Josh's Route 66 adventure
/Other highways came before it. Others stretched farther. Others probably conducted more traffic. But no US highway gets more recognition and praise than Route 66.
JOSH Byrnes joined the Gilligans’ Route 66 tour of September of 2023 and penned this daily diary of his adventures.
It was a heck of a experience. Route 66 spans almost 4000 kilometres and crosses eight states, starting in Chicago, Illinois, and terminating at the Pacific Coast in Santa Monica, California.
Given its ’66’ designation in 1926, it became a well-traveled highway; “the mother road, the road of flight” for those trying to escape the Dust Bowl and ravages of the Great Depression in the 1930s that would later support a countless number of vacationing families enjoying a post-World War II boom when cars were huge, fuel bills small and opportunities endless.
As more Americans took to the highway, a roadside culture would spring up along Route 66—motels, diners, gas stations, tourist attractions—to cater to a population that was increasingly mobile.
Today, Route 66 has new life, as ‘the’ road to take to gain a view of everything Americana. That’s what’s drew Josh to undertake his big adventure, with support from Gilligan’s Route 66, a classic tour run by fellow New Zealander Sam Murray.
Day one to day three: Chicago
KIWIS have a great backyard; plenty of with breathtaking vistas and serpentine roads.
Still, if you’re thinking one of the world’s great drives … well, I HAD to do this one.
The flight from Auckland to Chicago O’Hare is a 15 hour affair, but oh boy, it’s totally worth the jet lag to reach one of United States’ most iconic cities.
This tour has 28 participants, Aussies and Kiwis. Sam (below) met us at the airport then we bussed to our accommodation, right the bustling heart of downtown.
The itinerary acknowledges travellers need a time to acclimatise. Plus this is a city you don’t want to miss looking around.
So, next day began with a ‘Pre-Tour meeting’; a brief tuition on the phones we get to use, the sat nav and the impressive-looking routebook.
One attraction of Gilligan’s is that it’s a group tour more in respect to evening and lunchtime catch-ups; everyone has their own car and can make their own choices. But every car takes a GPS Sam has tuned to get you from A to B, and also bring you back on track if you decide to divert. You get a radio to call in to tour leader, who as a low-key mother duck, is piloting a gigantic Ford E-Series supply van that we’re told will never be far away but also never in your mirrors.
Plus a quick review of basic US road rules; important for those of use taking our first drive on the left.
Then were were touring the Windy City, taking in the key attractions, architectural history and spectacular nightlife. Everyone knows about Al Capone, Prohibition and the gangsters of the 1920s.
A tour of hangouts those guys used was an eye opener, with a fantastic light-hearted theatre show that was a great icebreaker welcome dinner for the group. Yeah, that’s me with the Thompson gun (safety on, of course)!
Then it was back to the hotel to prep for tomorrow; our first day on the road!
Day 4: Chicago to Pontiac (IL) 153 kilometres.
It’s an early morning hotel departure time and the Gilligans group is ushered off to one of the most important locations to kick off the journey... the rental car kiosk at Chicago O'Hare.
Most of the group select American muscle. Dodge was well represented with many of the group picking Dodge Chargers. One has a Challenger coupe. Also on tour are a Ford Mustang, a Chrysler 300 and a Ford Expedition. So plenty of home-grown.
For me? Er, a Kia Sportage, actually.
Time to test our left hand drive abilities by hitting Chicago’s huge freeway system. A daunting learning curve? This morning’s exposure is the worst of it; the big road exposure is just until we get out of town. Route 66, itself, is MUCH quieter.
My own anxiety is just to do with the big trucks, which fly past at at a pace that would have our traffic police scrambling for their Skodas. Actually, on the freeway out of town, everyone is hoofing. Clearly the American approach to speed is a little more relaxed than ours.
The quality of the interstate driving surfaces reflects how much of a pounding it gets. Grooved concrete is the US preference for road surface. So plenty of cracks and expansion joints. Bang, crash, thud... Repeat. It’s almost as if you’re driving on a punctured tyre.
Still, once heading toward the city of Pontiac we’re in rural areas. Much more relaxed. Today’s a short one for driving, but good for sight-seeing.
An early visit is to Joliet Prison, which featured in the movie the ‘Blues Brothers’. We also get to see a Route 66 museum, Becker’s Marathon Station in Dwight, and the Standard Oil Station in Odell. That’s the launching pad restaurant and its nine metre Gemini Giant statue.
Illinois is one of America’s flat states. The horizon line is flat as the eye can see. If you think the Canterbury Plains are featureless? Mate, this place doesn't have a mountain or hill in sight.
Rolling into Pontiac and its brick building-lined streets takes us to another photo opportunity, an incredibly well designed Route 66 mural.
Day one on the road! It’s been unforgettable.
Day 5: Pontiac – Springfield (IL) 178km
After breakfast we enjoy an hour or so wandering around downtown Pontiac, it’s time to hit the road again using Sam's uniquely designed Route 66 phone navigation app. Without it, no doubt some would accidentally migrated back to Chicago or traversed through the cornfield abyss.
Feeling more relaxed behind the wheel, the first stop of the day was at the incredible downtown Pontiac museum – a time capsule featuring a collection of General Motors product from 1926 to 2009. Even if you're not a Pontiac fanatic or automotive obsessed, it's a worthy stop that is a blast from the past.
From there, we navigated light traffic and every conceivable pickup truck you could see to take on the lesser used sections of Route 66 through to the town of Springfield. Asides from poor road quality, the other thing I quickly got used to was the sheer number of four-way stop signs. Unlike New Zealand, the rule is everyone must stop and first driver to the intersection gets to go first. It seems odd at first, but it genuinely works for keeping the traffic flowing.
As the mercury rises, we trail through the towns of McLean, Atlanta (notable for its giant muffler man holding a hot dog), and the agricultural trading centre that is Lincoln. Maize, corn, soybeans and livestock... there's a lot of it around here as far as the eye can see.
The group makes its way to Springfield late afternoon with the sun making the Kia's air-conditioned worth its weight in gold. Population wise, the city sits between Palmerston North and Hamilton, and is one of the most notable places in history for one very reason, a bloke named Abraham Lincoln.
Home to the 16th US President, Springfield was absolutely worth the stop, as was touring through the former president's neatly preserved homestead (above). What a time warp to reflect on as we head to dinner to conclude the day.
Day 6: Springfield - St Louis (MO) 209km.
The day begins with quick a quick second stop by Abraham Lincoln's for those that missed the opportunity the previous evening. We then head out of town, passing through residential areas before reaching the open road.
The absence of fencing at the front of many properties is something that might seem unfamiliar to any passing Kiwi; likewise what to my eyes seems a sometimes ad-hoc approach to electricity supply... wonky poles and wayward wires.
Nothing seems to be underground here. I daresay some NZ city councillors would have a heart attack at the sight of American footpaths. Trip hazards are everywhere.
Not long into the journey, the road takes onto a very rare appearance. Would you have ever imagined Route 66 would have once included a section hand rendered in red bricks, all laid by hand?
Stopping here providing a golden opportunity to briefly swap into a fellow traveller’s Hemi V8 powered Dodge Challenger for some photos. And, since I was at the wheel, it only seemed right to enjoy a quick sprint up the road.
Then it’s back into my four-pot Sportage. heading to Auburn for our first fuel stop. Another interesting experience. No individual fuel type and grade bowsers here. There’s one specific for diesel, but the other is for all grades of petrol. You pick, it pumps. But only after you have paid. I hadn’t expect pre-pay to be a thing. The Kia only asked for half a tank replenishment; so 8.3 US gallons (smaller than ours), which equates to 31.4 litres. The Kia has so far been averaging 7.3 litres per 100km. Not bad - significantly better than some of the heavy metal on tour - but I reckon it could be even better.
From Auburn we pass through various small settlements, including a section of road in which turkey tracks are imprinted. When Route 66 was being laid in Macoupin County in the 1920s, a turkey emerged from a nearby field and left its mark on the wet highway cement. It might have been a recidivists, or inspired a trend. There are 34 tracks.
Ninety degree turns are not normal on highways. They were a thing on this section of original ‘66. When the road was being constructed, not every land owner wanted a highway through their farmland. Their refusal to sell explains the road’s course. It’s running along boundary fences.
Outside of the small town of Carlinville is Country Classic Cars, a used car lot with a difference. They have all manner of vehicles from the 2000s back to the 1930s. All for sale. If you're into old American classics, it’s a must-see.
From there it’s into the city of St Louis, (population of 293,000), on the banks of the Mississippi river. It's also home to the St Louis Cardinals base ball team. We check out one of their home games from the great heights of Busch Stadium.
Day 7: St Louis – Lebanon (MO) 280km
A big day begins with a walking visit to Jefferson Arch, a staggering feat of 1960s’ engineering standing an imposing 192 metres and overlooking the mighty Mississippi River.
Reaching the viewing platform at the top of the arch requires riding in cosy five seat tram capsules. Four minutes up, three down. Not for the faint of heart, though the view of St Louis, though through a modest sized portal, is as stunning as you’d hope for.
It’s time to hit the road again, the frugal if far-from-fiery Kia Sportage firing me out of the central city to Ted Drewe's frozen custard shop, a famous must-stop since 1948. Sam really knows how to roll out treats for the group, with complimentary donuts sweetening the deal.
Another state is reached: Missouri. The roads soon change from flat to undulating, as does the scenery with significantly more greenery. The road quality also improves as 66 zigzags modern Interstate 44.
After passing through the settlements of St Clair, Stanton and Sullivan, we traverse through an old time railroad community of Bourbon, whose name unsurprisingly ties to 1850s’ whiskey importation.
From there (sober of course), the group arrives in Cuba. It's a great opportunity to stretch our legs and stretch the belt at the Missouri Hick Bar-B-Que.
Tyres hit the tarmac again and before we know it, its a golden photo opportunity: Fanning's giant rocking chair. Bigger is better in America. Erected on April Fool's Day 2008, this thing is 13 metres high with each rocker 9.6 metres long, and weighing a ton apiece.
By mid afternoon, the heat is really starting to hit as we check out Gasconade River Bridge, a 1920s’ construct now closed to traffic and left to decay, but impressive still.
Overnight is in the town of Lebanon at the Munger Moss, a classic Route 66 motel. The site originally operated as a filling station and restaurant (Munger-Moss Sandwich Shop) and the motel was added on after the place relocated, though it is the only part of the business that has survived today. A great spot to enjoy a casual outdoors’ sunset dinner.
Day 8: Lebanon – Joplin (MO) 230km
Dawn arrives and it's time to say goodbye to the friendly folk at the Munger Moss.
We're truly traversing through America's more rural areas with unfenced paddocks and scruffy long grass along the roadside.
Breakfast at the Rocking Chair Restaurant, and by gosh, you'll need a rocking chair once you've eaten your weight in scrambled eggs, sausage and … erm … bread and butter pudding.
Feeling supersized, we head to Marshfield, home town of Dr. Edwin Hubble, renowned American astronomer whose legacy is acknowledged by the renowned Hubble Space Telescope launched in 1990, 37 years after his death. A scaled down model of this amazing equipment sites in the small town's main square.
From there, it's foot to the Kia's floor again as we shoot through the town of Strafford and pull into our second Springfield in two days, one of 25 throughout the United States (none of which being of ‘The Simpsons’ fame).
The stop is a great opportunity to check out the brilliant Route 66 car museum, a small but intriguing array of cars from 1890 to present, including icons such as a replica Batmobile from the original Adam West 1960s’ television series and the Mello Yellow NASCAR featured in Days of Thunder starring Tom Cruise. Nice!
From there it’s through settlements of Paris Springs, Spencer (its quaint wee petrol station making a great photo opportunity), and Red Oak II – a small pioneer village located near Carthage.
Created by the artist Lowell Davis, Red Oak II is a collection of restored villas shifted from Red Oak in the late 1980s with the mission to use recycled building materials as an abstract form of painting and sculpture. It was a surreal feeling, which made me wonder if fitting wagon wheels to the Sportage would be more appropriate for driving around such a village.
It's time to move on and the temperature is now hovering around 30C with the poor Sportage's air conditioning starting to struggle, but I keep my cool. We then pass through the old zinc mining community of Carterville before arriving in the city of Joplin (population 51,000 plus).
This a city whose history will forever link to a terrible tragedy. At 5:40pm on May 22, 2011, Joplin was hit by a devastating tornado, at Category 5 one of the worst recorded in the US and the deadliest since one in Oklahoma in 1947. More than 4000 homes destroyed, another 8000 damaged; 158 people killed, 1150 others injured by a twister that was up to 1.6 kilometres' wide. A sombre reminder about Nature's unpredictable fury.
Our evening is spent eating delicious traditional Missouri Bar-B-Que, washed down by appropriate beverages.
DAY 9: Joplin – Tulsa (OK) 223km
EIGHT states are traversed by Route 66; today I’ve been through the one it touches least. Kansas involves for just 21 kilometres, to link the road between Missouri that we’ve left behind and Oklahoma, which we’ll be in for a couple more days.
First stop of the day has been Galena, established in 1877 as a mining settlement, where outside an old gas station is a replica of 'Tow Tate Mater’, the likeable rusty tow truck from the movie ‘Cars’. Slightly further down the road, a restored Texaco station, the Gearhead Curious .. .with a beautiful blue 1951 Hudson Hornet park outside. No points for guessing the link …
In Kansas there’s a group photo at the old Rainbow Bridge, a single span concrete 'Marsh Arch' style structure spanning 'Bush Creek'. The road is a largely ignored section of old ’66, but is in surprisingly reasonable condition. I’ve driven other old parts that are real spine-shakers.
Next we meet Charles Duboise, the ‘running man’ of Commerce, Oklahoma, where he and his mum run a Dairy Queen.
Charles started running in 1991, at age 24, to sort a weight issue; he was 149kgs then. Now he’s a fraction of that. He usually runs around 16km a day, every day, starting at 3am.
More remarkable than this stamina, even though he lives next to the most famous road in the world, he runs on a treadmill.
So far he’s worn out 10 of them. His shoes fare better: He got 10 years’ life out of one pair, a feat (joke) that got him onto the Oprah Winfrey show. Being a studio guest required him to travel … and that’s the one day in all those years he hasn’t run.
Commerce has another link; to 1930s’ gangsters Bonny and Clyde; a month before they were finally brought down, the Barrow gang had a big shootout here and took a law officer hostage.
Miami (no, not 'that' Miami) occasions light lunch at the Coleman Theatre, a historic performance venue being restored to its 1920s’ glory.
From here Route 66 takes on a new look, with a 2.74 metre paved centre section with gravel borders. The rationale? Road construction was costly in the ‘20s,, so it was decided to limit the paved part to the width of just one vehicle.
Blipping through numerous small settlements, I pause to scrutinise the centrepiece of Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park, in tiny Foyil. The imposing structure is the oldest and largest example of a folk art environment in Oklahoma … and rather than being carved out of wood, is concrete, its construction lasting from 1937 to 1961.
The AC is set to max as we strike for Tulsa, hitting town via the Cyrus Avery Centennial Plaza, named after the guy who conceived Route 66.
Before then, one truly ‘only in America’ sight.
The Blue Whale of Catoosa is among the more bizarre beloved stopping points.
It’s the work of Hugh S. Davis, a zoologist and family man. Some say it was created as an anniversary present for his wife, Zelta. Others suggest he envisioned the whale as a special place where his grandchildren could play and swim in the nearby pond.
Anyway. It’s been here since 1972. The whale was a truly ‘think big’ project. Davis’ sketches of the mammal grew until they reached six metres’ tall and 24 metres’ long. Davis and a friend, Harold Thomas, spent two years welding the metal framework and applying the hand-mixed cement, one bucket at a time.
After the whale's completion, it attracted visitors from all over and became a place where people swam, fished and picnicked. It’s now run by the town and swimming is no longer advisable.
Day 10 Tulsa to Oklahoma City 192km
OVERNIGHT thunderstorms and heavy rain have created some surface flooding in Tulsa's streets, but nothing is impassable and soon we’re parked up to consider a giant, the Meteor.
Not a space rock but a huge locomotive than ran between St Louis and San Francisco rail line during World War II, hitting up to 145kmh on test runs. Meteor now resides in a historic village and getting it there was a heck of an undertaking, involving creation of a temporary track.
Next stop, Sapulpa, the Kia is refuelled. Consumption for the trip so far has come to 11.34 US gallons; that’s 42.92 litres. Petrol has cost around $NZ1.82 a litre; somewhat cheaper than in NZ at the moment.
Just up the road is another car collection, Gasoline Alley Classics. Unassuming from the outside, but step inside and you're in Americana heaven: Neon-lit signs, brick stencilled branding, old truck beds repurposed as merchandise shelving... you truly don't know where to start looking. Even the toilets are done up to match the shop's eye-catching aesthetic.
From here the group heads down an old alignment of Route 66, the 'Ozark Trail'.
Initially, you’d think you were driving in a set for 'The Walking Dead’. Deep woods, verdant growth and some derelict bridge structures.
After passing through the community of Depew, we stop to meet Wayne Cooper, a well-known artist, whose oil paintings theme on indigenous native American travellers and idyllic country landscapes. Wayne’s prices might have your wallet running for cover, but the work is worth a look. So too the town of Stroud, in which stands The Rock Cafe. Dawn Welch, the owner, was the personality for Sally Carrera in the movie ‘Cars’.
After this, we’re off tarmac and onto gravel, passing an obelisk at a three-way intersection. This highway marker used to be subject to tagging. But tour guide Sam Murray took it upon himself to tidy it up a couple of years back and locals have maintained the site since. Salute a commendable Kiwi.
Chandler, Warwick and Arcadia attract interest as we drive through the afternoon. The last was established after the land grab of 1889, prospering off Route 66 and the introduction of railway services. Look out for the ‘round’ barn, built by local farmer William Harrison to withstand tornados.
Tonight we’re in Bricktown, an incredibly picturesque part of Oklahoma City, perfect for an evening walk with a canal and trams commanding attention.
DAY 11: Oklahoma City – Clinton / Elk City (OK) 207km
On a typical spring morning in 1995, a bomb exploded outside a federal building in downtown Oklahoma City.
Within minutes, the nine-story structure was reduced to rubble, the deadliest act of domestic terrorism in US history (with September 11, 2001, being the deadliest act of terrorism on US soil).
An experiential memorial museum tells the story of the Oklahoma City bombing. Visitors hear the only known recording of the explosion triggered by Timothy McVeigh, a decorated US Army veteran who parked outside in a rented truck outfitted with a homemade explosive he’d made with help from co-conspirator Terry Nichols, a fellow white supremacist and anti-government extremist. Powerful videos, touch-screen interactive displays, artefacts, and touching stories all combine to create a powerful and unforgettable experience.
Particularly poignant is the Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, with a Field of Empty Chairs - one for each of the 168 people who were killed, in nine rows - and The Outdoor Symbolic Memorial, built around a reflecting pool where the Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building stood. This rectangular water feature is flanked by square arches known as the Gates of Time. The eastern gate displays a time of 9:01, the minute before lives were changed forever. The western gate shows a time of 9:03, the minute after the horrific attack. It is deeply affecting.
Also visited today, the National Cowboy and Western Heritage Museum features more than 28,000 Western and American Indian art works and artefacts.
The museum also has the world's most extensive collection of American rodeo photographs and trophies, saddlery and barbed wire. There’s also an outdoor display of replicated indigenous structures, including cave dwellings.
Out of town is straight into grain country as we pass through Yukon; the roads around here are home territory for full-sized pick up trucks. Ford F250 Super Duty, RAM 2500 and Chevrolet Silverado 2500HD are common here, many pulling huge loads our kind of utes would shirk from. Toyota's Hilux-equivalent Tacoma is common, likewise GM's Chevrolet Colorado and GMC Canyon twins. Ford has started Stateside sale of New Zealand's favourite Ranger, but I don’t spot one.
Sid's Diner in El Reno offers an an air-conditioned sanctuary from an outside air temp in the high 30s and the beef burgers are beaut. The flat concrete roads go on and on … I manage to overshoot the Stafford Space Museum. Gutted.
The upside is more time at the Oklahoma Route 66 Museum, with an amazing collection of images of the road’s construction, plenty of back stories and some recreations; one of an American Diner, another of a used car lot and one in which a peacenik Volkswagen Kombi van has centre stage.
DAY 12: Clinton / Elk City – Amarillo (TX) 259km
Today the Gilligans team heads into larger than life Texas.
It's also another chance to top up the Kia before passing through the deserted-looking settlement of Canute.
As with many small communities around the globe, Canute suffered once it was bypassed by a new interstate highway, having a devastating effect on the small town's once bustling prosperity.
Over one hundred kilometres into the journey and it's time to check out the National Route 66 Museum complex. Comprising of an Old Town Museum, Transportation Museum, a blacksmith display, plus a Farm and Ranch Museum, it's themed like an actual pioneers town. Every building is aesthetically staged to depict its earlier settler heritage ...You'll even find general stores, a bank, railway depot and an opera house amongst many others.
In every building lays a treasure trove of period correct old cars, trucks and farm implements. It truly is like riding back in time with “Back to the Future's “Doc” Emmet Brown.
Tyres hit the tarmac again, and the group is making great progress as we head through the settlement of Sayre, before taking an old, disused section of Route 66.
It's here where the convoy really needs to put their good judgement to use as the road shrinks to a narrow passage littered with low hanging branches and tall grasses. The Sportage gets through with a few light scrapes here and there, but we’ve put heavy metal in the form of a Ford Expedition SUV at the head of our convoy. It’s the perfect bush basher. That’s what full rental car insurance is for, right?
Feeling like I'd just traversed through an impromptu African safari, we eventually stop in the farm town of Erick for a chance to meet a colourful local.
‘Harley the Redneck’ loudly ushers us into what resembles a store, except it isn't. Instead, it's a gathering space jam-packed full of memorabilia for like-minded folk to sing, drink and have an awesome time.
Within minutes, we're all sitting down with tambourines as Harley jumps on a mic, blasting old songs of Route 66 alongside some humorous banter. It was totally unexpected, but framed what Route 66 is all about.
An old store in the settlement of Texola with stray rescue dogs milling about is our lunch stop and where we meet talented artist, Masel Zimmerman, who has done an exceptional job of converting the space into a gallery, making it well worth the stop.
Heading further west, triangular 'Yield' signs are everywhere - these essentially are America's version of “Give Way” signs. Much care is required, as oncoming traffic kamikazes off the adjacent interstate at speed when merging onto Route 66. Fortunately, no vehicular bulrush was experienced this time round.
As the afternoon's scorching temperatures test my hydration levels, we find ourselves now firing across the Texan border via the towns of McLean, Alanreed and Groom. The latter is renowned for its mammoth “Cross of Our Lord Jesus Christ” structure. Built in 1995, it's the largest free-standing cross in North America.
After passing a surprising number of large-scale windfarms, our final stop of the day is our country western-themed accommodation and adjacent Big Texan Steak Ranch and Brewery where you can eat a two kilogram steak and pay nothing if it’s devoured within the hour.
I can confirm everything you've heard about Texas is probably true ... heck, even cowboy hats and blue jeans seem mandatory to fit in.
As I drift toward slumber, I recall another Erick fact: When local celebrity Roger Miller was asked by an interviewer what was his town close to, Miller wryly replied "It's close to extinction"
DAY 13: Amarillo – Tucumcari (NM) 186km
Cadillac Ranch was created by The Ant Farm, a collective of San Francisco hippy artists funded by an Amarillo billionaire who wanted a piece of public art that would baffle the locals.
Ten Caddies were driven into one of Stanley Marsh 3's fields, then half-buried, nose-down, in the dirt (supposedly at the same angle as the Great Pyramid of Giza).
They faced west in a line, from the 1949 Club Sedan to the 1963 Sedan de Ville, their tail fins held high for all to see on the empty Texas panhandle.
That was in 1974. More paint than car - because every visitor has carte blanch to spray bomb to hearts’ content - Cadillac Ranch is a world-class icon and eery bit as amazing in the metal as you’d expect. It also provides an income for an artist we visit; Bob ‘Crocodile’ Lile is known for creating Cadilite jewellery using paint chips from the cars.
We continue west to a late morning stop at the geographical midpoint of Route 66 in Adrian, Texas. After group photos on the midpoint line, we continue on to the ghost-town of Glenrio, originally a railroad town, whose location straddling the state line created a variety of unusual circumstances.
Although a post office was established on the New Mexico side of the community, the depot where the mail arrived was on the Texas side. There were no bars on the Texas side of the community, since the local county was dry. No service stations were located on the New Mexico side because of that state's higher petrol tax.
The Milburn-Price Culture Museum delivers an interesting array of oddities and artefacts, including the world’s largest branding iron, and lunch is at the Mid-Point Cafe and Gift Shop, so-named because … yes, you guessed it … this is the halfway point of Route 66: 1833km clocked, 1833 to go.
Tucumcari has a dinosaur museum with a palaeontology laboratory and from there to our overnight stop at yet another iconic Route 66 motel, the boutique Blue Swallow.
DAY 14: Tucumcari – Albuquerque (NM) 337km
It's an early start as we head deeper into New Mexico with the conditions getting drier and warmer as we navigate west. A native American TeePee Curious trading post was our first photo stop of the day, even though shut, was worth a quick look.
As we power on, I'm following the only V8 powered Dodge of the group, with long straight roads, the mighty Kia was anything but as the Challenger Coupe bellowed, crackled and popped at speed into the distant horizon. Oh well, at least my elevated seating position offered a great view of the rocky ridgelines as far as the eye can see.
Largely devoid of any notable towns, this stretch of Route 66 is the first time on the journey that I've encountering a decent set of corners ...great for those of the Gilligans group driving slow-slung sedans and coupes. The Sportage? Not so much.
Ploughing on, our trek takes us to Las Vegas … no, not the Vegas you're probably thinking of. Think of it as town roughly the size of Feilding, albeit a lot hotter, drier and highly patrolled by law enforcement. It's also the first stop of the entire trip where I've managed to find a decent coffee. The one thing America doesn't tend to do well.
Our second to last stop of the day is the Spanish influenced city of Santa Fe. Lined with walls upon walls of terracotta and colourful murals, it's a gorgeous spot to stretch the legs and explore the city centre with its hot bed of mixed culture, fine dining and endless high-end clothing and jewellery stores ready to empty your wallet.
Back in the driver’s seat, we're now pushing south with the landscape transforming into abandoned-looking trailer homes, decaying shacks and very little in the way of greenery.
It's late afternoon as we enter the Mexican centric city of Albuquerque, and wow, with a population of over 562,000, it's an utter eye-opener on many levels.
Noted for holding the International Balloon Fiesta, this place serves as major junction for traffic heading north from the Mexican border. There's a cautious sense as you share the tarmac with unpredictable and distracted drivers, for good reason. The four-car pileup I abruptly encountered was a carnage of crunched sheet metal and missing wheels. We avoided that to reach our accommodation point for the evening!
DAY 15: Albuquerque – Gallup (NM) 259km
Desert heat is apparent from the moment of our early start departure from Albuquerque, we’re driving first to Budville, named after the entrepreneurial “Bud” Rice.
Back in 1928 he got the town up and running with a grocery store, gas station, garage and post office. A quiet and good life ended abruptly in 1967, when FBI most wanted fugitive Billy Ray White hit town. His robbery of the post office left Bud and a retired school teacher dead.
Next stop is Grant. Uranium mining in New Mexico was significant from the early 1950s until the early 1980s. Visiting the New Mexico Mining Museum today was kiboshed. No uranium on our breaths today.
Down the road to Milan … and a retina-searing slab of chrome; the Airstream caravan-inspired Gabby's diner is a golden magnet for the camera. Lunch here is a classic New Mexican Green Chilli Cheeseburger.
The landscape from here could be Martian landscape; I’m baffled by the rock formations. The result of numerous scrub fires? No. This is basaltic lava that flowed 3000 years ago. Crazy!
At 2231 metres, the Continental Divide is the highest part of this journey. Rain falling to the west of here flows to the Pacific Ocean, everything to the east eventually ends up in the Atlantic Ocean.
We’re holing up in Gallup; a real wild west town, pop 21,000, surrounded by barren sand and red cliffs. Our accommodation and dinner location, the El Rancho hotel, is a true historic Hollywood star hangout.
During the 1930s and 1940s, more than 100 westerns were filmed around Gallup, with Hollywood’s most notable stars from Hollywood’s Golden Age resting up here: Ronald Reagan, John Wayne, Katherine Hepburn, Lucille Ball, Errol Flynn, Mae West, Kirk Douglas, Gregory Peck and Humphrey Bogart included.
DAY 16: Gallup – Williams (AZ) 416km
Today is a huge drive, think Wellington to Tauranga. First stop is Lupton, on the Arizona state border with claim to fame being one of the first railway stations established by the Atchison, Topeka and Santa Fe Railroad in Arizona. It also sports a teepee trading post inset against a red sandstone escarpment; a brilliant postcard background and camera-op.
From here, old Route 66 dances around Interstate 40, eventually leading us onto unsealed local roads and the Querino Canyon Bridge, built in 1929. There’s enough loose metal on this section to keep the Sportage's stability control consistently busy.
The further we progress, the more the landscape changes; the higher the elevation, the more greenery. But this is nothing compared to pulling up at the Petrified Forest National Park, a stunning natural attraction in the Navajo and Apache counties, featuring petrified tree trunks and Triassic period fossils. Petrified you may ask? It's a natural process that turns wood into stone with minerals such as opal and quartz forming as a result of volcanic ash deposits over thousands of years.
This landscape within within the greater “Painted Desert' is dominated by multi-coloured hills formed from muddy river deposits. A park ranger relates that the park was used by NASA as a proving ground for Mars Rover. Fair enough. The whole place looks totally out of this world.
Still awestruck, we motor on into Holbrook, Joseph City - whose landmark is a massive coal-fuelled power plant that belong to a Mad Max future - and then, the small town of Winslow.
If you’re an Eagles fan, you’ll know why we’re here. “Standin' on a Corner in Winslow etc ..” is the opening line of Take it Easy, the band’s first single, released in 1972 and, of course, a huge hit. Personally, it was anything but easy to be there on a searingly hot afternoon. But hey, you gotta do it for the music, right?
So what could possibly beat a Martian landscape and a famous song? Lets try a meteor crater. The 1200 metre wide, 170m deep Barringer Meteor Crater formed as result of this landscape being struck more than 50,000 years ago by a 50 metre, nickel-iron meteorite. Impact energy is estimated at 10 megatonnes of TNT.
From here to Williams, gateway to the Grand Canyon National Park, an even more spectacular geographic spectacle.
DAY 17: Williams – Williams (return)
Taking a return train journey to see one the world’s most spectacular geological wonders wasn't to be your typical rail ride.
We're ushered down the station's far end to sit in a country-western amphitheatre where we are greeted by the Cataract Creek Gang and a town marshal, riding in on horses.
Pandemonium erupts as the gang argues and guns are drawn for a good old fashioned shootout, with the marshal last man standing in the end (of course).
With the show wrapped up (so I thought), we board the Historic Grand Canyon Railway train and head for the South rim of the Grand Canyon National Park. The ascent at first takes us parallel to old Route 66 before snaking its way through the pine trees and a rocky outcrop.
As the train enters a treeless plateau, we're suddenly slowing down. The conductor informs we're about to be robbed. It’s those same baddies, riding alongside to board, demanding ‘money and jewellery’ - but happily settling for tips.
Within the hour, we’re at Grand Canyon village - kind of like a ski resort without the skiing - and immediately beyond that, the canyon.
At 446km long, up to 29km wide and between 1219 and 1828 metres deep, this is one of the most spectacular examples of erosion in the world, formed by the Colorado River cutting through layers of rock over, it’s estimated, 70 million years. It’s a geological jaw dropper. Even the most colourful adjectives don’t do it justice.
There many options to explore this place. The biggest quick spend is a helicopter experience. There are zip line experiences, horseback excursions and the local Huapai tribe runs the famous skywalk, a horseshoe-shaped glass bridge that extends 21 metres out over the rim, lending a clear view to 1219 metres below (they say the construct is strong enough to hold 70 full-loaded 747s, but … erm). Or you can you do as I did, walk some tracks.
For me that was basically a saunter around the upper rim and a short walk down a track and back. I could have gone further ...but that would have been an all-day hike and fitness is a must. The walk back up is a killer.
DAY 18: Williams – Kingman (AZ) 206km
This is a fun day, driving through the real wild west of Arizona; in an environment rich with dry grasses, desert shrubs … and Burma Shave advertising hoardings.
This American brand of brushless shaving cream was famous from the mid-1920s to the 1950s’ for its advertising gimmick of posting humorous rhyming poems on small sequential highway roadside signs. In 1997, the American Safety Razor Company reintroduced the brand and this nostalgia, keeping all those original phrases - including “Grandpa's old fashioned shaving brush” and “Cheer up, face – the war is over! Burma-Shave” - alive.
Feeling like it was a reminder to sort my own face out, we continue the expedition through to Seligman, a small settlement considered to be the heart and soul of Route 66.
Today it’s like Tekapo at high tourist season, with busloads of visitors picking through the multitude of stores dedicated to selling Mother Road schtick. You can't begrudge a community trying to stay relevant post being bypassed by the interstate in 1978.
The drive through an unfenced, wide open landscape takes in Hackberry - once known for gun fights and gambling, now into gift shops and a neat rusting array of American classic cars from the ‘50s and ‘60s - then to Kingman (est population 33,000), whose rocky, arid landscape lends a Cars-esque feel. The only green patch here is a Tesla Supercharging station.
We meet up with author, historian, tour guide and past MotoringNZ.com contributor Jim Hinckley for a walking tour of historic areas. Jim is a living encyclopaedia on American history who knows Kingman intimately. He recalls that in 1973, a catastrophic explosion killed 11 firefighters when liquid propane being transferred from a railroad car to a storage tank. A spark turned the tank into a giant flamethrower before a massive explosion, when the flames sucked back in.
DAY 19: Kingman - Las Vegas (NV) - 179km
Nevada: Hotter than hell. The Kia's air conditioning is set to max as I drive into a sun-baked virtually vegetation-free landscape.
And there it is. Hoover Dam. An astonishing feat of 1930s’ engineering. Constructed from 3.36 million cubic metres of concrete; the artificial lake behind it stretches for 185 kilometres; its 17 turbines produce 2.08 megawatts of power. Amazing to think that, from its completion until 2010, the federal highway drove straight across the top of it. It’s a single lane road.
Security here is tight. Only after they pass vehicle screening are visitors allowed opportunity to check the place out. You can trek to a viewing point overlooking this vast structure, take a guided tour into those turbine rooms. Or simply traverse one side or the other.
It is, of course, a massive tourist trap. Want a burger? Or simply keen to get yourself a t-shirt, mug or some other memorabilia? I cannot recall this much opportunity at Manapouri power station.
I head down towards the reservoir, Lake Mead, whose blue hue looks stunning against the rocky wilderness. It’s a recreational zone, but again there’s security to get through. I don’t have the time. We’re going to Vegas, baby!
The drive into America's home of entertainment is quite an event; you’re hard-pressed to maintain concentration on the freeway given all the sights.
Our tour’s first stop is the Mob Museum, site in a former courthouse and post office. The world of organised crime and the cat and mouse relationship with law enforcement is very much woven into the tapestry of this pace, of course. Much emphasis is placed on the 1950s’ gangland era and crime fighting. Be warned: Some displays are rather graphic.
Our accommodation is handily-located, just off the famous Vegas Strip, whose bedazzling illumination you’d image would require all of Hoover’s power. We have two nights here and our time is completely our own. I have plans.
Las Vegas day 20/21:
TALK about the big city - this place is massive!
To explore, navigation is a must ...and you need to pay attention, as even walking can be a sucker punch for mistaking distances. The nightlife and gambling resort is simply bigger than mapping makes it appear.
Fortunately, the place is abundant with ride share services, buses and arguably the quickest method of getting around, the Las Vegas Monorail. With train cars running every few minutes, it's often an overlooked means of transport, but great for commanding views of the concrete jungle below.
My first stop of the day was to old Vegas for the Fremont Street experience. Akin to an outdoor mall on steroids, it's the more 'cost conscious' alternative to Las Vegas Boulevard, with scantly-clad street performers, bars and every vape shop you can shake a stick at.
Fremont Street's heritage goes much deeper; in 1925 it was the first paved road in town and first to feature a stop light - although the gambling equation back then was still very much on the illegal side of the coin.
With so much to take in, time vanishes quicker than your wallet empties at a local casino ...so opportunity was taken to escape before the afternoon turned to dusk. Transport back base was the slowest bus service known to mankind, but at least its elevated seating made a brilliant vantage point to street gaze at preparations for a very special upcoming event, the Las Vegas Grand Prix.
Sadly, timing constraints meant my attendance for the Formula One event was out if the question. Las Vegas and Clark County hope to host the pinnacle of motorsport until 2032, so there's always another time, right?
Off the bus and back behind the wheel, my next stop is the Shelby Heritage Centre, featuring a multitude of vehicles developed and raced by the legendary, late Carroll Shelby.
Involvement with the AC Cobra, go-fast Ford Mustangs and not least, as the guy who ran the Ford team that won Le Mans in 1966, with Kiwis Bruce McLaren and Chris Amon in the winning car … the whole Shelby story is truly inspirational.
His establishment of Shelby American in 1962 was essentially a middle finger to Ferrari, and the start to a long relationship with the Ford Motor Company.
While Carroll is no longer with us, his spirit lives on at the very company he founded. A tour around his facility highlights how popular Shelby-fettled cars still are. The factory floor is jam-packed with Mustangs and F-150s in different states of modification – some awaiting bolt-on parts such as superchargers and exhaust systems, and others stripped, ready to receive custom wide-bodied panels and new paint.
In a contrast of propulsion, an electric Shelby Mustang Mach-E GT captures my attention. Announced earlier in the year for European consumption, it's a customer car receiving a new handling and styling package – except this one is staying on US shores. Behind the scenes, development work is being carried out on the new 2024 Mustang, although factory staff were tight-lipped as to what changes were in store.
The Shelby tour was a perfect way to end the Las Vegas excursion. Many will say “what happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas” but I disagree, this experience was truly worth sharing.
Day 22: Las Vegas – Laughlin (NV) – 256km
SO I drive around a corner and there it is. A donkey. In the middle of the road. Chewing on a carrot.
Okay, it’s actually a burro and, to back up a bit, we’ve left Vegas and, to get back onto 66, have had to double back over the Hoover Dam, back to Kingman.
From there, with elevated hairpin turns, fast flowing corners and absolutely no guardrails to stop one plummeting into the roadside rocks, Yucca plants and ramshackle houses.
And that’s where I meet the burro. Right before descending the spectacular Sitgreaves Pass into the village of Oatman. Where there are a lot more of these animals.
Oatman is an old western town with rugged villas, saloons and wooden boardwalks, and on a regular basis, the townsfolk put on a free cowboy show on the main street.
A trio of wild-looking, gun-toting baddies rob the adjacent stores, arguments ignite and loud gunfire follows ...it's all part of a fantastic act (the guns are just props).
But anyway, Oatman is known for its herd of burros. Which nick food and hats. They just roam the town, freely enter shops and do their own thing. Brilliant. Check out Oatman and burros on the internet.
The Kia's outside air temperature gauge is hovering around 40 Celsius. Wowser! Time to move on.
A short drive later, and we’re at Laughlin. Located at the southern tip of Nevada, on one side of the Colorado river, ithis town of 8000 souls is a smaller, quieter version of Las Vegas. There’s a multitude of casinos set in a desert wonderland. The covid pandemic hasn’t been kind. One of the more famous gambling establishments, the Colorado Belle riverboat, is lit up but permanently closed.
DAY 23 Oct 6: Laughlin – Pasadena (CA) 484km
An early departure helps beat the heat of the Mojave Desert as we inch towards California.
Today is a mammoth one. Advice is to refuel before setting off. Wiser advice was to fill up on opposite side of the Colorado river, as the difference in price was well over a dollar a gallon. Yikes!
As the miles piled on, the landscape widened into a desert abyss with nothing but dirt and jagged hills flanking the far horizon. Passing through the settlements of Goffs and Fenner, the only activity was a double-stacked container train carving its way through a Mars-like wasteland.
Our next stop, Amboy, takes us to a special Route 66 relic. Once a Mother Road icon, Roy's Motel and Cafe dates back to 1938. The brainchild of Roy Crowl it became, with the help of Herman “Buster” Burris, a booming food and gas stop for travellers in the Mojave area. Bypassed by Interstate 40 in 1972, Roy's is but a shell of its former glory, yet its faded, 1950s neon signage and a blue Continental Mark IV parked outside relate a special something.
The landscape departing Amboy takes a magmatic turn with 10,000 year old basaltic lava flows and cinder cones dominating.
As midday approaches, the Gilligans group fires through Ludlow, the roadside salt ponds of Newberry Springs and Barstow, a 1840s settlement once noted for its irrigated agriculture and mining industry. Barstow makes for a convenient stop to try out one of California's most famous burger chains.
Established in 1948 by Harry and Esther Snyder, In-N-Out Burger was California’s first drive-through hamburger joint. Still family-owned, this chain has expanded more than just waistlines, with stores now not only throughout its home state but also in Nevada, Arizona, Utah, Texas, Oregon and Colorado.
Bible verses on the cups and wrappers are a ‘thing’. Harry’s son and heir, just before his death, became a “born-again” Christian and the family continues to share his faith.
Feeling full, we're now traversing the final stages of our Route 66 adventure as the tarmac snakes it way over the Cajon Pass. The corridor is a main route for travellers heading between Las Vegas and Los Angeles, with the freeway perched above old sections of Route 66.
From there, we hit newer sections of the I-15 before the descent into Pasadena finally brings us into greener civilisation and our accommodation stop after a mammoth day.
DAY 24 Oct 7: Pasadena – Santa Monica Pier – END OF ROUTE 66! – 58km
OUR expedition is all but complete; just an hour in Los Angeles' heavy freeway traffic to meet at an iconic Route 66 end point, Santa Monica Pier, jutting into the Pacific Ocean
Officially, Route 66 doesn't actually get quite this far.
The highway’s true end point is a few blocks away. Let’s not allow that small technicality to spoil having our group photo taken at the pier's famous Route 66 sign.
The pier is a 1909 construct and local landmark; eateries, drinking holes and amusement park attractions abound here. Our last group lunch is seafood at Bubba Gump Shrimp Co.
Sounds familiar? If you’ve seen the movie Forrest Gump, you’ll know why. And also why the restroom names are “Jenny’s” for the ladies and “Forrest’s” for the mens.
After this, I gave the Kia a run down Wilshire Boulevard to scope out one of my bucket-list locations for many years, the Peterson Automotive Museum.
Within this eye-catching red and silver steel exoskeleton sites an astounding collection of cars, trucks and motorcycles. You'll spot almost anything and everything from old to new, including Tesla's Cybertruck. Beyond the usual public areas lays the ‘vault’, a extra-cost access zone worth every cent.
One area that really stole my attention was an entire wall devoted automotive concept art. As one who dabbles in the creative industry, I was entranced to see how designers once used used chalk, markers and pencil to sketch out their designs.
What an amazing adventure Gilligans’ Route 66 has been. Sam Murray (below) has guided us thousands of kilometres, east to west; every day has brought something amazing and there’s never been the slightest hitch. I can certainly say that, on this tour, I have seen ALL that Route 66 has to offer and travelled with a great bunch of people.
You'll hear people say “it's never the destination, but rather the journey.” This thoroughly rings true. I just want to keep driving and enjoying the moment.
