Chicago to Santa Monica (Route 66)

Much of the old Route 66 has been replaced by highway and so we will have to venture from the straight and narrow to see some of the sights of the old Mother Road.

Wed 6 August - Chicago, Illinois to St Louis, Missouri                          (MS Streets & Trips file)

Thu 7 August - St Louis, Missouri to Miami, Oklahoma                         (MS Streets & Trips file)

Fri 8 August - Miami, Oklahoma to Shamrock, Texas                            (MS Streets & Trips file)

Sat 9 August - Shamrock, Texas to Tucumcari, New Mexico             (MS Streets & Trips file)

Sun 10 August - Tucumcari, New Mexico to Gallup, New Mexico    (MS Streets & Trips file)

Mon 11 August - Gallup, New Mexico to Flagstaff, Arizona                 (MS Streets & Trips file)

Tue 12 August - Flagstaff, Arizona to Kingman, Arizona                       (MS Streets & Trips file)

Wed 13 August - Kingman, Arizona to Needles, California                   (MS Streets & Trips file)

Thu 14 August - Needles, California to Santa Monica, California       (MS Streets & Trips file)

Some of the things we will see and do on this leg of the journey include....

ILLINOIS

The dream begins downtown Chicago ! We will head south towards St Louis, Missouri via Joliet and Elwood (Blues Brothers), a town called Normal, Funks Grove and Springfield Illinois before hitting St Louis (The Gateway to the West, picture below).

MISSOURI

From St Louis we take a more Westerly route on '66 where the road takes a fun twist through "Devils Elbow" (some twisties over an old iron bridge often photographed in R66 write ups, see above) on the way to Lebanon, through another Springfield (this time in Missouri) where we may stop by at "Steak&Shake" for a snack and on to Joplin.

KANSAS

Route 66 passes only 13 miles through the southeast tip of Kansas. If it is true that all good things come in small packages then I am looking forward to sampling a few Kansas treasures !

OKLAHOMA

Entering OK through Miami where some of the oldest stretches of the original Route 66 still exists (see below an original 8ft wide section) we will pass through Tulsa, Oklahoma City and exit into the Texas "pan handle" via Elk City.

TEXAS

On entering Texas through Shamrock I dare say that we will find it hard to resist pulling over at the roadside to ask "Is this the way to Amarillo ?". It will be one of the few places on the planet where we could get a firm "Yes" and it would be the truth, and providing we don't get too lost, we will pass right through !

Texas is certainly the home of the wacky. Take a look at just a few of the unusual sights we will pass on the way through to New Mexico. The famous leaning water tower and world renowned "Cadillac Ranch".

NEW MEXICO

Not many people know that New Mexico shunned Shakespeare many years ago when it ordered over 400 words of his "Romeo and Juliet" works removed for being "sexually explicit". Don't worry guys, us Brits already forgive you. New Mexico takes us through some well known places like Santa Rosa, Santa Fe, Albuquerque and Gallup.

ARIZONA

Well known for it's brutal desert during summer months, an breathtaking views of the Grand Canyon. We will enter through Lupton and be passing through places called Navajo and the Geronimo Trading Post to give us a hint of times past. Route 66 passes close by world famous Meteor Crater and it's town namesake Meteor City.

On the way to Flagstaff we will pass through some old towns called Two Guns and Twin Arrows. The from Flagstaf we will deviate from R66 North to the Grand Canyon some 90 miles away for a short excursion. Finally, looping back to Kingman for an overnight stop and a 2nd day of sightseeing around Las Vegas before leaving the famous gold mining area and entering the final State on the Mother Road.

CALIFORNIA

Entering California via Needles we will pass through Amboy where we will doubtless need to stop for a snack at the famous "Roys" Cafe and Motel. California is home to the Bagdad Cafe made famous by the movie of the same name in 1988. After Bagdad we will ride around the Marine Base near Barstow and through Rialto (the home of the very distinctive WigWam Motel where we may spend a night under canvas).

Finally, riding through Pasadena, Route 66 will take us right through Beverly Hills, West Hollywood and to the beach at Santa Monica where it all ends for this leg of our trip and a short rest for our weary backsides !