Route 66 or bust

(or Yankee goes west)

I am going to get my kicks, on route 66! I really don't have a bucket list, but I would treat  this plan as item # 1 if I did have one. The plan? I am going to open up a route 66 or bust savings account and when I have enough saved..I will take 2-3 weeks off of work and with my wife, travel the full length of route 66..all the while writing about it..sending tweets from different locations..snapping photos and making a video of our experiences. If I can afford it, I would like to rent a mustang convertible to make the trip more fun! PLUS: We will meet up with my favorite two boys (sons) Graham and Nathan in California and have them come with us for as long as they can :-) 

I have  always wanted to travel across parts of america on the back roads (sad I call it a back road now) I guess if I was in a super hurry, I would want to go the super highway route. But on this vacation, I will not be in a hurry and I want to experience everything along the way...from the old establishments that have survived the years to the ones that did not but there may be some remnants left. Looking forward to the scenic views of natural america. I would love to talk to the people who remember this route in it's hay day and interview them for "on the road" blog post entries. All the while  tweeting  pics and comments from the road.  ( Charles Kuralt style)


I would like  to stay at the ......

....Blue Swallow Motel, Believed to be the oldest continually operating motel on the Route, it is easily recognizable by it’s distinctive and beautiful neon sign

Speaking of neon signs, I love this you tube route 66  neon sign video compilation:

Someone also tweeted me recently that if I go, I must see .....

The Blue Whale was built by Hugh Davis as an anniversary gift for his wife. It was intended just for family use, but quickly became a popular swimming pond for tourists and locals.

Or how about....

Eccentric millionaire Stanley Marsh III commissioned this huge art piece. Ten Cadillacs are buried at an angle in the sand. The cars have been decorated by visitors with many layers of spray paint graffiti.

The route is 2,451 miles in length. It crosses 8 states. I don't know if two or three weeks will do it in terms of traveling the full length, I may need to research the best route to travel for the best sights. 

From Wiki: U.S. Route 66 (US 66 or Route 66), also known as the Will Rogers Highway and colloquially known as the Main Street of America or the Mother Road, was a highway within the U.S. Highway System. One of the original U.S. Highways, Route 66 was established on November 11, 1926—with road signs erected the following year.The highway, which became one of the most famous roads in America, originally ran from Chicago, Illinois, through Missouri,Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California, before ending at Los Angeles, covering a total of 2,448 miles (3,940 km). It was recognized in popular culture by both a hit song and the Route 66 television show in the 1960s.

Route 66 served as a major path for those who migrated west, especially during the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, and it supported the economies of the communities through which the road passed. People doing business along the route became prosperous due to the growing popularity of the highway, and those same people later fought to keep the highway alive in the face of the growing threat of being bypassed by the new Interstate Highway System.

Route 66 underwent many improvements and realignments over its lifetime, and it was officially removed from the United States Highway System on June 27, 1985 after it had been decided the route was no longer relevant and had been replaced by the Interstate Highway System. Portions of the road that passed through Illinois, Missouri, New Mexico, and Arizona have been designated a National Scenic Byway of the name "Historic Route 66", which is returning to maps such as the official Illinois Highway Map and the online Google Maps.^[5] Several states have adopted significant bypassed sections the former alignment of US 66 into the state road network as State Route 66.

Route 66 holds a deep facination for me. It combines many things that I truly enjoy. I am an old timey type of guy...

Well, actually..not that old timey..

I love anything to do with the 50's 60's or 70's ...just looks at my new toy..

1976 F100 Ford PU truck 302 engine (modified) just need to paint it! (Am I now officially southern?)

Have you traveled all or part of route 66? If so, using the comment section below, please share your story or let me know what was your best experience! Or let me know if you plan on going soon.