Illinois Route 66

Drove through Mitchell, Edwardsville, Livingston, Staunton, Mt. Olvie, Litchfield, Gillespie, Carlinville, Nilwood, Girard, Virden, Thayer, Auburn, Chatham, Springfield, Sherman, Williamsville, Elkhart, Broadwell, Lincoln, Atlanta, McLean, Bloomington, Normal, Towanda, Lexington, Chenoa, Pontiac, O'Dell, Dwight, Gardner, Braceville, Godley, Braidwood, Wilmington, Elwood, Joliet, Romeoville, Indian Head Park, Countryside, McCook, Lyons, Berwyn, Cicero, and Chicago.

Boom

Livingston, IL

Livingston, IL

Livingston, IL

Henry's Rabbit Ranch and Route 66  Emporium is a pretty cool stop, there are eight bunnies on the residence and I spoke with Rich, who like everyone on Route 66 was really friendly and informative.  He gave me some advice on what to see and where to to go, we also chatted about the different people who come through the store.  You can pet the bunnies too.

Henry

Staunton, IL

The Polk-a-Dot Drive In

On the road in Nilwood is a neat little stop, there are turkey tracks in the road where a turkey crossed the road, not a chicken (see what I did there).  They have a little sign with a turkey and the tracks boxed with white paint, so you know exactly where to stop.  Another neat little thing is at one point for a couple miles I drove along a red brick road, something a little different then what you normally see.

Turkey Tracks

Springfield, IL

Joliet, IL

While in Springfield I made a detour to Lincoln's tomb, which is massive.  There are a lot of giant Lincolns in Illinois.  While there I stopped at the spot where Abraham Lincoln christened the town with watermelon juice.

Springfield, IL

Lincoln, IL

Lincoln, IL

In the city of Towanda they have 1.5 miles of Route 66 that they've made into a walking trail.  I walked about a mile of it, along the trail they have little brochures telling you about each state Route 66 goes through.

Atlanta, IL

Wilmington, IL

O'Dell, IL

In Joliet, I stopped at the Route 6 Hall of Fame museum, which has famous Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire's van and bus.  Joliet also has an Auto Museum, War Museum, and the Walldog Museum. 

Bob Waldmire's Van

2-Cell Prison

The Rialto

Joliet Prison

Finally found the Beginning sign for Route 66, I got really lost in Chicago and decided to go back the next day.  It only cost me $15, I had to park in a garage because there was no place to park on the street and I did not want to get lost again.  Under 20 minutes cost $6 and 21-40 minutes cost $15; I was parked 23 minutes.

I did it!

Where you're suppose to start

While in Chicago I decided to take the Untouchable Tour since my mom and I didn't get to do it in March; it was much easier getting around when I didn't have to drive.  The tour told us all about the Prohibiton Era, Gangsters, areas of town where crime took place, where these men died or were arrested, St. Valentine's Day Massacre and Public Enemy #1 John Dillinger.  I also drove to the cemetery where Al Capone, Earl "Hymie" Weiss, Dion O'Banion, and "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn are buried. 

Where Dillinger was supposedly shot

We learned about the North Side Gang: Dion O'Banion, Earl "Hymie" Weiss, and George "Bugs: Moran.  The South Side Gang: "Diamond Jim" Colosimo, Johnny Torrio, "Machine Gun" Jack McGurn and Al Capone.  The West Side Gang: The Genna Clan, John Scalise, and Alberto Anselmi.  John Dellinger, Anna Sage, Melvin Purvis, and Eliot Ness.  The tour was really informative and entertaining I just wished we could of stopped and got out to see some of these places.

Thugs

Missouri Route 66

I made my way through Joplin, Webb City, Carterville, Brooklyn Heights, Carthage, Red Oak II, Maxville, Avilla, Plew, Rescue, Phelps, Albatross, Heatonville, Paris Springs, Springfield, Strafford, Marshfield, Conway, Phillipsburg, Lebanon, Hazelgreen, Laquey, Buckhorn, Waynseville, St. Robert, Hooker Cut, Doolittle, Rolla, St. James, Rosati, Fanning, Cuba, Bourbon, St. Cloud, Sullivan, Stanton, Cross, Gray Summit, Pacific, Allenton, Crestwood, Webster Groves, Marlborough,  Shrewsbury, and St. Louis.

Noice

Joplin, MO

I stayed at Boots Court which originally open in 1939, built on the corner of Garrison and Central in Carthage.  The intersection is known as the "Crossroads of America;" Route 66 and Route 71 meet there, so the hotel was constantly filled with travelers.  I spoke to Debbie Dee, who runs the office, for about an hour about the history of the motel.  It's gone through a few owners, including an owner in the 80s who let the biggest drug dealer in the town live there, as well as many people who destroyed the motel and stole many of the amenities.  

Clark Gables Room

Debbie Dee was really nice and showed me the five rooms that have been redone and even let me pick my own room, which I've never had the chance to do, and was awesome.  The rooms were beautifully done and I loved all of the Chenille bedspreads.  I of course stayed in one of the two rooms Clark Gable stayed in when he was passing through.  They have two prices for rooms $66 one bedroom and $71 for two rooms, get it?  There are also no televisions, but like the sign says there are radios in every room.  The radio is set to an oldies station that plays music from the 50s-70s.  I'm sure you could change the station, but why would you want to?

Carthage, MO

Debbie Dee also told me to make a stop at Red Oak II to meet the artist Lowell Davis; which by the way is the coolest person I've ever met.  He was really funny and nice; he said the decor in his house was Asian Redneck (his wife is Filipino).  He talked to me about Red Oak for a bit then showed me around his house/studio.  He has a lot of his sculptures and paintings.  I bought his autobiography, which he signed and he threw in a book of postcards, which he signed.  

Lowell Davis

While I was there Lowell Davis told me the story of Red Oak II because I wasn't quite sure what it was (he gave me the short story).  He grew up in a place called Red Oak, MO, then went on to the Air Force, taught art in Texas, and then eventually started selling his own work.  He moved back to Missouri and decided to recreate his hometown right outside of Carthage in a big field, he bought a gas station, homes, a church, and stores to make the 'town.'  As he told me he used to be really rich, but his then wife moved to New York because she needed to find herself, divorced him, and basically took all of his money.  He then had to sell Red Oak II to private owners.  He still lives on the property though; you can find him sitting outside smokin' his pipe and drinking his coffee.  This dude is legit!

Red Oak II

The original reason I stopped in Carthage was because I wanted to see a Drive-In movie, but Debbie Dee told me the season ended about two weeks before I got there, I got a picture though.  I really liked the city of Carthage, I think because it reminded me of 1993, there's a Drive-In, a town square, and a movie rental place, yep a movie rental place and they are flourishing.  I walk through the store mainly for nostalgia, and the woman working said shes been there for seven years and they just opened there 819th store.

Carthage, MO

Mr. C's RoutePost

Multiple people told me I needed to stop in Paris Springs and speak to Gary Turner, they all said to carve out some time because  Gary likes to talk.  I got there at the same time as two other people, but they soon left and while I was getting ready to go he said "come on and have a coke with me" so I was there for about an hour or so.  The man from Mr. C's asked "how I got away" and it was because someone drove up, but he was really nice and a joy to speak to (he is a legend on Route 66).  My favorite thing we talked about was that if he could have any job he wanted he would be a bartender because of the movie Cocktail, he thought it looked like the so much fun (I agreed).  Also, if he had a choice to be 18 during any time he would choose now because of all the technology.

Paris Springs, MO

I stayed at Munger Moss which is a really famous motel on Route 66, its been around since 1946, everyone told me to stay there because it has been a staple for so many years.  It's currently up for sale if anyone is interest.  

Lebanon, MO

St. James, MO

I stopped in Cuba because again everyone told me to stay at the Wagon Wheel and they have a Drive-In that is still running.  First the Wagon Wheel is beautiful and cheap.  It feels like you're staying in a little bungalow.  It was the nicest place I've stayed at so far.  

Fanning, MO

Webb City, MO

The Drive-In was awesome and not just because I got see it for free, it was really cool to see a movie like that again.   So apparently when you go to the Drive-In and want to see the second movie, you're also suppose to see the first one too.  I didn't not know (remember) that, so I went for the second movie "Let's Be Cops" and the entrance was closed, so I drove through the exit (I was not going to miss a Drive-In movie and I like to live life on the edge), someone else did the same thing about ten minutes after me, so I feel like it's a normal occurrence.  On the way back from the movie I learned I had a headlight out from the friendly neighborhood cop, luckily he was actually friendly and didn't give me a ticket, probably cause I was right in front of my hotel and I didn't run.  By the way the movie was hilarious.

Cuba, MO

I stopped at the Anheuser Busch Brewery in St. Louis and ended up doing the Beer School class and the free tour.  Beer School was pretty cool you learn how to pour four types of beer, what food to pair them with, taste test the beers, what ingredients are in beer, you get a certificate of completion, and a bartender style bottle opener.  On the tour you are taken all over the brewery, seeing the inner workings, as well as the Clydesdales.

St. Louis, MO

I tried to go to the Jefferson National Expansion Memorial to take the tramcar to the top, but there was a baseball game that day, so basically all the roads to the memorial were closed.

Gateway Arch

Kansas Route 66

The Kansas part of Route 66 is only 13 miles long, but I did spend a couple hours there with all the stops.  I went through Baxter Springs, Riverton, and Galena.

Twelve miles of Kansas

I stopped by the Baxter Springs Visitor Center located in a old Phillips 66 Station and got some directions to the Rainbow Bridge.  This is the last of three  "Marsh Arch" bridges.  I also stopped at the "Field of Dreams" field, but apparently it's not the same as the one in the movie, that is located in Iowa.

Rainbow Bridge

The big place to stop in Kansas is in Galena at "CARS on the Route" the truck Mater from the CARS movie is located there and so is Melba the Mouth (she is interviewed for the second movie).  They call her "the mouth" for a reason, she talks extremely fast.  She showed  me pictures of how the station and the Bordello looked before she bought and fixed them up.

Right next door to the CARS on The Route is "Galena Murder Bordello" the reason they call it that is 1. it's located in Galena, 2. it used to be a bordello, and 3. it has a carving in front of the house of nine crows, nine crows make a flock, and a flock of crows is called a murder.  When the house was first built is was a brothel for the miners, then it became a nursing home, then private residence, and then stayed empty for many years before it was fixed up.  They started doing tours of the house a few months ago because they say it's haunted.  

Murder of Crows

When they were fixing up the house there were a lot of paranormal activity.  Someone whisperd "Get me out of here" in Melba the mouths ear and now she won't go in that room, lights will come on, furniture will move, the air vents flew off the wall, tugging on clothes, you can see shadows, smells like rosewater, and so on.  When I was on the tour they turned off the lights and had you take two pictures to see if your camera picked up anything.  Linda our tour guide said that my camera caught "mist" which is "spirit manifestation" (its easier to google it rather than I explain).  It was on one photo, but not the other.  The tour is worth the $10 even you don't get to see any ghosts.

Galena Murder Bordello

Oklahoma Route 66 Two

I talked to a bunch of people on this section of Route 66 and man do I have some stories, so I hope the four people reading this blog enjoy them as much as I did.  

Shannon Miller Statue

There's a really cool place in Arcadia called Pops, it is a soda shop/gas station.  At any time they have 600 different kind of sodas all in glass bottles: strawberry, root beer, black cherry, ranch, barbecue, lime, and so on.  You can even make your own six pack, most expensive six pack I've ever bottle.

Pops

I got to meet the artist and writer of my EZ66 guidebook Jerry McClanahan at his studio in Chandler.  He is a really nice guy and even signed my book, he also gave me some updates for my Illinois drive.  At his studio you can buy prints of his Route 66 art and basically ask him all the questions you want.  He's been travelling the route since 1987 and has never actually done the whole drive all at once, but does chunks when he can.  He used to do the drive with his dad who once drove 28 hours straight (which blew my mind).

Jerry McClanahan

Another interesting spot on the road is Shoe Tree, which is basically what it sounds like; a tree with a bunch of shoes in it.  I stopped at Shoe Tree Trading Post and spoke to LaVonne Plute and she told me how the tree got it's start.  She said there was a homeless man that used to walk up and down that stretch of Route 66 in the 70's and they decided to throw one of her husbands old pair of boots on the tree for him to take.  Once people saw that they started throwing their shoes on the tree, and it continued from there.  The tree has been in different newspapers and she was eventually interviewed for a tv show.  I asked her if the man ever took the boots and she said no he just left them up there.  The original tree recently fell, but a new tree took over the shoes.  Side note she gave me a free Pepsi.

Shoe Tree

Blue Whale in Catoosa used to be a really famous swimming hole, but has been closed for business since 1988, due to the neighboring water park and floating, the owners could not afford to keep it open and soon after they closed beavers dammed up the hole, so clean spring water was not able to come in; now the water is very unclean and not safe to swim.  I talked to the woman running the souvenir shop and she said hopefully one day they can reopen.  That's the sad thing about Route 66 cool things like this are closed because bigger and better things move into town.

Blue Whale

Next stop was at the World's Largest Totem Pole carved by Ed Galloway.  His old workshop is located on the property and it houses many of his carvings.  He carved 300 fiddles in his life and after his death 150 were stolen from his workshop (never recovered).  The many that were stolen had faces of the Presidents carved into them.  Side note I got a free post card because I didn't have enough change (people are really giving here).

Foyil, OK

I stayed in my first theme motel and was super pumped.  Chelsea Motor Inn is ran by Frank & Trudy Jugler who were really friendly and nice (they gave me a bag made by her mom and a couple postcards).  I was originally suppose to stay in the Native American room but the air conditioner wasn't working properly, so they moved me to the Route 66 room.  She did show me the room and both are really nice; all of the bedspreads are made by Trudy Juglers mom.  There are only six rooms and the motel is way under priced (in my opinion).  

My room

I met Ron Jones "Tattoo Man" at Afton Station/Route 66 Packards that used to be a DX gas station, but now is a gift shop and houses David Kane's antique cars.  He has 132 Route 66 tattoos and was actually going to get another one that day.  He as most people I've met on the route was really friendly and had no problem with me taking pictures.

Tattoo Man

His face

I made a stop at Buffalo Ranch which is you guessed it has buffalo, located right next to a gas station.  I hung out and just stared at the buffalo for a good 20 minutes, and was really surprised no body else cared that there were buffalo at a gas station!  I mean come on they are buffalo!  BUFFALO!

Buffalo Ranch

I made a detour to a place called Spooklight which apparently has some paranormal activity, you can see "ghostly" lights or as my book put it "para-headlights" I didn't see anything, just an open field, cars, and random dogs.

Stroud, OK