Home!

We are back, just one day short of three weeks.

I think Connie is most astonished that two people (us) can be together 24/7 for three weeks and get along just fine the whole time.

My own main reaction is that one of the items on my imaginary "101 things to do before you die" list has been accomplished! This trip was so long in the anticipation and planning.

True, we didn't follow route 66 all the way to the end--but we did enough that I am quite content.


We traveled from Chicago until just inside Arizona on 66, and then also including quite a lot throughout New Mexico.

It really isn't possible to identify a "favorite part," but I did like the short stretch inside Kansas quite a lot. Connie particularly enjoyed Santa Fe.

Odometer: 4586 miles total

Our daily average distance was about 230 miles for the trip as a whole.

Flowers to Barbara's grave

We placed these flowers, purchased at the country fair, by Barbara's grave in Sycamore.

Bloomington, Saturday night

We have arrived in Bloomington IL, and finally also seem to have an internet connection that works!

Part of the way today, we drove on a different routing of historic 66, one that bypassed Springfield. We came upon a very pleasant country fair in the little town of Elkhart, IL. One of the things going on there was that ice cream was being made with a little engine-driven machine.

Tonight we will go to the game, and then we will start the final leg home tomorrow (Sunday) probably going by the gravesite in Sycamore. We did buy some flowers that could be placed there.

Barbara's birthday

September 30th is Barbara's birthday. She would have been 64--same as me now. I hope we can find a way to honor her somehow.

Friday AM

Woke up here in Joplin, me earlier than Connie. Probably the best night's sleep I have had, though. Much less cough/breathing difficulty.

We don't intend to push down the road very hard today. There is a restaurant in Springfield MO on 66 that we hope to visit. Then we expect to travel north through the Ozarks, hoping to find a pretty route.

It has been really hard to use the computer! Between problems of its own, and then also problem's caused by the hotels' security systems, I haven't been able to get on email!

Our trip is nearing its end. Connie says that is always very hard for her.

Thursday

We drove across almost the entire state of Oklahoma today, and the corner of Kansas that is clipped by route 66. Now we are in Joplin MO.

It was an interesting drive, and the short segment in Kansas was especially nice. It is so amazing to think how many people drove all the way to California, on a narrow strip of pavement, in cars that were so much less reliable than ours are now.

Tomorrow night probably we will be somewhere over by the Mississippi.

Wednesday night

We are at the "Northwest Inn" in Woodward OK. We got here on Route 60, which did go through "cowboy country." Lots of cattle in huge pens. Some oil wells (a few). In Texas, we saw Halliburton's trucks! Spooky--even more so than the UFO stuff around Roswell.

This is kind of off the beaten track. Route 66 and also the interstate are quite a bit to the south. But we will intercept 66 tomorrow, and follow out a porition of it that we missed before.

One of the main sights for today was the Cadillac Ranch, near 66, which is a bunch of cars half buried in the dirt!


Re sleeping. I'm still not doing really well, and have a cough, etc. This morning, I went back to bed after a light breakfast and slept until 10:30 or so. That helped!

Anyhow, Connie and I are trying to take it easy, as best we can.

Tuesday--two weeks on the road

Tonight we are in Hereford TX, which is the center of cattle activity in the state. We saw many large feed lots as we left New Mexico and approached here, going through Roswell NM, the flying saucer headquarters, and Clovis NM, where Buddy Holly recorded Peggy Sue. Another interesting industry we saw was the center of pistachio growing in New Mexico, just outside of Alamagordo NM.

Now we are on US Route 60 (which runs south of 66). Very likely we will also follow it much of tomorrow, up into Oklahoma.

Roswell

Today we should pass through Roswell NM, famous for flying saucer sightings. Now, seeing the proximity between White Sands and the airbase there and Roswell, my guess is that most of the flying saucers were unusual or secret aircraft. But it will be fun to look around a bit and learn a bit more.

http://www.iufomrc.com/incident.shtml

White Sands

Today we came south and visited the White Sands national monument. It is a spectactular desert landscape!


Tomorrow we will travel northeast, really starting "back home."

computer troubles

The connection here at the motel is fritzie, and all of a sudden my computer froze. Fortunately I have a "backup" with me, but I am really not sure that I will be able to handle email or blog postings very easily. If you don't here from me, that is the reason.

Over to Albuquerque

Today we drove from Gallup to Albuquerque, following the old 66 route much of the way. It is such a pleasure when we can get away from the interstate!

Part of what we went through was a winding rock-lined road that included "dead man's curve." It was totally lovely, and seemed perfectly save to us now.

This is the fourth time we have cross the continental divide.

Tomorrow we expect to head back south, to White Sands, which Connie's son Paul thinks we will really enjoy. We are free to take some new routes, because we have covered nearly all of 66 out to the Painted Desert, with the exception of a section near Kansas that we skipped in order to see Fayetteville Arkansas, where my parents met.

Saturday in Arizona

Last night David and I realized that the Painted Desert/Petrified Forest National Park was not very far from Show Low where we were staying. We also found out that we could again pick up Route 66, which originally went through the park. So that became our destination for the day.



We spent several hours viewing some of the most incredible vistas imaginable. The parts of the southwest that we have seen in the last week have such a unique look and feel, so different from ones I grew up with. My east-coast eye and soul have finally come to appreciate the colors and sytle of this part of the country.





After we left the park we headed east on 66, much of which has disappeared or is not drivable in these parts. Much of our trip has been criss-crossing or actually joining interstates as we try to follow The Mother Road. Here in Arizona and New Mexico it is I-40. And so we followed it back into Land of Enchantment and are spending the night in Gallup.



By the time we get back home, we should be able to say that we had travelled Route 66 from Chicago to the Petrified Forest near Holbrook, Arizona. Not quite sure what we will do tomorrow, let alone the day after, but things have gone well and our travels have been very enjoyable so far. Stay tuned!

Connie

A couple more photos from Friday

Water hazard. We went through, but one car turned around.



This theater has not operated since 1974.

Where are the earlier postings?

Only a limited number appear when the blog opens. But you can get to older ones by clicking on the dated listings under "archives" in the far left column.

States

So far, we have traveled in six states: Illinois, Missouri, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, and, currently, Arizona. Route 66 also runs through Kansas for a few miles, and we hope to pick that up on our return journey. Connie has been sending postcards from each state to her grandsons Luke and Ryan, who have been showing an interest in geography lately. Three arrived back in Chicago yesterday. We want to make the set complete.

Into Arizona

Much to our surprise, today we came into Arizona--we had planned to travel east, not west--and are spending the night in the town of Show Low.

There is a "rule" in New Mexico that, despite the sparse population, you won't really run out of gas if you keep your tank filled into the upper half. But ours got lower than that because we didn't add fuel before starting out from Silver City NM this morning. The highway we went down had few services, and at a certain point we got worried.

The GPS informed us that the closest gas was 70 miles away, to the west. So we went there, across the Arizona line for the first time.

It was the tinest little gas station I've ever seen. And when we pulled in, it was locked up! But soon a girl showed up riding a motorcycle, unlocked the pumps, and got us gas. So that worry was solved.

But from that point we had to follow a complete different path, much of it across Indian reservations on US 60. The scenery was spectacular, though, so we have enjoyed our day completely.

Tomorrow our plan--plans are not always realized, of course--but still our plan is to get back on Route 66, this time heading eastward, not westward. It is a good bet that we might spend tomorrow night in Gallup, New Mexico.

The Weather Factor

Connie and I have been very aware of weather this trip, and that seems a very good thing. We might easily have left Santa Fe and gone north through the Rockies, aiming to get to Fort Collins. But there are snow storm warnings up there, and travel would be difficult and hazardous.

It appears, though, that we will be okay if we don't travel east too fast or go too far north. Chicago, though, apparently is getting quite a bit of rain. All we are likely to experience are some fairly strong winds.

Silver City, NM

Spending the night here after a wonderful drive through wonderful mountains! It is an old silver mining town turned, at least in good part, into an artist's community.


First crossing, this morning


Second crossing, this afternoon. Notice the difference in elevation?


This is where we had supper, in a true "ghost town."



It was a great day, because of great scenery and great food. Also friendly, helpful people.

Later Wednesday

Well, we had quite an interesting and unexpected day! We stalled around a while this morning, waiting for a restaurant that Connie had enjoyed previously to open at 11:00 am. Tomastita's, which is in an old Santa Fe Railroad building. Anyhow, we had a really great meal there, so that was very worthwhile.

Our travel motto is always "probably," or "maybe," etc. Plans are subject to change at any moment. We had had difficulty figuring out where we would go, but looking at a map, decided on Roswell NM, solely on the basis of the flying saucer stories that abound there. That meant going south--but not farther west--so it isn't really taking us a lot farther from home, as continuing on to LA would.

However, our thought was readily out-bid by the suggestion from Paul (Connie's oldest) that Roswell wasn't that exciting a destination. He suggested, instead, White Sands--which I know of mostly as a missile testing ground.

It is interesting how this trip thus got a technological bent. The motel we stayed in at S.F. was very near the house where Paul (a physicist) and family lived in when he worked at Los Alamos. Connie and I both felt that White Sands was right on, in part because it would appeal to Connie's husband, Jim, and to my father, both engineers.

So we set off to the south, but took the "scenic route" for quite a ways, which had a fascinating landscape. Then we went a bit west to the Interstate--and its 75 mph speed limit, and its rest areas with "rattlesnake danger" signs posted! ;)

Now we are in Truth or Consequences, NM. Driving through town quickly, it is another example of how the development at the junction of the interstate has badly hurt the older businesses along the former main highway. And really much against our own preference, we too ended up at a Comfort Inn near the off-ramp. But we are going to go into town for a dinner at one of the "older" restaurants.

Connie and I have both been so impressed by the scenes that have passed our window. Everything in S.F. is built of adobe. All the houses, the buildings, are so different from our midwestern world.




And the high desert (is that the right word?) landscape of NM is also so unlike anything that we know.



The other striking thing is how vast the distances are. You can drive so far without seeing any evidence of human activity, let alone a gas station or restaurant.

Anyhow, we are having fun. Now this is seeming like a trip into Oklahoma, New Mexico, and part of Texas as much as a Route 66 trip. But we did cover more than half of the mother road, and with luck, will get a chance to do the other half sometime in the future.

Early Wednesday morning

Well, this last night, I got about half a night's sleep, which is an improvement over zero. Not gasping for air so much!

One new theory is that perhaps the altitude here is a factor. Start with a heart that works poorly, and then add thinner air, and you get distress. We were talking with a woman who works in a local hospital. She says that in many cases older people who do fine in places like Ohio need oxygen when they come out here.

Yesterday was mostly not an exciting day. Clean-up. Connie did a load of laundry, and then we were at the car dealer getting a wire that had been knocked loose tightened up. Has to do with the oxygen level in the fuel.

However, we did go down to the Square in Santa Fe, which really is remarkable: different and beautiful! Almost all the architecture in the whole city is adobe. In addition, they limit the height of commercial signs so that they don't "stick up" and spoil the appearance of the impressive skyline.





Still haven't decided what we will do today. I am inclined I think to start home via a lower altitude path. But we need to look at maps and the weather forecast, etc.

We have been very fortunate on the weather. Yesterday it was clear and lovely, and then it has been getting cool at night as well.

A week on the road!

Well, this is Tuesday morning, so it is a week we have been traveling. Seen many sights! But the bad news is that I didn't sleep at all again last night, so that is two nights in a row.

Yesterday Connie did all the driving, and we went up to Taos and then through the nearby forests and towns. Last evening we checked in to a very nice older motel on Route 66 in Santa Fe, the El Ray. Really, it is so nice! But once again I was caught into my can't breathe/cough/sweat/have to sit up routine, and really got no rest.

We have a room here for tonight as well, and a number of errands to do, as well as fine things to see. But I am less enthusiastic than before about going very much further west. Hopefully my condition will improve, but it if got worse, I would like to be in striking distance of home.

The landscape here is so different, and very spectacular. I think that is what I am enjoying the most! Anyhow, even with not feeling well, it is a very worthwhile trip.

Breathing difficulties

I have begun to have the same kind of breathing difficulties that I have had many times at home. Don't know the reason, but it makes it almost impossible to sleep much at night, and then leaves me tired most of the day. (When that gets too bad, I switch off and ask Connie to drive.)

All those pills, but they still aren't a sure cure for a heart that only pumps about half as strongly as it is supposed to!

Connie is fine, so far--fingers crossed. She does get worn out, but seems perfectly healthy.

Whether or not we may have to make our total trip less ambitiuous isn't clear....

We have made it more than half way!

We stopped at the Midpoint Cafe for a late breakfast, then later pushed on into New Mexico. Now we are spending the night at Las Vegas, NM, which is fairly near Taos and Santa Fe. Our plan is to go up to Taos tomorrow, and then get the minor repairs to the car in Santa Fe on Tuesday.

Saturday 9/16/06 Into Texas

Today we drove from Weatherford Oklahoma to Amarillo Texas. The landscape is dramatically flat in many places; you can see a long long way! The difference from the green hills we went through in Missouri is extremely striking.

Much of the route, as previously, closely parallels an interstate highway (I-40 today) but of course the old road goes through small towns instead of avoiding them. But I have to say that many of those towns have suffered so greatly from being bypassed. Business after business--filling stations, motels, restaurants, shops of every kind--are closed. When you add in the competition from Walmart and its ilk, it is a devastating picture for those who value the small town life.

I was watching for "signs of the west," anything distinctive. In one restaurant we did see three cowboy hats, but they are much rarer than caps. It does seem that long pants (generally jeans) are universally worn, no matter what the weather apparently, and much of the time, long sleeve shirts as well. But on the whole it would be hard to know where you are. At one coffee shop, the young men sitting near us wore NY and LA caps, nothing "local."



However, back on old 66, we did find a large number of young women engaged in riding contests of various kinds. I believe there were 12 events. I don't think I've seen anything similar in the Midwest.

The weather has been warm, but what has been even more striking is the wind! Many trees are apparently bent over permanently by a prevailing wind out of the south.

And, in some areas, good use is made of the wind to generate power. We saw some very large windmill ranches, which impressed me.

Speed limits are impressive too, going at times as high as 75 mph on the interstate.

Friday September 15th

We made it to far western Oklahoma today, the town of Weatherford. The motel (a very nice Best Western) is at one of the many points where Route 66 and I-40 run in parallel. Previous stops included in the Rock Cafe, for a wonderful breakfast, and the National Cowboy Hall of Fame and the Oklahoma State Fair in Oklahoma City.

The weather was really beautiful, although warm (hot). But nice.

There also was more noteworthy news, which I will let Connie describe.

-----
PS 9/16-- Well, the more noteworthy news, which hasn't gotten described yet, is that we exchanged "commitment rings." And we did so in a chapel at the National Cowboy Museum in Oklahoma City, where there is a realistic "mock" old western town.


Our commitment, of course, is not changed from what it has been for quite a while now. But the rings are an outward symbol, and we are both very pleased with this addition.

Thursday

We went a lot of miles today, and are spending the night in Bristow Oklahoma. That is just past Tulsa. We were in three states and travelled 12 1/2 hours. Deviated from Rt. 66 briefly to see the U of Ark in Fayetteville, where David's parents met and were married. Returned to the Mother Road to get to the Will Rogers memorial and museum in Claremore, OK. Ate good meals.

Yesterday we drove from Litchfield, IL to Lebanon, MO, between Rolla and Springfield. As usual, we got lost in St. Louis. Tried to go to a cafe that turned out to be a block from Busch Stadium, so they were just selling parking cause a game was about to start.

Weather today was the best we have had. Rained Tuesday, was cloudy yesterday. Car is great and we are both fine. Just a little beat tonight, since it was a long day on the road.

First day - Tuesday

We started out around 9:45 am, and got to Bloomington in time for lunch with Robert. Route 66 travels from Chicago to Bloomington, then Springfield, then Edwardsville, and then St. Louis MO.

The first thing to know is that there are multiple routes at some places. The national government designated some segments of highway with a U.S. number, but those segments shifted at various points in history. In certain areas there are three different routings, depending on the years. It was not unusual, for example, for the original Route 66 to go right through a town, and then a later alignment to skirt it. And then of course the whole thing was often later bypassed by an interstate highway. In the case of the Illinois segment of 66, I-55.

The "parallel" driving is pleasant, as there is less traffic, but it can be boring at times. The fun of course is in seeing historic sites and properties. But these grow fewer with every passing year. Illinois doesn't have a whole lot left, really!

But one of them is the Ariston Cafe, in Lichtfield, which is where we had supper. It is thought to be the oldest, or nearly the oldest, operating restaurant on 66. Another is the Cozy Dog, where we stopped too, on the south side of Springfield.


It has rained much of the day, as we knew it would. But, our adventure has begun! We are staying tonight at a Hampton Inn, largely because they have put some money into supporting Route 66 preservation. Good for them!

Odometer: 0.0

We left home at about 9:45 on Tuesday AM.

Route 66 through Bloomington IL

Bloomington-Normal, the home of Illinois State University, is where Robert lives. Historic 66 goes right through town. And Normal also is the home of the original Steak 'n Shake restaurant, established there in 1934.


We have been on Veterans Parkway, discussed below, many many times:

"One of the remnants of Route 66 is the highway now known as Veterans Parkway, east and south of Normal, Illinois, and Bloomington, Illinois. The two sweeping curves on the southeast and southwest of the cities originally were intended to easily handle traffic at speeds up to 100 miles per hour, as part of an effort to make Illinois 66 an Autobahn equivalent for military transport."

Probably we will hurry down to Bloomington, since we have traversed the Chicago-Bloomington segment many times already. But not at 100 mph! At regular highway speeds, it is about a 2 1/2 hour drive. But we seldom travel whatever is usual.

With luck, perhaps we will get to meet Rob for supper or for lunch.

The starting point in Chicago

Originally route 66 was located on Jackson Street. But now that is a one-way street going east. So the closest physical routing to the old road is on Adams. This photo (at Adams and Michigan) marks the official beginning.


I feel good about that, because my former IIT/Chicago-Kent office was at 565 West Adams. So I was working on a part of Historic 66 nearly every day!!

(That location also is near where US 41 runs through, making its way from Lake Superior--where we were this summer--and down all the way to Miami. And it is close to U.S. 12, which goes northwest past Arlington Heights (Connie's home) and all the way to near Seattle. I made that drive once by myself).

We won't actually start down in the Loop, though, for this trip. The drive through Chicago is one of course we have done many times, and which I consider basically boring. It is necessary to get out of town a distance before there is old pavement that has not been superceded by Interstate 55, which closely parallels old 66 all the way down to St. Louis, and which it was built to "by-pass" it and the many small towns along the way. Often when one is driving on 66 in Illinois you can see the big trucks moving along on I-55, just a few yards to the west.

From St. Louis on I-55 goes south (rather than southwest) through Memphis, Jackson, and New Orleans.

Connie"s "farewell" letter

My dear ones,

David and I are in the final throes of preparation for our long-
awaited Rt. 66 trip. Our plan is to leave on Tuesday, the 12th, on
what would have been my parents' 69th anniversary.
We are expecting to be gone for about a month. We will have the car
packed to the gills, have the XM radio that Paul gave me cranked up,
have books and CDs and everything else ready to go.


We have tons of information about our route and everything along it.
But I am sure we won't be limited to it or by it. We have been known to
deviate greatly from a chosen path. We will stop when and where we
want. Our only hotel reservation is in Albuquerque for the Balloon
Fiesta in early October. We may travel 20 miles a day or 200. (I
very much doubt that we would ever do much more than that, but who
knows?) We might find something or somewhere that strikes our fancy
and just decide to stay for a couple or few days.

Needless to say, we have no idea if we will get all the way to L.A.
or not. That doesn't seem all that important right now. We believe that IT'S
THE JOURNEY, NOT THE DESTINATION that's important.

It is possible that in our wanderings we may get to within shouting
distance of family or friends. If so, we will try to give you a shout and see if
we can come up with anything. Rt. 66 will take us through parts of Illinois,
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California.


We also hope to get to Arkansas. Course, Utah, Nevada, Colorado are all
not that far away eithe. How about returning through Memphis?)

I expect that we will be able to retrieve e-mail messages every once
in a while, so if you would like to keep in touch that would be fine. I hope,
though, that you will hold on to those "forwards" until we return.

The best way to keep informed about our travels may be to check
David's blog:
http://db-cf-route66.blogspot.com/
He hopes to be able to update it periodically, technology permitting.

Weather and health have been, are, and will be important
considerations, of course. Our final decision about when to leave
was based on the weather forecast for the weekend. I have not had a
vertigo episode since the one in upper New York State on July 5th.
David has felt better in the last couple of weeks than previously,
possibly because of some changes in medications. We are hopeful that
we will be able to maintain our state of relative well-being for the
next month. Or minimally that we both don't get stricken at the same
time.

I am very excited about and really looking forward to this trip, as
is David. Take care and be well.

Love you, Mom/Connie

All the way to LA?

My friend Kathy wrote today, asking if we might get all the way to the end of the Mother Road, which is Santa Monica. She lives out in LA. Actually, I would be very surprised if we do--but it is not impossible!

We've also had an invitation to stop by and see an old friend in Phoenix. And Connie has relatives in Texas.

Who knows where we will end up??

See America before its gone

There is a "philosophy" behind our travels, which I would call "see America before its gone," or "while its still here." This applies to man-made and natural artifacts and environments.

Every day, buildings or businesses from an earlier era disappear. Many small towns, and many family farms, and many steel mills and other industrial sites, have essentially "dried up." The same is true, of course, of areas of natural beauty or ecological importance.

Meanwhile, the U.S. (and the world!) is becoming much more homogeneous. The same restaurants, the same stores, everywhere you go. Essential signs of "localism" and regionalism are disappearing.

Driving the "old roads" is a way to see some of what is left, and elements of what is now closed or gone. Often one travels just a couple miles away from the interstates, but still, it can be a whole different world.




That is what Connie and I like to do. It is a fascinating, charming, nostalgic, and also melancholy business. But it is our way to travel, and it is also our philosophy about where our money should best be spent.

We will leave on Tuesday--5 days to go!

In the end, the weather decided. It seems like there might well be rain along much of our route on Sunday and Monday. So we will leave on Tuesday, after the weather changes for the better!

When will we leave?

Exactly when this trip will start is not yet determined. It could be as early as Sunday the 10th, or it might be up to a week later. But it can't be soon enough for me!



After we get started, we are expecting to be "on the road" for three or four weeks. That is, we will return sometime around October 10th-15th.

Distance

The total distance from Chicago to Santa Monica is about 2280 miles. The half way point is Adrian TX (near Armarilo). We certainly hope to get at least that far!!



The precise distance depends on the exact route you follow. US 66 was re-routed several times. For example, one route went through Santa Fe, while a later route did not. That shows in the little map, above.

The only reservations we have made in advance are for the Balloon Fiesta in Albuquerque.

Our prior 66 trips

Earlier we have traveled the distance between Chicago and Bloomington IL (where Robert lives) and most of the old road down to St. Louis as well. So this time we are not going to focus on that closest section.






These photos were taken at the time of Rob and my birthdays in late August last year.

We visited again for birthdays this year, too.

Road conditions

A fair amount of the old pavement is gone or out of service, but in other places, it is still "driveable." And in some states anyhow, it is signed with "Historic Route 66" markers. Illinois is one where it is.

License plates

To show our dedication, we got Illinois Route 66 license plates for the Pacifica. Because of Barbara's interest, we got Illinois "cardinal" license plates for her CR-V.

This trip has been long in the planning

Barbara and Dave had hoped to undertake it in the summer of 2003. Now Dave and Connie are getting to do so in the late summer of 2006. A variety of health concerns have been obstacles, but now we feel ready to go! And are very very excited!

Specifically for this trip, I purchased a Chrysler Pacifica last summer. It is a good "road car," and also suitably named. Up til now, we have taken it as far east as Jersey, as far north as Lake Superior, south all the way through Illinois and down into Misourri, and west as far as Independence.