sounds wonderful...but the onkly thing i can say is you are missing a big part of thos wonderful contry, the midwest....the plains the bread basket, the meat market.
That could be solved by heading north out of Lousiana into beautiful Arkansas, head a bit west and take 35 north through Kansas City, through western Iowa and on to Minneapolis...and perhaps the Minnesota and the iowa contingent could manage to meet you.
My DH and I did lots of driving...all over the US and southern Canada, and if you are spending a few days in Santa Fe, be sure to spend a day in Taos.
Very Very exciting!!
Linda C

Gosh I never realized where Route 66 starts and ends. I sure did love that old show and I think anyone who saw it had dreams of doing what you guys are doing. You MUST take a laptop to send updates and you MUST post lots of pics!

Oh my gosh, I wish I could retire. Have fun.

Oh, have a wonderful trip! It sounds like such fun!!

One thing though...I can't believe you're voluntarily going to BARSTOW! Are you outta your mind!? You are going to Barstow in the summer?? It's no better, mind you, in the winter but still...mid-summer? (grin) Oh well, at least it's not Needles. Have you ever been to Barstow? Please don't get your hopes up too high, OK.

Have fun & send us lots & more lots of pictures!

/tricia

Sounds like a great trip! Here is help for eating on the road:

Here is a link that might be useful: Roadfood.com

Tricia, Barstow is not a great place, but they're traveling in May AND besides Barstow has an Outlet Mall and an In 'n Out Burger!

Sharon, in Southern Cal, you have to try a burger (but they'll also do a grilled cheese for you) at In 'n Out. It's a CA favorite. Their its always clean, the food is really fresh, fries are good, shakes are yummy and the lemonade isn't Minute Maid!

Hmmm...I have always wanted to take the train to Chi Town!!

I actually looked into it a few years ago to visit another Mich pal...she ended up coming east that go round.

Anyhoo...I wonder if any of the Philly gang would be interested in coming with if I got some info??

The whole trip sounds like something I would LOVE to do when I retire...hope you have a blast!!

Cheers!
Susie

Triciae , I was just using the names of those towns in the way they are mentioned in the classic song. Where we actually stay will be a whole different thing! But we will follow the original Rte 66 as best we can.

Ellen "In and Out" is now officially on the list!!! I really want to experience what is local.

Thanks for that site Teresa!!!

Well, alright. You must get a burger, I agree. But, for what it's worth, Oceanside also has an In and Out! :)

By the time they get to Barstow it's going to be almost June & that is mid-summer in Barstow. lol I always think of it as 2 truck-stops & a place to get gas on the way to Vegas.

I'm just fun'in with you, Chase. (grin) Barstow is in the desert & it gets hot, very hot, there & is not the most picturesque town CA has to offer. (not the worst, either!)

/t

Stay in Barstow?? OMG and LOL, heck NO! I totally misunderstood.
FYI--IN 'n OUT is a chain and there are many locations in CA!

Here is a link that might be useful: In 'n Out locations

Whatever you do in Barstow, DON'T eat at the Mad Greek's. Don't ask me why.

Barstow is the pit-stop for the trip from L.A. to Vegas. There IS a Starbucks there (with clean bathroom), and across the street from that is a McDonalds housed in a crazy touristy shopping place filled with all kinds of groovy tchotchkes.

And if you are in St. Louis why not try to visit weed30.

Your trip sounds fabulous, just fabulous!! I am so jealous of all the pit stops with CF friends; you are going to have a ball.

We really enjoyed our road trip from Tampa to Boulder last year. Raymond realized just recently that he didn't drive one mile the entire trip, not even to move the car! It was a piece of cake with the GPS.

This year we are thinking of flying to Spokane then driving to our destination of Sioux Falls, SD. I am hoping to stop in to see KatieC in Idaho.

Oh yeah, I am SOOOO ready. No way would I let you be in Michigan without taking you to dinner!

A million years ago in another life, the girls and I took a road trip that included Yellowstone, the Grand Canyon and parts of Route 66. Parts of the old road don't even exist any more and part of it (I think in Arizona?) has become a portion of the highway system so it's just expressway. I remember stopping somewhere along Route 66 and eating at the Roadkill Cafe, LOL, and I have a picture of the girls sitting on a Route 66 bench with a wooden Indian.

Some of it remains, and it's still cool. With my apologies to Clive, I still like the Nat King Cole version best.

You are going to have so much fun....

Annie

Oh that will be a real trip of a lifetime Sharon!

I bet you're going to have a wonderful experience. Just remember to take lots of photos for us to enjoy along with you.

SharonCb

Can't wait until we have dinner, Chase!!!

I was about 10 when we made a family trip to Ca...on Rt66!
I kept a daily written log of the whole trip and can still remember parts of the trip. It was my Dad, Mom, 2 brothers, Grandmother and me....all in a brand new aqua and white '57 Chevey.

Nancy

I'm one of those planning to drive to San Antonio to visit you when you drive through, but I didn't know you were going to Tulsa, too. I'm about half way between Tulsa and San Antonio, maybe even closer to Tulsa, plus, I have that house in Tahlequah, just an hour's drive from Tulsa. Hmmmm, I'll have to ponder this. I might get to visit with more than one group of forum friends.

Sally

Sharon, I will be there at Pietro's on May 2 when you meet Annie, Nancy & Kim. It's only 2 hours from my house, and we LOVE Pietro's.
I had hoped to meet you in September when we took our road trip, but you had a wedding, so this time I don't want to miss the opportunity. I look very much forward to meeting you!
Sherry

You know what's great about this thread??? Sherry!!! Good to see you posting my dear friend.

Oh Wow ...I'm getting more and more 'cited! promise you ladies we won't stay in Barstow!!! LOL

Nancy and Annie I'm so looking forward to our meeting up and now Sherry ...woohoo! That will be our first night on our road trip and the first day of Clive being retired...so it's a real celebration

Sally how great we will be able to meet up along the way too! Whatever works best for you.

K guys put your thinking caps on and give me lots of where to and where not to info. Shopping will be limited becasue we have no car space...just a sports bag each for our clothes! Yikes !!!

Well, I sure won't be bringing you large gifts, LOL. Maybe some room snacks.

Why do I keep hearing Woodie Guthrie singing about the redwood forests and the Gulf stream waters? (grin)

Annie

Annie, here's what I am hearing,
"Well, I'm a standing on a corner
In Winslow, Arizona
And such a fine sight to see..."

Sharon, I am soooo glad you are coming to San Antonio and I look forward to it ALOT! We are working on a Texas contingency meeting you here.

So, if anyone is wanting to meet with Chase, Lowspark, Sally2, trsinc and a few other Texans and you haven't received an email from either me or lowspark, send me one through gw as we work out the details of the TX get-to with Sharon.

Sharon, I'll send you some of my recommendations along the TX/NM way later, as I'll try to get the proper addresses and hopefully websites from some of the restaurants.

Fun, fun.

Oh man! That really sounds like a fun, fun, fun trip! And in a ragtop T-bird, no less! I'm jealous!

When in Arizona, ya gotta got to Jerome! it is a hoot!

If Linda C. and I can't talk you into altering your route home to include Iowa and Minnesota I am going to have to get the wheels turning on where I can fly into to meet up with one of the groups! LOL

If not, I expect lots of pictures and full reports on all the get-togethers!

Linda

If you need to stop for a p break and coffee here in Sarnia before you cross into Michigan give me a holler.
I do suggest you try and be at the bridge before 10 a.m. because sometimes the lineup and wait can be awful if you both don't have a Nexus card to bypass it all. No rhyme or reason,, some days there's nothing and you just zoom across, other days you may line up for an hour or more.

And.. just in case you do hit a big line..detour back on the 402 in Sarnia go south on Hwy40/Modeland Rd exit to Sombra along the river about 20 mi and take the bluewater ferry across to Marine City MI and get on the I94 there which puts you right near I696 as well over to Grapids.. there's hardly ever a line and never more than one 20 minute wait for the next ferry.. a closely guarded local secret so dont' tell anyone or we'll have to kill ya. Last thing we want is all those uppity Torontonians spoiling it LOL

Here is a link that might be useful: sombra ferry

That is so cool to be doing a dream trip. If you haven't seen the Pixar movie "Cars", it's worth a look. Cute animated movie centered around a mythical town along Rte 66 ( yeah, we've seen every kid movie multiple times )

enjoy yourselves

"Uppity Torontonians". LOLOLOL

Annie

PK after that comment I just might take you up on your offer for coffee!!!

PS: Thanks for the tip!

Do you have a GPS? Highly recommended if you don't.. Listen to me LOL.. I crisscrossed all over Canada and the States for years and years without even so much as a map I kid you not. But I got a GPS last year just for the fun of it kinda and I really do like it. I actually use it for garage sales... I get the Friday paper listing all the garage sales.. plug in the addresses, press go and it takes me from one to the next in order of which is closest HA.. Plus it finds all the thrift stores whereever I am without having to hunt them down and look at maps etc.

PK I am married to a techno geek..... Not only do we have a GPS we have 3 !!!! Don't ask me!!! I agree with you they are worth their weight in gold. Seems I'm the navigator on this trip so I have to figure out the via point thing as well as the options that keep us off of the big highways.

Wish his retirement dream had have been a month in a Tuscany villa at a cooking school....... : )

If I recall correctly you are a bit of a motorcycle /car guy .......do I have that right?

Clive is a major pistons person as well as a techno geek. He had several motorcycles, the last was his beloved Varago (sp?) Now it's just his cars...which explains his thing about Rte 66!

oh it sounds great!!!!!!! Can't believe you're finally doing this.

I'm OK being on standby - but only cuz you promised we'd see you sometime soon either way...:-)

I will have your name on the calendar for that approx time period and will hope to hear from you. If I don't, I'll know why!

p.s. is Meredith on her trip now? If so how is that going?

How Incredibly Awesome the whole thing sounds... you'll have to blog for us here, with pictures :-)

Oh that could be fun bizzo....a blog....or maybe just Facebook. I'm incompetent but "himself" will know how to do that.

Stacy, we will see you one way or another...you are so close! If we get back towards the border in time we could hit you the weekend of June 5th or 6th. If not my friend we will be there this summer or Fall.....I promise

I've never been to the Mad Greek in Barstow, but I've been to the one in Baker (a few miles east of Barstow) many times and always liked it. It's the only place I would want to eat in Baker. If there is something wrong with it, I would like to know. I thought they had very good falafel.

I don't know how you've planned your stops east of Los Angeles, but personally, I prefer to through San Diego and take I8 east to Tucson. This allows you to avoid Phoenix (which has terrible traffic - San Diego is a breeze by comparison), and is also very much more scenic, since you get to take the coast highway to San Diego and then go through beautiful Anza Borrego Park east of San Diego. It's going to be hot either way you go. I8 goes through Yuma, which is also interesting, and you can visit the Territorial Prison while there.

One of the "must avoids", which I mentioned to you before, is the town of Fort Stockton, Texas. You will have to drive through it on the highway, but make sure that you do not stop there to get gas or food, as there is a good chance you will be stopped by the police when you get back on the freeway. I was stopped there for not stopping at a "Yield" sign, even though there was no traffic in sight. I was then taken to a 7-11 and forced to pay a $60 fine or go to jail because I was driving through with out-of-state plates. It's not worth the risk - it's a horrible town anyway. You can get gas in Van Horn before you get to Fort Stockton - Van Horn is a nice town. You can also get off I10 and take Hwy 90 through Marfa, which is a delightful place and worth visiting. Hwy 90 will take you to San Antonio and it is a more interesting drive than I10, but it will depend on how much time you have, since it is a bit slower. It's okay to drive through Fort Stockton (and make sure you don't speed) - just make sure that you don't get off the Interstate there. It's a notorious trap for unsuspecting tourists.

BTW, I like El Paso, and if you have time, there are some great outlet stores there. If you want Western Cowboy boots, that is the place to buy them. El Paso is a great place to shop anyway, and it also has interesting restaurants. I normally go in the area around UTEP, on North Mesa Street.

Lars

Here is a link that might be useful: Boot shops in El Paso

Woo Hoo!! Y'all will get your kicks on route 66 in T-Town for sure! I can't wait!! Wine and Advil on the shoppin' list...lol!!

David

If you are going to Tulsa you are going through Shamrock, Texas. I am 28 miles south of Shamrock. If it works out give me a call and I will meet you for lunch (don't expect much,) coffee or a drink. Just let me know and have a great time. I know you will.

I'm really excited about this entire trip that you and Clive are taking. I'm more excited about you coming to see us in Louisiana. All of our activities will be indoors because you are coming in May=humidity,aaaaaarrrrrggggghhhh! Really it's ok, that's why we cook and eat all the time. To hot to do anything outdoors and the air conditioning is the best.

Can't wait to see you guys.

I have lived along Route 66 my whole life. Started in Cicero (a Chicago suberb), moved to Stickney, now out to the western 'burbs. They are doing some work on Rt. 66 right now by us (in Plainfield), and they just added a new Historic Rt 66 marker. I have always thought this was pretty cool. Do you have any of the Route 66 books? My favorites are The Route 66 Adventure Guide, and The Route 66 Cookbook. Enjoy your trip. The Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project offers a free Route 66 visitors guide. You can get the info at the link below. That page is my neck of the woods!

Joanne

Here is a link that might be useful: Illinois Route 66 Heritage Project

Hi Joanne

Clive is really pumped for this, me too but it's a lot of driving!

I have the Rte 66 Adventure Handbook, EZ66, A guide for Travelers which has very detailed maps of each segment and I also have the rte 66 Dining and Lodging Guide. When I'm out there I better keep my eye out for the cookbook, heaven know I don;t have enough! LOL

You can never have enough cookbooks! Grin!

Joanne

Hey, Chae, I just got back from a road trip. Part of it was the Blue Ridge Parkway. At one of the overlooks, we were talking with a chatty couple. The guy was wearing a "Route 66" t-shirt, and I thought of you. I just got back from seven states in four days and the idea of driving anywhere at the moment is more tha I can bear! You'll have a ball because you are RETIRED and there's no rush!

HEY CHASE!!! What day are you going to be in St. Louis?! I would love to see you & Clive!

I was hoping we could swing a trip ot OK to coincide with your drive through, but it just isn't going to work for us right now :-( I'll miss seeing you and David! I also wanted to revisit my fav VFW on Rt 66 where we spent a crazy afternoon in Muskogee - OMG I have never seen such huge hair or so many cowboy boots in one place LOLOLOL! Maybe you should stop for a quick one on your way by......

Have a fantastic time and take lots of pics -

Alexa

Boo Hoo Alex!!!! I'm pouting! I'm trying to figure out the Facebook thing as a way of sharing but it's not coming easy to me! LOL

Wendy, looks like we will be in St Loooie May 6th.....but just for the afternoon .....so maybe lunch? Could that happen?

You should have a lot of fun! My DH and I did this trip in 2000. What are you using to help you find the original segments of the route? We used the Route 66: Travelers Guide and I think we had another book but I can't remember the title for sure. Sometimes it was a challenge to puzzle out some of the directions but we went on a lot of the original route including a brick section and one of the few sections of single lane road that remains. They were having trouble getting enough money to complete the route so they built some sections just one lane (9 feet wide) to finish paving the path at about half the cost.

Mostly each evening I planned the travel for the next day. The path of Route 66 changed during the time it was in use so there are often alternative routes to choose between.

One of the places we stayed was the Blue Swallow Motel in New Mexico - built in 1939, each room has a garage next to it for your car which was typical at that time.

Drive carefully.

Here is a link that might be useful: Route 66: Travelers Guide

Cloud Swift we do have the RTE 66 Travelers Guide as well as a dining and lodging guide and the RTE 66 Adventure Handbook. We plan to plan each days travels at night as well.

Can you recall the town the Blue Swallow Motel is in? Clive is a little flipped about leaving his "baby" out at night never mind the nightmares he is having about hail! LOL

Should be a fun time......

So it is almost the big day!! Are you packed? Is Clive nervous? Drive safe.

And I am glad to hear you will be back in June, we will down to see you around the 23/24 of July if you are around.

Take lots of pics to show me later!

Janet

Happy Retirement Day to Clive & have a wonderful trip!

I'm looking forward to the reports & pictures!

/tricia

The Blue Swallow is in Tucumcari, NM.

Here is a link that might be useful: http://blueswallowmotel.com/

Thanks Cloud Swift! What a hoot...any other suggestions feel free to email me!

sharon ifyou want to do laundry in LA I have a sweet new machine you can use LOL

BON VOYAGE!!!!!