Driving a classic Thunderbird on Route 66 has always been on my “Bucket List”, so on September 18th we left for Chicago to start our 13 day Route 66 adventure driving the 2,448 miles from Chicago to Santa Monica. Instead of taking our 1955 Thunderbird, my wife and I decided that we wanted our journey to be a more comfortable one, so we drove our 2004 Retro Bird instead. This is only a small sample of the many stops we made.
Determining the official “starting” point of Route 66 has changed over the years. The starting point sign is at the corner of Adams and Wabash. Due to the creation of one-way streets downtown, the accurate beginning of Route 66 is actually at the corner of Michigan and Jackson.
We headed out of the Windy City and towards the gentle farmland of Central Illinois. We stopped at Ambler’s Texaco Station in Dwight Illinois, which was the longest operating gas station on Route 66 until they shut down their pumps 1999. Another “house and canopy” style filling station we stopped at was the Standard Oil Station in Odell, Illinois which was built in 1932. And of course we stopped at Pontiac, Illinois, one of the best examples of a town embracing their location on Route 66.
The flat cornfields of Illinois give way to the Ozarks rolling foothills as we explore Missouri’s Route 66. The giant rocking chair at Fanning Outpost is a major photo opportunity. Gary’s Sinclair Station has always been a favorite stop. Gary is no longer with us, but his daughter and her husband have picked up the torch and now run the place.
Route 66 passes through Kansas for a whopping 11 miles. The main draw is the restored filling station “Cars on the Route”. Then you can drive on the last remaining “Rainbow” arch type bridge on Route 66, built in 1923.
In Oklahoma, the most photographed roadside attraction on Route 66 is the Blue Whale of Catoosa. This 80-foot long Blue Whale was an anniversary gift from Hugh Davis to his wife Zelta. Reaching more than 65 feet in the sky, Pops Soda Ranch has the “World’s Largest Soda Bottle” and is one of the newest attractions on Route 66. The Route 66 Museum in Clinton, Oklahoma takes visitors through the entire history of the Mother Road. The first thing people gravitate to is the Corvette cutout, too bad it wasn’t a Thunderbird, but it’s perfect for a cheesy Route 66 photo.
We said goodbye to Oklahoma and hello to the panhandle of Texas. The word “Texas” is thought to be derived from a Caddo Indian word meaning “friends”. In every state we traveled along Route 66, the people we met were some of the friendliest people that you could ever meet. In the words of Gary Turner from Gary’s Sinclair Station in Missouri; “Once you meet, you were friends for life”.
Cadillac Ranch is one of the most iconic pieces of roadside art in the United States. Here you will find ten Cadillacs buried nose down at an angle. Spray painting one of the Cadillacs is a rite of passage. One of the most beautiful art deco filling stations in the country is U-Drop Inn and Tower Conoco Service Station. You will recognize it as “Ramone’s Body Shop” from the movie Cars. The Midpoint Café in Adrian, Texas is appropriately named, because it is located at the midpoint of Route 66.
The great plains of the Texas panhandle lead right to the state line of New Mexico as the lush farmland turns sandier and sandier. The 66 Diner is located in Albuquerque, New Mexico. If you like classic 1950s diners, bright neon and good old fashioned Rock ‘n Roll, the 66 Diner is the place for you. Santa Fe, New Mexico is a unique and beautiful city. At 7,199 feet it is the highest town on the original Route 66. You can’t drive through Grants, New Mexico without getting a picture at the historic Route 66 drive thru sign.
As the cities of Albuquerque and Grants fade away into the vast emptiness, we travel on to Arizona. The Petrified Forest National Park is the only national park that has a portion of the original Route 66 within its borders. The original roadbed is marked by telephone poles as it stretches into vast nothingness. The Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona has 15 teepees arranged in a U shape and there are a number of 1950s and ‘60s vintage cars parked around the property. Whether or not you’re a fan of the Eagles, most modern day travelers are familiar with the famous line from the song “Take it Easy”. Winslow, Arizona re-created the scene along the original route of Route 66.
Our next stop was to the South Rim of the Grand Canyon. As we were looking at the Grand Canyon we realized what a beautiful country we live in. Seligman, Arizona is responsible for the resurgence of Route 66, thanks to Angel Delgadillo. After the interstate came, Angel watched the entire town economy evaporate from his little barbershop on Route 66. Angel worked with other business owners to form the Route 66 Association.
We stopped in Oatman, Arizona, which is a replica of an old western town. The town’s biggest attraction is the wild burros that walk the streets greeting visitors and trying to get a free meal. The stores in the town will sell you cubes to feed the burros. Sitgreaves Pass is definitely not for a squeamish driver. This steep portion of the original Route 66 contains some of the tightest hairpin curves found on the route.
Amboy, California is practically a ghost town except for one very cool Route 66 relic: Roy’s Motel and Café. Its iconic sign and surrounding landscape make it a favorite place for pictures. Elmer’s Bottle Tree Ranch with its metal sculptures and old highway memorabilia, appears as an oasis in the middle of the desert. It is one of the newer sights on Route 66, opened in 2000 and has over 200 different works of art.
After 13 days and 2,448 miles, on October 1st we drove to the end of Route 66 and to the Santa Monica Pier. Our Retro Bird was dirty, dusty and all the bugs it could catch in the grill, but we made memories we will never forget. The one thing I learned from our adventure is; “It’s about the journey and not the destination”.
doug7740
1955 Thunderbird Blue
