by Mary Colarik

The legend and lure of Route 66 - dubbed ‘The Mother Road’ by novelist and prolific American writer, John Steinbeck had intrigued me since the mid-1990s when I was on a Harley-Davidson ‘Made In America’ motorcycle tour with my ex-husband. We traveled from Nashville to Cleveland stopping along the way to view American made products, the Louisville Slugger Factory, Jack Daniels Distillery and the Corvette Museum. Several participants mentioned that the absolute best trip to see true Americana and iconic sites was Route 66.

 My sister sent my son Tom Snyder’s ‘Route 66: Traveler’s Guide and Roadside Companion’ when she heard he was going to drive cross country after his high school graduation in 2009. But those teenagers were not interested in the sites they simply wanted to get to the beach in Malibu and traipse around LA for a week. Later, my daughter went across the country with her dad. They took the book as a guide and stopped at only one or two of the landmarks along the way, including the Grand Canyon.

Fast forward to January 2018, I had sold my home in Ohio, purged most of my possessions and put everything else in storage. Having saved the wonderful guide book, I was ready to head west. The well-researched book includes maps and itineraries designed for travelers to drive through eight states from Illinois to California. I was determined to follow the Route 66 guide. 

Although the main road was dismantled in 1985, much of the original route remains paralleling Interstate 40. I planned to take my time driving from the Midwest to the west coast. Like others before me who had used the route to escape the Midwest and find a new beginning in the Golden State, I too would be seeking my own new beginning. I wanted to discover the towns and sites off the beaten path, and was interested in many of the highlighted locations described in the little paperback book. It was an ambitious plan, a journey of over 2,000 miles traveling with my little dog, Lola riding shotgun. 

 Having done quite a bit of research about the route and knew I would be seeing many wonderful places, little towns, cafes and diners: Wigwam motels, large crazy statues, natural wonders such as the Grand Canyon National Park, the Petrified Forest National Park, the Blue Hole, Indian pueblos, the town Tucumcari lit with neon signs at night, antique stores filled with nostalgic items from the past, museums and unusual structures.

Heading out of Bath, Ohio towards Chicago, I had made plans to stay with two very close friends in the suburbs there first, so the start to my Route 66 trip began five days later after breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s. The restaurant and bakery have been the official beginning of Route 66 since 1923, three years before the road was commissioned in 1926. (Fun side note: one of my Chicago friends sent me Lou Mitchell’s 95th Anniversary Cookbook, ‘Still Getting our Kicks on 66’ shortly after I moved into my new home in San Clemente.)

Off on my adventure across the country, the first day as I journeyed through Illinois, a bit overexcited, trying to stop at every little place detailed in the Illinois section of the book. It was a misty, foggy day traveling through the countryside, I saw some unusual and funky buildings and artifacts. My biggest frustration occurred after driving a bit out of the way to make a stop at Funks Grove, Maple Sirup Farm in Shirley, IL. The maple sugar farm owned by the same family since 1891 was closed in January. They open in late February with Maple Syrup available March-August. Family members have expanded the farm with a Funks Grove Heritage Fruit and Grains, Kirby Family Creamery and a gift shop with Route 66 merchandise. I also missed the Huge Neon Palm Tree in Lincoln, IL., but did see the old gas station in Dewey, IL, and Elvis, Blues Brothers and Superman statues outside the Polk-A-Dot Drive Inn, a 1950s retro themed roadside diner in Braidwood, IL that’s been in business for 50 years.

 The next day was marked by contrast and frustration, bright blue sky, 60 degrees, but windy in St. Louis. Much to my disappointment the famous St. Louis Arch was closed, and as I was heading through Missouri towards the Ozarks, I encountered a 30 degree drop in temperature, snow and fierce winds. Luckily, I knew how to drive in snowy conditions after living in the Midwest for 30 years. Slowly learning acceptance and patience along this route, I remembered that it’s the journey, not the destination. I enjoyed the steel truss bridges, especially the Chain of Rocks Bridge, old motels, a recreated Sinclair Gas Station and the charming town of Carthage, MO. This county seat is worth taking the time to stop and wander about the town with its quaint and quirky shops and restaurants. If you are rolling through in the summer watch a movie at the 66 Drive-In located right on Route 66.

 I was discovering along this iconic American road with its mix of giant statues, independent coffee shops, old towns still thriving, bigger cities like Tulsa, OK and Amarillo, TX that I needed to slow down, not rush, pick and choose what I was most interested in seeing, what places were worth a stop and a look-see. I was meeting so many friendly, chatty people, some who lived “off the grid” but worked in nostalgic stores and museums along the route, many who had suggestions what I should not miss.

There was much to see from Tulsa to Amarillo. Including the Arcadia Round Barn, built in 1898. It is one of the iconic roadside attractions along the route. The farmer who built it and others at the time thought a round building would withstand tornados—it’s still standing 126 years after it was finished. Initially it was used for dances, today it is a live music venue and hosts vintage car rallies. Unfortunately, it was another spot that does not open for visitors in January. A few miles down the road a 66-foot-tall bottle that lights up with bright dazzling LED lights at night entices travelers to stop day or night. The Pops 66 Soda Ranch was built in 2007, so it’s a modern edition on 66. There is a family friendly full-service restaurant, convenience store, gas station and an array of over 700 varieties of soda pop, new, old and obscure offerings to delight one and all. There is a ton of merchandise too, I did not buy much on my journey west but I did purchase a Pops 66 Route 66 key chain, a nice memory every time I drive my car.

Amarillo is home to Cadillac Ranch. Backed by a billionaire, art hippies from San Francisco came up with the idea to partially bury 10 Cadillacs nose down in a desolate dirt field with their fins facing up to the big Texas Sky. The Cadillacs with models ranging from 1949-63 were then sprayed painted in an array of bright colors. It’s an easy, fun stop and free. One is even able to add their own artistic touch with spray paint cans. Amarillo also has a pleasant historic district great for wandering down the street and browsing through the antique and other stores.

After an overnight in Albuquerque and breakfast at the Central Grill and Coffee House— ‘fresh food fast’ I was back on the road, stopping for a few photo ops—El Rancho Hotel and Motel, Home of the Movie Stars, Restaurant, 49er Bar and Ormand Ortega’s World-Famous Indian Store and of course, stood on the corner in Winslow, AZ. Then I took a three-day detour to Phoenix to celebrate my birthday with my son.

I soon headed to back to Highway 40/Route 66 for a final full day of visiting more sites. After almost two weeks on the road, I was getting a little bit restless and ready to arrive at the Santa Monica Pier—the end of the road. I had skimmed through my guide book to pick and choose the last few places I would like to visit, including the Arizona towns of Ash Fork, Seligman, Hackberry and Oatman. All three had special places of interest to pop in and out of quickly. I decided to tour the Grand Canyon Caverns in Williams too. This was the first time on the entire route that I encountered any other true tourists. This is the largest dry cavern in the U.S.A. It’s dry and clean—no creatures live inside. You can arrange a sleepover inside a large room. There’s a rock dog to protect you, his favorite band is the ‘Rolling Stones.’ On to the Hackberry General Store and the tiny village of Antares featuring the Giganticus Headicus. The place fooled me because it advertised coffee and ice cream available. I was ready for a treat and some caffeine, but it was tightly shuttered—no services. I had also missed out getting a bite to eat in Seligman at the well-known Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In., also shuttered tight in the winter months. 

On to Oatman one of the places that I really wanted to visit; a tiny western town nestled in the hills of Arizona not far from the California Border. Clark Gable and Carole Lombard spent their Honeymoon in 1939 in the Oatman Hotel—which many claim that it is haunted. Although it no longer hosts overnight guests there is a museum, restaurant, bar and gift shop. The main reason I wanted to stop there was to see the wild burros that wander the streets. I did not realize that close to sundown was not a good time to negotiate this curvy 16 mile stretch of route of 66. I also could not figure out how 16 miles was scheduled to take me 40 minutes according to my car’s navigation system. As I ascended the curvy mountain road, I approached multiple switchbacks and hairpin turns at 10-15 miles per hour and quickly realized the reality of the drive. I have driven very twisty roads in my lifetime particularly in the Sierra mountains and the canyon roads in LA County, but never such a narrow, winding road, no shoulder, limited guardrails—mostly made of wood and rope. Each turn greeted me with an incredible, stunning view of the sun on the rugged mountains. There was no turning back! I was all in for the ride into Oatman. Such a relief to arrive in the little town, but the donkeys were nowhere in sight. A gift store sales woman said that they head into the mountains for the night at sunset. She suggested that I might catch a few on my way out of town towards Needles—my last stop before arriving at my destination in Southern California. 

That evening settled in my hotel room in Needles I read in my Route 66 guide book, “there are real beginnings and endings here on Old Route 66, and a truer sense of being alone, dependent on your vehicle and the road itself to take you safely through.” Wow did that statement ring true for me after 14 days alone on the road with my dog and my trusty SUV. 

The next day on my way to LA I made one final stop for a photo op at the Wigwam Motel in Rialto/San Bernardino. Despite traveling the route in the dead of winter I did get to wander into several unique spots. The upside was very little traffic, often when I was on the old section of the highway, I was the only car. Most of the stores, museums and sites were practically empty.

According to Route 66 guides the best time to travel Route 66 is early spring or September and October, thus avoiding crowds. The attractions are bustling in the heat of the summer months. The guides also suggest taking two to three full weeks to explore all the fascinating places. Although I felt my cross-country trip was slow going, I only spent six nights, seven days exploring the sites along Route 66. Next time I will allot more time and not be in such a hurry to see so many places each day. I highly recommend researching places to visit along the route and to design your own flexible itinerary based on your interests. Happy traveling!