Come join us and Don, Brad & I discover America via a journey down Historic Route 66 - the Mother Road.During our ten day excusion I will be updating this web site on a daily basis - sharing our exploits through sight, sound, and the written word. Please set your calendars, bookmark this page, and visit us daily from September 18th through the 27th as we meander our way across the country.Our Itinerary:
Just click on the date below to watch our progress as the trip progresses!| Sept 17 | Brad and I Arrived in Chicago
We arrived in Chicago in time for a light dinner downtown, at a Vietnamese restaurant called The Colonial (great Martinis ad appetizers!) Then it was off to Don's to spend the night with he and his wife Stacey in their new home in Lisle, IL. | | Sept 18 | Touring Chicago
We picked up our car (we ended up with a Monte Carlo), then it was off to Wrigley Field where we saw the Cubbies play the Brewers at a 3:05 start. Sammy Sosa hit his 60th homerun of the year!
Rather than staying in Chicago one more night, we decided to take off after the game and begin our journey, winding up in Normal, Illinois at midnight before we booked a room at the Knight's Inn. | | Sept 19 | Off to St. Louis
We rose early, had breakfast, and drove on to Busch Stadium, where we caught the Cardinals vs. Astros at a 1:05 gametime at Busch Stadium, and watched from the bleachers as McGwire hit 2 homeruns! | | Sept 20 | Side Trip to Memphis
We stayed Sunday night at the Heartbreak Hotel, just across the street from the Graceland Mansion, where we caught a tour of Elvis' home, planes and automobiles. | | Sept 21 | Oklahoma to Texas
A warm sunny day that began with traversing Oklahoma and ended with tagging autos at the Cadillac Ranch. | | Sept 22 | New Mexico
Our trek today led us into New Mexico, with our destination being Santa Fe. We had lunch at Cafe La Sena, a favorite of mine, having been there twice before. We spent the rest of the afternoon bartering with the Indians who line the Plaza selling their wares, then got back on the road, not bothering to stop in Albuquerque, trying to get to Holbrook, AZ before bedtime, where we stayed at the World Famous WigWam Motel - you just haven't lived until you've spent a night in a teepee. | | Sept 23 | The Arizona Experience
Today we battled with Mother Nature as her downpour competed with our trips to The Petrified Forest, Painted Desert, Meteor Crater and delayed our visit to The Grand Canyon. But there's worse places to wait out storms than Flagstaff, which is picturesque no matter the weather. | | Sept 24 | Grand Canyon to Las Vegas
Our morning began with breakfast at the Galaxy Diner, a quick munch located next to the hotel. The three of us all had the 2-for-2 special - 2 eggs, 2 strips of bacon, 2 pieces of toast for $2. Not a bad way to go - get some intake before our journey up Highway 180 to the Grand Canyon. After an easy sixty minute ride, we stopped at the Grand Canyon Airport and book an hour flight over the top of the canyon. It was quite the "trip," and well worth the cost. We then walked to the Canyon's Rim, and took pictures along with 400 others doing the same thing. I bought a pack of ViewMasters instead.Next, we headed down Route 66 to The Grand Canyon Caverns - a privately-owned cave with the cheesiest tour we had ever experienced. It was so bad that the highlights included stories of a wedding that was held there, a "blacklight" room showing off some items of undetermined origin, the mummified remains of a Bobcat estimated to be over 150 years old, and a fake grizzly bear. If you ever have the opportunity to visit these caverns, be sure to skip the tour and visit Carlsbad Caverns in New Mexico instead! No road trip is complete without a stop to gamble a bit, and Las Vegas is just over the hill from Kingman. We stopped by Hoover Dam at about 8 pm for some quick photo opportunity, then ventured into Las Vegas and sought lodging. We were denied, due to an influx of grease monkeys attending a NASCAR convention. We decided to travelk south until we came across an available room - as it turned out, we got to sleep in Barstow. Oh well... | | Sept 25 | Wind it Up in Los Angeles, CA
We ventured on down to the end of Route 66, in search of the plaque dedicating the road as the Will Rogers Highway. Then it was off to Elysian Park, where the Dodgers played The San Diego Padres in a totally meaningless game for third place in the NL West. Finally, we meandered down I-5 to San Deigo, and spent the night back home in my own bed, serving as host to my houseguests Don and Brad. |
Listen to the Route 66 theme song! |
