrounds along the Route. If your interest is at all piqued by this travelogue be sure to visit his site.

There was a thirdly, but I just had three Heinekens and the most miserable quesadillas in the universe; I am not in possession of 100% of my mental faculties right now.

At the end of yesterday's post (posted today, again please remember my brain doesn't work) I mentioned having set up camp by the light of my headlamps in drizzle. Whoever manages the weather around these parts saw the error of their ways and corrected the situation overnight; today dawned crisp but clear.

Six AM. This is how REAL MEN MAKE COFFEE. And those are REAL MAN CIGARETTES too.

Much nicer today.

Meramec State Park is incredibly beautiful. The pictures do not do it justice. Went for a longass hike this morning.

Alright, fine, one more piece of flair. Bought it from the man at the Bunny, er, Rabbit Ranch the day before.

I wonder what this used to advertise?

The Wagon Wheel Motel. The spoked wheel motif was the inspiration for the design of the Wheel Well in the movie Cars. For those of you with children, there will be more Cars references as the trip goes on. For those of you without, SPEND ALL YOUR MONEY NOW. THEY WILL TAKE IT FROM YOU.

Hicks?! Dans Le Missouri?! Jamais de la vie!!!

In the spirit of Kelly's LobbyPimpCam, here is the DashCam. This is just for road video of course, the main camera is a "real" one.

This would be the, uh, largest, eh rocking chair, in the, erm, world.

Another cool rusty sign for stuff nobody buys anymore.

Vroom vroom.

Ah yes, the good old days.

Vernelle's Motel. This motel used to be along Route 66, and used to have a restaurant out front. So, they replaced Route 66 with I-44, and eminent domained the owner out of his restaurant to make way for it. But that was not enough, they then ripped up I-44 and moved it north a couple of years ago, and yes, they took the back of the lot for that. No exit though, so the motel, a more recent relic than most, is just sitting there falling to pieces on a spur of 66 like the "modern" cabins that once sat alongside it. The grass you see in the foreground is actually former I-44 roadbed, the little strip in front of the motel is 66.

Arlington MO - once a Route 66 resort town - now mostly deserted on a dead end stretch of the old road several miles past Vernelle's.

Witmor Farms Restaurant, home of some kickass potato salad and yesterday's blog post. I will NOT tell you where I am writing from today. The shame!

Random rusty bridge.

Detail of another classic wreck.

Gary Turner's Sinclair station in Ash Grove MO. Gary is the nicest guy you will meet and gave me lots of new places to put on my must-visit list, as well as a picture of his service station to deliver to the Happy Burger when I pass by there tomorrow. The service station is a new wood structure similar to the original, the stone garage dates back to the 1920s. The tractor in the garage was his dad's.

Some abandoned storage tanks.

Purdee horsee. This is actually a couple of miles off 66, I was trying to find Red Oaks before sunset and failed.

This, presumably, is by the same guy that created the Red Oaks art.

De Soto!

The (operating!) Route 66 Drive-In in Carthage.

Day One

2008-04-26T13:37:00.000-05:00

Hello friends, family, coworkers, clients, and assorted miscreants. I am currently sitting in the Whitmor Farms Restaurant somewhere in the middle of Missouri; finally getting around to pulling some pictures off the cameras and getting myself connected to the Internet, so there is some catching up to do. I should be posting every other day.

First of all, Jackson St. was closed between Lakeshore and Michigan, so the Art Institute had to do as a starting point. I am afraid that I will have to start with a crappy picture of the Art Institute lion that I quickly snapped while being yelled at by one of the yellow jacketed Chicago traffic fascists for standing in a handicapped space. Those darn people with their rockstar parking!

I found the first Route 66 sign on Ogden, this one nicely enhanced by the addition of an extra six.

All serious endeavors require sticking logos on gear and otherwise pimping stuff out, so while stopped at the sign I added some pieces of flair to the car.

The first "real" Route 66 landmark you encounter is the defunct Castle Car Wash in Lawndale, my favorite neighborhood.
I was told to take a picture of this here caboose. So I did.

A couple of cool Route-66-y-looking-thingies in Berwyn.

Rich & Creamy. That one's for you, Tony.

Stopped at the Route 66 Museum in Joliet, where the lovely Elaine sent me on my way with a bag full of maps & brochures. They had the following mural. Looks like a long-ass drive!

This is the first giant I encountered, next to the Launching Pad Drive-In. He's the "Gemini Giant."

The Polk-a-Dot. Perhaps they're in business with the Rich & Creamy people?

A restored (crica 100 years old) streetcar diner behind the Riviera in Gardner IL.

A couple of old-skool gas stations in Dwight, plus some cool stenciling on the road.

Hey! I thought it wasn't called that anymore?!

A section of unused roadway. You frequently see old stretches like this of the original divided highway, with two closed lanes running next to the existing two-lane.

An even-older-skool gas station in Odell.

NOT FOR USE IN MIXED DRINKS OF ANY KIND.

Stopped here to buy some sirup (sic). These guys have been right here making it for over 100 years.

Downtown Atlanta IL, with a Huge Paul Bunyan holding a Huge Wiener.

The Cozy Drive In, INVENTORS OF THE CORN DOG ON A STICK.

Henry's Route 66 Rabbit Ranch in Staunton. Montana the Rabbit lives there (her picture didn't work out), and she is running for president. I have the fridge magnet to prove it!

Some cool old signs.

The old Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi, now closed to vehicular traffic.

These are just downstream of the Chain of Rocks Bridge and used to supply St. Louis with drinking water. Nasty.

Another cool falling-down old sign.

Some exciting looking rocks in Missouri, just before it became pitch black and I got utterly lost.

No pix of the last part, where I set up my tent in a completely unlit state park, in the middle of the night, in drizzle. More to follow tomorrow!!!!