We are having such an amazing time! So much more fun than I thought we could have. Waking up in a new place each night - exploring a new area each day - the forests, mountains, deserts - being on the open road - it has all been amazing.
We have made it through the first leg of our journey, Route 66. Many have asked us why we chose to take Route 66 - or what’s replaced 66 - from Chicago to California. The answer is pretty simple: we knew we wanted to drive the Pacific coast, were located in the middle of America, were unsure about which road to take to California, and enjoy the nostalgia of 66. We knew we would make the journey what we wanted to anyway as we are not hardcore 66ers so didn’t really consider ourselves overly restrained by the route. We enjoyed driving along the Main Street of so many small towns. Our favorite stretch of Route 66 was in Arizona - between Seligman to Kingman and on to Oatman/Toprock. We had read about this section prior to driving it yesterday and were both very much looking forward to it. However, it surpassed both of our expectations. The mountain pass at Sitgraves was breathtakingly beautiful. Going from thick forests just East of Seligman to unforgiving desert in Oatman in just a few hours of driving was insane.
We wanted to finish our drive on the 140+ miles of Route 66 in western Arizona before starting our “Detour to the Coast” - Leg 2 of this road trip. We somehow, miraculously managed to end our Route 66 drive on the Annual Route 66 Fun Run and were accompanied along the way with over 800 vehicles packed with Route 66 enthusiasts. Most of the vehicles were historic cars and their presence on ‘The Mother Road’ made the final stretch of 66 — well, perfect. We were thrilled.
Photos of the Fun Run:
We are now in Lake Havasu City on the Arizona/California border 20 miles South of Route 66 preparing to embark upon the second leg of our journey early this coming week. Stay tuned for more adventures!
I love the car pictures. It reminds me of our trip to the National last year. I am so glad we all made the trek to see Grandpa and Grandma in action. What a special memory. Well, it happened. I woke up and didn’t know what day it was. I guess that’s the sign of a good vacation. I hope you are somewhere having fun without a watch or care in the world. Love you bunches!
We are sitting here together looking at your pictures. They are wonderful. We ar so glad that you are having this time and fun together. Have you got your houseslippers crochet yet? Going to have my surgery to fix the torn rotater cup next Wed. the 13th, what can I do to teach this left hand some things before then. As you say Katie, stupid left hand). Enjoy, Enjoy, Sending our love and hugs.
[...] photographs that I took you can view them in Kate’s post about how we’re having such an amazing time on our road [...]
[...] Highlight 1: The nostalgia! We stopped at two fantastic Route 66 diners, a great custard stand and numerous old filling stations. The first of our two diners (Pops) was in Oklahoma and the second (the Route 66 Diner) was in New Mexico. They both offered delicious food and were filled with Route 66 memorabilia. The custard was in St. Louis - Ted Drewes was so very yummy. And the filling stations were found in just about every state along the way. Highlight 2: The end! While in Arizona, we learned of a Route 66 Road Rally taking place further down the Mother Road in a few days time and opted to hurry along and take part. The rally was taking place on the longest stretch of intact Route 66. There were period cars and tons of enthusiasts. It was so fun to participate in and a great way to end our Route 66 Adventure. [...]