And we do have so much to be thankful for. So many are suffering because of hurricanes, earthquakes, health issues etc. Our thoughts are with them.

After a stroll in old town Albuquerque, we have breakfast at Church St. café. Enchanting!

Today is a short day but we still  manage to have to make a U-turn at one point. Route 66 follows I-40 (and as always, the railroad tracks)

but we zigzag from the north side to the south side of the interstate numerous times. At one point we choose the I-40 to avoid unpaved highway. Dan gets his kicks on Route 66 by driving the 56 Ford Wagon, just for a bit ha!

We pass lava rock, many ruinous remains, trading posts and at one of them, we reach the Continental Divide.

New Mexico has been the most scenic part of the route so far.

In Gallup, we check in at the El Rancho Hotel. Opened in 1936, it is a National Historic Site. Some do laundry. Linda and Sandra help a biker from Sweden ooerate the washing machines:) Others find a local garage to have minor repairs done to the cars. Is it possible? We did not visit a classic car museum today…

Arizona, here we come!

Last night, we stayed at the Big Texan Motel in Amarillo. As you walk into the room, the first thing you see is a fly swatter. You’re in Texas after all. In some rooms, the door leading to the bathroom, no the swinging doors leading to the bathroom lead you to believe you are entering a saloon.

The Big Texan Steak House is a must see on Route 66. It is a museum in itself ;

Bonus: 3 musicians entertain the customers, the service and the food are fantastic.

In Adrian, we pass the Mid Point Café. Unbelievable that our journey is halfway completed. Unfortunately, the café is for sale because of illness in the family. The bakery however and the gift shop are still open.

Next stop is the Russell’s Truck and Travel Centre, just entering New Mexico. The vintage roadside general store is also a modern truck stop. The food is great but the free automobile museum is awesome. Mr. Russell is 79 years young, works 6 days a week and has never sold a car from his collection!

Then, the fun started on this special stretch of Route 66. No signage, lots of unpaved and rough roads for the more adventurous, lots of dead ends sometimes a cow path following the Major Interstate and , of course the railway.

Stopped at the Santa Rosa Route 66 Automobile Museum and met the owner Bozo. Roger and Jim went off to Bozo’s Garage to look for hub caps: Jim lost two so far. Bozo’s employee had just sold them and so we are still on the hunt for the hub caps.

Bozo’s wife in the meantime informed us that her husband suffered a brain aneurism 15 years ago and that it changed their lives. They decided they wanted to share their collection and enjoy all the people they knew would stop in. What a treat for us.

Eventually, we drive to the singing road. Mel informed us that  Nat-Geo actually paid for the permanent rumble strips on Route 66 between Albuquerque and Tijeras which play “America the Beautiful” when you drive over them at the 45 mile per hour speed limit. We did it, we heard it!

We finally arrive in Albuquerque. We see this Weirdo hippy standing on the corner of Central and Rio Grande flashing a sign saying: “I want to be standing on a corner in Winslow AZ!” (I.e. reference to the Eagles Take it Easy) Lo and behold, this strange hippy dude is our son, trying to surprise Roger for his birthday. Success! No one had a clue. As the hippy approached, everyone was flabbergasted when the long hair and beard came off. Awesome that he will be joining us on our journey to Williams AZ.

Wonder how we manage to get lost, no misplaced so often on Route 66. Here we are having to turn around…again!

Wonder why…In OK, the signage is so unpredictable. You can drive for miles without seeing a sign for Route 66 and then come to a stretch of highway that has a sign every 500 ft.

Then, in cities, you might see two Route 66 signs on the same corner…Is it the PRE 1932 option?, the PRE 1933 option?, The POST 1933 option?, the 1926-1957 option?, or the PRE 1958 option? All part of the challenge!

Wonder how many miles this biker will ride every day…He and his companions are biking all the way to California as you can see by the crests on his shirts’ sleeves.

Wonder how you can miss the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City. The exterior includes the most gigantic Route 66 shield ever made. The museum is a must see as it covers the Route in all 8 states and incorporates the Old Town Museum Complex.

40 Chev

Wonder why Roger Miller, like so many other entertainers had to die so young (56).  His museum celebrates his achievements and shares his wit and wisdom. He was the first country artist to win a Tony Award for his music and lyrics for the musical <Big River> (Huckleberry Finn). How can we forget his songs, (remember our average age is 65 ha!) King of the Road, England Swings +++

Wonder why Harley would want to cover every wall of his shop (housed in the former City Meat Market Building) with signs and more signs. When we stop at a café, Roger goes back to take more pictures and gets invited in his house where, you guessed it…every inch of the walls is covered with a sign. Our visit with him is surely the highlight of our day. He even sings <Get your kicks on route 66> for us!

Wonder how the ladies will get their kicks on Route 66 tomorrow?

Today, we confirmed that a sense of adventure and a willingness to get lost both in the past and on Route 66 are more important than books and maps to navigate the Route.

We intended to stay on Route 66 through Tulsa to get to the Blue Dome Station, centre of the Blue Dome District. However, after many twists and turns, we gave up, entered the address in the GPS and took I-44 for the remainder of the way. Finally, we arrived at our destination! Now we can say we saw this historic station that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places even though it is only partially there and not exactly what we expected. The good side of the story is that:

– we took amazing pictures of the district, the old and the new, blending for a picturesque landscape.

-we found Dilly’s café beside the dome that had amazing oatmeal and cherry cookies.

-we survived!

From Tulsa, we continued our way through Sapulpa, Bristow and Stroud. The good news is the Rock Café has reopened after a fire. In Davenport, Garwooly’s is now Jimmy’s Round-up Café. Great coffee, (unfortunately it was too early for lunch) and a warm welcome. As you see, Tammy did a great job at decorating the café.

Lots2See in Chandler and Arcadia. The Round Barn in Arcadia has been completely renovated and is also on the National Register of Historic Places. Down the road, a futuristic building appears on the opposite side of the road in the form of Pop’s which boasts 400 different varieties of… soda pop of course. Bob ordered the Arnold Palmer ice tea and lemonade. Others had plain old root beer. No one tried the bacon-flavored soda. But we did walk out with one root beer bread pudding to be shared later…The best though is that we met other Canadians doing Route 66. They are from just north of London, ON.

Lastly, we drove through Canadian County on the Canadian River Bridge. Over a mile long, the 1932 structure was an engineering marvel.

We met at breakfast this morning. They are part of the National Route 66 Motor Tour headed to the Will Rogers Memorial Museum in Claremore OK. Exactly where we were headed. Met up with cruisers from across the country. A big thank you to the Route 66 Cruisers Car Club of Claremore OK for their very warm welcome. We enjoyed the care package 🙂 We hope to welcome you some day in Sudbury ON, in the summer of course ..

Roger agrees there is no better way to celebrate a birthday!

At the Will Rogers Memorial Museum we indeed learned, laughed and were inspired!

As a comedian, an author, an actor, a columnist, a traveller, a philanthropist, Will Rogers is indeed a legend, someone we surely would have loved to meet.

Will Rogers quotes :

-Income tax has made more liars out of the American people than golf has…

-We will never have true civilization until we learn to recognize the rights of others.

-I never met a man I did not like.

-Never miss a chance to shut up.

-Don’t let yesterday take up too much of today.

-Lead your life so you wouldn’t be ashamed to sell the family parrot to the town gossip.

Will Rogers 1879-1935

Thanks to Mark and Arron!

What’s on your bucket list?  Val Caron family cruising Route 66 in classic cars….

0 – my experience with blogging. This blog is getting longer and might take longer to download…

1 – for the single lane stretches and single lane bridges we cross on Route 66

1.89 – the least we have paid for a gallon of premium gas (our babies need to be well fed…)

3.39 – the most we have paid for a gallon of premium gas

8- the number of states we will be crossing on our journey

11 – the number of days Roly has not golfed

40 – ft. the height of the world’s largest rockingchair in Fanning MO

62 – number of cars in the Route 66 Classic and Sports Car Museum in Springfield MO

65 – our average age

66 – the Mother Rd (and Roger’s age tomorrow 🙂

728 – the miles we have travelled since leaving Chicago

1 000 000 + – historic buildings and sites to see on Route 66

.25 a mile -amount that Roger and Denise pledge to give to the Sam Bruno PET Scan Fund if 25 people donate to the Fund

.50 a mile – amount that Roger and Denise pledge to give if 50 people donate to the Sam Bruno PET Scan Fund

1.00 a mile – amount that Roger and Denise pledge to give if 100 people or more donate to the fund 🙂

From St-Louis to Eureka MO, route 66 seems to go in circles…until we find ‘the sign’.

But surprises are in store today…

What a treat when we drive to the Meramec Caverns in Stanton!

What a treat inside the caverns! The rock formations are truly jewels of nature. At the end, we are proud Canadians to hear Céline Dion belt out ‘God Bless America’ during a light show projected onto a structure called  the Stage Curtain, the largest such formation in the world.

Did Jesse James really escape through these caverns? We will never know!

Stalagmites and Stalagtites join

What a treat to arrive ‘home’? That is what the Wagon Wheel Motel in Cuba makes you feel like.

Before leaving Springfield, we visit the only home Abraham Lincoln ever owned, the one he lived in for many years before being elected the 16th president of the United States.

We laugh when the nearest service station is called Jumping Jimmy.

We follow Route 66 from Divernon to Farmersville, to Litchfield and Mount Olive, to Edwardsville. Compare the traffic on Route 66 to the traffic on Interstate 55, parallel to Route 66…So much more relaxing! Bonus : we get to see historical buildings and many special attractions!

We cross the Mississippi on I 270 but Chain of Rocks Bridge is just beside us for bikers and hikers to enjoy.

We watch Roger devour a corn dog at Corn Dog Drive-In.

We are sad  to hear Mr Shae passed. His collection from Shae’s Gas Station Museum was sold. Luckily, we spot part of it at Fulgenzi’s Pizza and Pasta. This is a reminder that travelling Route 66 is unpredictable. Attractions change and some disappear…Luckily, many remain.

A sign catches our eyes : Your car is not a phone booth…just drive!

Wise advice, even on Route 66.

Breakfast at Lou Mitchell’s restaurant (1923), 565 Jackson Boulevard, Chicago, IL, is a treat in more ways than one.

-A hostess greets you by handing out doughnut holes

-All women receive a box of Milk Duds

-The food is unsurpassable O

Thanks to Yvette and Bonnie, our visit will be unforgettable!

Sadly, though, Mel and Curtis will be leaving us today. How fortunate we were to have them along for those precious days! Thanks to Curtis, we have all become experts at inspecting our hotel rooms for bed bugs!

From Chicago, we drove to Joliet and Pontiac, where we visited the Route 66  Hall of Fame & Museum. Can you imagine driving Route 66 in this artist’s (Bob Walmire) modified school bus?

First hotel : Route 66 Motel and Convention Centre in Springfield IL. What memorabilia!

Something is wrong with this picture! End of route 66? Wish you could…