Thread: Kiwis on Route 66

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We're going to be taking a tour of Route 66 in September, starting in Chicago, and working our way across to Santa Monica.
The idea behind doing it east-to-west is that the time zone changes are then working for us, giving us an extra hour at every change.

Here's our itinerary, your thoughts / comments would be appreciated.
(But not necessarily acted upon! )
And if anyone wants to meet up while we're in their vicinity . . . holler!

Day 1 Illinois. (USA time.)
Monday 16th September.
Fly into Chicago.

Day 2
Tuesday 17th September.
Shedd Aquarium and Museum of Science and Industry, both on the lake front road.
Kalamazoo: Gilmore Car Museum, 6865 Hickory Rd., Hickory Corners, MI.

Sightseeing…recovering from jet-lag.
Not overly interested in cities; they’re all homogenised…could be Auckland or Paris or Moscow…don’t care.

Day 3 Illinois.
Wednesday 18th September.
Sightseeing…recovering from jet-lag.

Day 4 Illinois.
Thursday 19th September.

Points of interest:
Romeoville: White Fence Farm 1376 Joliet Rd. --- food, car and machinery collection.
Braidwood: Polk-a-dot Drive in. Pro70z28 did their signs. Contact when close.
Gardner: Riviera pub… gaol.
Odell: Meramec Caverns.
Funks Gr: maple sirup.
Williamsville: Die-cast Auto Sales, 117 N Elm St.
Staunton: Henry’s Rabbit Ranch…’’Snortin’ Norton’’ trucks. (?) Campbell 66 Express Trucking.
Pontiac: Murals and Route 66 Museum.
Mitchell: Chain of Rocks Rd…accommodation?
Or on to St Louis.

Day 5 Missouri.
Friday 20th September.

Points of interest:
St. Louis: Ted Drew’s Frozen Custard. 6726 Chippewa. Joe, (TooMany2count) contact when close.
Via Manchester and Ellisville (old Rte 66) to:
Stanton: Meramec Caverns. Antique toy collection. (Closed.) Jesse James wax museum next door.
Sullivan: antiques mall.
St James: Rte 66 Motors and Gift Shop.
Rolla: ½ scale replica of Stonehenge and Totem Pole Trading Post.
Lebanon/Devils Elbow – Munger Moss Motel – Rte 66 Museum 1336 East Rte 66 – also factory outlets and antique stores.
Marshfield: model of the ‘Hubble Telescope’ in the town square, and Exotic Animal Paradise.
Springfield: “Snortin’ Norton” trucks. (?) Campbell 66 Express Trucking. NTFDAY lives near here. Contact when close.
Branson: Musical Mecca of Country Music…and head for Ottawa.
Joplin: or head for Ottawa from here.

Day 6 to day 8 Kansas.
Saturday 21st September to Monday 23rd September..
Ottawa.
Points of interest:

Old Marais River run…a Rod/Custom show… Roger Spears. Contact when close.
That will consume at least one full day I’m sure.
Roger and Susan have proposed we stay an extra two nights after the initial Show day, and they’ll give us a bit of a tour of their area.
Thanks for that, much appreciated.

Day 9 to day 13 Oklahoma.
Tuesday 24th September to Friday 27th September.
Points of interest:
Afton: Afton Station – Packard collection. Darryl Starbird's Rod and Custom Hall of Fame, 55251 E Hwy 85A.
Vinita: World’s largest McDonalds.
Verdigris: The Nut House for pecan pie.
Bristow: Factory shops? (Barstow?)
Arcadia: “The Round Barn” – although I’m told it’s now destroyed by fire.
Warwick: Seaba Station, now a m/cycle museum.
Oklahoma City: Alfred P Murrah Federal Building

Perry…for five days.
Meeting up with acquaintances from our last visit and seeing if we can lean on some to write stories about their memories of the bus.
See if I can make contact with Shirley Self.
Meeting with Dick and Susie Smelser, who are joining us for the rest of the trip.
305 N. Young, Billings Oklahoma, 74630. Ph. 001 913 856 3208.

Yukon: Yukon’s Best Railroad Museum.
Clinton: Oklahoma Route 66 Museum 2229 West Gary Blvd. and Cheyenne Cultural Centre, 2250 NE Rte 66.
Canute: Remains of old businesses.
Erick: Roger Miller and Sheb Wooley Museums, also Sand Hills Curiosity Shop.
Texola: ghost town.

Day 14 Texas.
Saturday 28th September..

Points of interest:
Shamrock: U – Drop Inn. Featured in ‘Cars’. Emmett's mum worked here before he was born, and his dad worked next door.
Amarillo: Cadillac Ranch and antique shops. Palo Duro Canyon State Park, The Big Texan Restaurant 7701 I-40 Amarillo.
McClean: Devil’s Rope (barbed wire) museum.

Day 15 New Mexico.
Sunday 29th September..

Points of interest:
Tucumcari: kitsch architecture, Blue Swallow Motel, Mesalands Community College Dinosaur Museum. Car yard, east of, ph 575-403-0221 or 575-461-0199.
Santa Rosa: Route 66 Auto Museum, some for sale.
Albuquerque: National Atomic Museum.

Day 16. New Mexico.
Monday 30th September.
Points of interest:
Albuquerque: Unser Garage. Race cars.
Laguna: San Jose Mission, built in 1699.
Grants: New Mexico Mining Museum plus fossil and Route 66 exhibits.
Dinosaur Discovery Museum, and Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave.
Prewitt: Swap Meet 66.
Gallup: Rex Museum.

Day 17 Arizona.
Tuesday 1st October.

Points of interest:
On the left between Navajo and Painted Desert is the Petrified Forest.
Holbrook: Wigwam Motel 811 W Hopi Dr.
“Jackrabbit Trading Post”.
Winslow: ‘Standin’ on a corner’, Eagles, 2nd St. and Kingsley.
Meteor City: meteor crater.
Flagstaff.

Day 18. Arizona.
Wednesday 2nd October.

Points of interest:
Downtown Williams - unchanged since the 60's
Grand Canyon.
Seligman: Route 66 Visitor Centre, and Grand Canyon Caverns.
Hackberry: Hackberry general store.
Kingman: Historic Route 66 Assoc. of Arizona with Route 66 Museum, also nearby is the Mohave Museum, also the Locomotive Park.
Ensure gas tank is kept topped up.

Day 19. California.
Thursday 3rd October

Points of interest:
Calico: Archaeological site.
Barstow: Route 66 Mother Road Museum and a railroad museum.
Bottle Tree Ranch.
Oro Grande: Route 66 Antique Station.
Victorville : another Route 66 museum.
San Bernardino: (north of) McDonalds Museum on E Street @ 14th
Duarte: Justice Bros. Racing Museum, 2734 E Huntington Dr.

Day 20. . California.
Friday 4th October.
Los Angeles.
Points of interest:
Peterson Museum.
Blob out.

Day 21. Saturday 5th October.
Los Angeles.
I’m sure we’ll find something to do…
Space Shuttle Museum. California Science Centre 700 Exposition Park Drive.

Day 22. Sunday 6th October

Fly out.