Route 66 roadtrip

Iris, I didn't think this report could possibly get any better, but it did. Wonderful, wonderful stuff!! I'm starving now...thanks a lot

I wanted to hit the Dr. of BBQ on the way home, but by then amazingly my hubby was so BBQ'd out I just couldn't even bring up the subject....(we had had BBQ the night before at the Hickory Pit in Rolla)
There's always next time, and there was so much we missed in Springfield that we'll be back that way I think later this summer-
We tried twice to hit the State Capitol and it was closed both times....

If you do go through again, I strongly recomend trying Cafe on the Route in baxter Springs, Kansas.

Keith

What a fabulous report. I have always been fascinated by Route 66. In fact, that is how I came across Roadfood.com when I was Googling Route 66 stuff. I love all the pictures of both the food and the historical landmarks. Thanks again for a great thread!

Thanks for the sharing your wonderful family road trip. The ribs looked fab! Also loved the Italian shrimp and clam plates.

Iris,
What a great report!
Did you take the old alignment of U. S. 66 (seven twists and turns!) through Joplin, Missouri? All of it is traversable except for one block downtown where they constructed a new viaduct a block over when they replaced the old too-narrow-for-modern-use one.
Enthusiastically, Ort. Carlton in Amazing Athens, Georgia.
P. S. The photo of your son holding the Ted Drewes "Concrete" upside down with no dribble apparent is priceless!

Sadly, We did not take the old alignment thru Joplin,
but we did take about a zillion "ells" in the old alignment in southern Illinois where you see the photo of our car with the pavement stencil...
We would have liked to have stayed on 66 all the time, but there were stretches here and there where time unfortunately necessitated our jumping to the evil empire's highway....
Especially in OK- OMG what it costs to drive the highway was astounding!
And I thought it was bad paying to drive the ILLINOIS tollways!

Wow...your family seems to have had one heck of a vacation...What a great experience. Wonderful memories you gave the kids...a travel piece of history....Funny we traveled much of that in the 50's...when it wasn't nostalgia!!!! Food still looks good!!! Thanks!

Great Trip--great report--Great family! Thanks!

Fantastic, What a great post on true Americana.

quote:

Originally posted by joerogo

Fantastic, What a great post on true Americana.

Ditto.

Living a dream of mine..Route 66! Probably never happen for me so thanks for this wonderful report. Just terrific.

That pineapple upside down cake is a classic. Did you get a chance to go to Connley's in St. Louis by chance? They are known for their roast beef sandwiches and burgers. Never been there, but heard it was wonderful. I was at Tony's though on the Hill. When I was there, the waiters wore tuxedo's. Is that the same place you were at?

What a cool Mom you are! Lucky kids..

WOW!what a trip. My wife and I made the same Trip back in 1964 for our "Honeymoon." We started out in Detroit staying our wedding night at the Book Cadillac and then took off for the Grand Canyon. We drove I94 to south of Chicago and got onto 66(I had just read Jack Kerouac's On The Road and was fascinated with the idea) Except for I94 and a few miles around Tulsa and Oklahoma City, 66 was mostly 2 lane road and went through cities and all. Got into a park in St. Louis that took hours to find our way out. We made it to Amarillo, where we were going to just spend the night but found out about the Palo Duro Canyon and took another day and went out there where we rented horses and spent the day on horseback. We trashed the Grand Canyon part of the trip and spent more time in Amarillo then headed back to Detroit, stopping at the Merrimac Caves for the tour.
Wife and I are still together, lasting longer than the road.

We wanted to do a horseback ride in Palo Duro but time was just our enemy all along on this trip.
Palo Duro was really gorgeous, the pictures can't do it justice.
Maybe when we do the second half of the trip (amarillo to california),
we'll be able to do it on a more leisurely timetable.

irisarbor


We kept encountering these eerie stretches of road that would run parallel to historic 66 between us and the RR tracks that were all overgrown and occaisionally bulldozed thru so no one would try to drive on them.

Iris, was this just east of Lincoln?  We saw those when we were down there a few months ago and what I think they are are the remnants of a 4-lane segment of 66.  I suspect that sometime after it was decommissioned Illinois didn't want to maintain all 4 lanes, so the westbound side was deliberately made unsafe for use and the eastbound side was converted to 1 lane in each direction.  That's my theory, anyway.
 
I picked up some cherry pie and baklava from Jubelt's when we were in Litchfield.  I don't eat desserts but those who tried them liked them.  By the dim light of a hotel desk lamp:
       
 
Your trip report convinced me to try to hit at least some sections of 66 so we went from Springfield to Lincoln, and then in Missouri from Sullivan to St. James.  I tried to convince my family that we needed to stop at Art's in Farmersville but they wouldn't hear of it.
   
 
Brad

"My suggestions for a post-dinner concrete were quickly shot down..."

Those twins cannot possibly be related to you. The hospital obviously switched babies. 

Loving this report. Thank you. 
 

 You should have opted for the big chicken...Cookin' From Scatch is a great place to eat. Down home mamma's cooking!....next time .....

Great report and photos, irisarbor. Brings back memories of the long-distance roadtrips my family would take when my brother and I were growing up. I've been up in that arch, and, yes, it's more than a little claustrophobic. I'm going to have to do the Meramac Caverns thing myself someday. 

How in the world did I miss this trip report the first time around?  This is one of the most fun reports I have ever seen on here.  Just a great family adventure.  Kudos to irisarbor!  This is especially timely since I will be in Springfield, IL in a couple of weeks.

bb, if you're going to be in Springfield, we need to talk.  I'll put you in all the right places.

Buddy

===Anyhow, we now have a new policy- anyplace looks iffy- Hubs checks it out first.... ===

Also, never stay at a motel with ambulance parking.
A great report. A dream excursion for me that might happen this year too. Thank you.

Those ghostly empty stretches of old highways are filled on moonlit nights with the spirits of the buried cars ...Aaa-roooo-gaaaah.
mark

There are some wonderful pieces of the old road and it's communities still "Alive" all the way across the country. I may have missed some small segments here and there, but I have done the L A to Chicago and back ride over a dozen times. each time we have found new places to explore.

My favorite section is the stretch from Barstow East to Kingman AZ. Those desert vistas, wide open spaces, and little communiies still hanging on to supply fuel and food to travelers are amazing . It's easy to 'relive' The Grapes of Wrath setting as you travel that area.

Al-The Mayor, you have to add State Highway 66 east from Kingman via Peach Springs and Seligman, which largely follows the old Santa Fe and which was the old Route 66 exactly. A little more lush as largely arid routes go and one wonderful highway. 

Yep I will include that in the 'Dream Road'!  Have you ever taken the Reservation Road from Peach Springs down to the banks of the Colorado River at the west end of the Grand Canyon? Now that's a side trip worth the time and energy ! You have to sign in at the office in Peach Springs and get a 'pass' that allows access, but it is worth it for desert scenic beauty !
It is a 20 mile dirt road that follows a streambed down into the canyon. I had a 2wd drive Explorer when I did it the first time. It was a bit of a rough ride, but we had no problem with the road. Since then I have done it twice in my 4wd Supercrew Truck. Much more comfortable  and a more secure feeling...but it is a great step back into history

Voyageur


"My suggestions for a post-dinner concrete were quickly shot down..."

Actually it was NOT the twins who nixed the post-dinner concrete, it was the DH....
always looking after my girlish figure....

irisarbor

Voyageur


"My suggestions for a post-dinner concrete were quickly shot down..."

Actually it was NOT the twins who nixed the post-dinner concrete, it was the DH....
always looking after my girlish figure....

Irisarbor,

That's a good man you have there, and its a complement to you that he is LOOKING at your girlish figure!

You sure did good with that report.  I'd like to do a similar trip, and this report of yours gives me hope!

I want to goooo!!!!! I want your whole itinerary! oh my god everything looks so great!

That was a great report.