Summer Road Trip: 02 Maxima KY-CA-KY/Route 66

[maxhopper]

I thought about taking a trip on Route 66 for a number of years. I had never been to California (as well as Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, and New Mexico), and thought, yeah that’d be cool.

A couple months ago, I started feeling restless and wanted to go somewhere. So I decided to start researching Route 66. The first thing that struck me was how close Route 66 and the Interstate systems follow each other (at least along the route I was planning). I started to go through each town along old Route 66 and make a list of the things I was interested in seeing. Ghost towns and ruins weren’t high on my list.

My plans were put on hold briefly, but after talking to family and some friends, I decided to go for it. Who knows when the situation would present itself again?

I began finalizing my plans, what I wanted to see, where I was planning on stopping each day (I had originally given myself five days to get to LA, but I ended up doing it in four), what supplies to take, and what dates to travel. My friend, Tiffany, was nice enough to offer me a place to crash while in LA.

I took care of a couple issues on the Maxima, got the windows tinted, gave her a good wash and wax, and got her ready to go on the journey.



I did not drive all the available roads that comprise old Route 66, but I drove parts in every state I traveled through. I did this purely to save time, as it is recommended to spend two weeks going one way if you want to see everything.

I’d like to thank Tiffany for letting me crash at her condo, for being my tour guide and drinking buddy, for singing "Happy Birthday" to me, and for being a sweetheart in general; Mauricio and Jen for being such cool people and making me feel so welcome; David for being my point of contact (wingman) while I was alone on the road; Matt for his help and the use of his garage in getting the Maxima ready to go; and my family and friends who were encouraging and supportive in my decision to make this trip. Thank you all, it’s something I’ll always remember!

I posted some of the pictures I took along the way. More pictures can be found in the linked galleries in the following posts.

Resources used for planning my trip:
http://www.theroadwanderer.net/route66.htm
http://route66news.com/campgrounds/
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/097099 ... UTF8&psc=1

[maxhopper]

Day 1 Louisville, KY to Springfield, IL

The trip began with my departure from home in Louisville to link up with I64 to St. Louis. The weather was perfect and traffic was light in the early morning hours. This leg of the trip was something I have driven a few times before, lots of rolling hills and flat farm land through Indiana and Illinois.





Louisville to St. Louis Gallery

After reaching St. Louis, I connected with I44 in route to my first stop in Cuba, MO. Cuba is a sleepy little town that has murals painted on the sides of various buildings along the old Route 66 that runs through town depicting scenes related to the history of the town.





Cuba, MO Gallery

More info on the Murals

Down the road a ways is Rolla, MO with a half size replica of Stonehenge on the campus of Missouri S&T.

The Missouri S&T Stonehenge is a partial reconstruction of Stonehenge, the ancient megalith located on Salisbury Plain 75 miles Southwest of London. It stands for many things; a lasting monument to man's drive for knowledge and engineering, the largest monument to ever be cut with a waterjet, and a link from the past into the modern. It was dedicated on June 20, 1984 or the summer solstice, at the site of the northwest edge of campus. Approximately 160 tons of granite were used in the monument. The rock was cut to the proper dimensions by Missouri S&T's Waterjet equipment.

http://rockmech.mst.edu/history/stonehenge/





Rolla, MO Gallery

Leaving Rolla, I continued on toward my last stop of the day. Springfield, MO has a Steak n Shake that has been in operation since 1962. It has an old school charm to it, and served the best steak burger that I can remember having.





With the storms from Oklahoma that spurred the tornado in Moore, OK earlier in the day heading my way, I decided to forgo camping out and decided to stay at the Best Western Route 66 Rail Haven (it was good enough for Elvis in 1956). I ended up watching the weather coverage of the tornado in OK, having a few beers, and watching the storm roll through.





Springfield, MO Gallery

[maxhopper]

Day2 Springfield, IL to Shamrock, TX

Day two kicked off with a leisurely drive from Springfield to Carthage, MO to see the courthouse.





Carthage, MO Gallery

From Carthage I followed Route 66 along the 11 miles it takes through the southeastern corner of Kansas. My lone stop was in Galena at the Howard Litch Park, where there is a Will Rodgers Memorial Highway marker.





Galena, KS Gallery

After entering Oklahoma, I stopped a short time later in Miami to see the Coleman Theater that opened in 1929.



More info on Coleman Theater

Miami, OK Gallery

Next it was off to Foyil, OK to see the Foyil Totem, the “World’s Largest Concrete Totem.” It took 11 years to complete and stands 60 feet tall, with a base 30 feet in circumference.







More info on the Foyil Totem

Foyil, OK Gallery

Then it was on to Catoosa, OK to see the Blue Whale that was built in 1972.





More info on the Blue Whale

Catoosa, OK Gallery

Next on the list was the Round Barn in Arcadia, OK. Being from KY, I’ve seen my share of barns, but this was pretty impressive. It was built in 1898, and restored in 1992 following a roof collapse in 1988.





Arcadia, OK Gallery

Rain started to move in as I left Arcadia, and made my way towards Oklahoma City. By the time I got to OKC, it was raining pretty hard so I didn’t get to spend much time at the Oklahoma City Memorial.



More info on the Oklahoma City Memorial

OKC Gallery

Clinton, OK was my next stop at the Route 66 Museum. It focused on the history of Route 66 through the decades.



Clinton, OK Gallery

Oddly enough, only 30 miles down I40 was the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK. This too focused on the history of Route 66 itself.



Elk City, OK Gallery



My final stop of the day took me to Shamrock, TX. Shamrock is home to the Tower Station and U-Drop Inn Café, which dates back to 1936. If it looks familiar, it was used as the basis for Ramone’s Body Shop in the movie Cars. It was kind of sad to see most of the neon tubing had been broken.



After snapping a few pictures, I went across the street to Big Vern’s Steakhouse for some grub. A tasty New York strip and a couple cold beers hit the spot.







There weren’t any camping spots in this area, so I got a room at a Motel 6 for the night.

Shamrock, TX Gallery

[maxhopper]

Day 3 Shamrock, TX to Holbrook, AZ

I set off before sunrise on day 3. This wasn’t an issue until I came to my first stop of the day at the leaning water tower in Groom, TX. I had to settle on trying to get a couple pictures against the rising sun, but you get the idea (I did get a couple pictures in the day time from the highway on the way home).



Groom,TX Gallery



I reached the Cadillac Ranch just after sunrise; honestly I don’t think I could have planned it any better. It sits in the middle of a cow pasture; some words of advice…don’t wear flip flops.





Cadillac Ranch Gallery

Amarillo, TX to Santa Rosa, NM Gallery

My next stop was at Bozo’s Route 66 Museum in Santa Rosa, NM. This was by far my favorite museum as a car guy. Bozo is a super nice guy who told me how he does all the work on the cars himself. He has a really nice collection of cars...some stuff you have to see to believe.















I want this!


And yes, that's a 454 engine in the open panel.


More info on Bozo’s Route 66 Museum

Santa Rosa, NM Gallery

My next leg of the journey took me through Cline’s Corner, Moriarty, and Albuquerque, NM. Cline’s Corner was originally built in 1934, but was rebuilt at the current location in 1937 when the highway was moved north. Moriarty and Albuquerque both have some old school buildings and motel signs.







The next two stops were not part of my original itinerary, but I figured since they were on the way, why not? The first was the Continental Divide in New Mexico. The second was the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest in Arizona. The pictures don’t do justice to how beautiful it really is.











Continental Divide/Painted desert/Petrified Forest Gallery

I was pretty beat by the end of the day so I decided to camp at a KOA in Holbrook, AZ. Nothing like a room with a view.



Holbrook, AZ Gallery

[maxhopper]

Day 4 Holbrook, AZ to San Pedro, CA

On my way out of Holbrook, I stopped by the Wigwam Motel (one of two still along Route 66). It must be a trip to actually stay in one.



Next stop was Standin on the Corner in Winslow, AZ for an Eagles tribute (notice the flatbed Ford in the window behind the statue).



At this point, I have to thank Becky for recommending the Pine Country Restaurant in Williams, AZ. It was exactly what I needed to fill up my stomach for the drive through the desert.



Nom nom nom


I drove through Selgman, AZ, home to Delgadillo's Snow Cap Drive-In, which was built in 1953. I saw multiple tour buses stopped in Seligman – good for them!



More info on the Snow Cap Drive-In

Williams and Seligman, AZ Gallery

Then it was across the desert to San Bernardino, CA and the second of the Wigwam Motels.









Next stop was the old Aztec Motel in Monrovia, CA (pretty cool building that currently sits vacant).



I had originally wanted to continue on through Pasadena and LA to Santa Monica, but it was getting near rush hour and I didn’t want to get stuck in a miles-long parking lot, so I decided to head for Long Beach to meet up with my friend Tiffany. We met up and went back to her condo in San Pedro and relaxed for a while before going to Hermosa Beach for a quick bite to eat and a couple drinks.

[maxhopper]

Day 5

Tiffany had to work, so I took off for Santa Monica and the end of Route 66. It didn’t go exactly how I had planned, but I did manage to get there.



That night Tiffany and I went out in San Pedro for dinner and bar-hopping.

Day 6

A little worse for wear after the previous evening’s events, the morning of day 6 saw a need for caffeine and food. Following a quick trip to Panera, Tiffany took me to the Terranea Resort in Rancho Palos Verdes. Wow, this place was spectacular!





After a stroll around the grounds, it was time to go get cleaned up for our big night, and meet up with the third musketeer, Mauricio.

We arrived at Mauricio’s place, made introductions, and got our supplies together. From there we drove to a park in Torrance to catch a bus to the Hollywood Bowl. Our thinking was that we would be able to get there in plenty of time to have a picnic before the concert. We had a couple bottles of wine, cheese, veggies, crackers…it was killer.

While waiting for the buses to begin loading, and the relative complexity that seemed to accompany the entire process, we decided that there was not going to be time to have our picnic once we got to the venue. So in the spirit of adapting to the situation, we had a parking lot picnic instead.



We continued our festivities on the bus, much to the other passengers’ amusement.



We made it to the Hollywood Bowl, passed the security check and ticket collection, just as Fleetwood Mac took the stage. They still sound amazing after all these years! The only original member not present was Christine McVie (who retired from the band in 1998). They rocked for a good 2.5 hours, including two encores.



***Check out the gallery for a video of Gold Dust Woman Live***
Day 6 Gallery

Day 7

Tiffany and I went to Long Beach with her dog to soak up some rays. It ended up being a bit chilly with the wind, so we headed back to San Pedro.





That night we ventured back to Hermosa Beach for more partying. We met up with Mauricio again and ended up back at his place singing karaoke until 4am.

Day8

Day 8 marked my birthday. It started off with Tiffany and me heading over to Mauricio’s again to meet up with him and the 4th member in our band of misfits, Jen. We all piled into Mauricio’s vehicle and went to the Black Bear Diner for breakfast/lunch. This place has huge portions, and all the food was excellent.
Info on Black Bear Diner

Next stop was Venice Beach. This place is quite unique. I could “people watch” all day and never get bored.



While there, I had to find the HQ of my other favorite Web site, http://www.thechive.com.



From Venice, we drove back to Point Fermin Lighthouse in San Pedro to catch the sunset while sipping Mimosas. It was beautiful!





Following sunset, we went back to get cleaned up for the evening and go sing karaoke in Hermosa Beach. You’ll just have to trust me when I say that an epic time was had by all!

Long Beach, Venice, and San Pedro Gallery

[maxhopper]

Day 9 San Pedro, CA to Albuquerque, NM

Uggggghhhhhh. Hungover is no way to drive through the desert!



I stopped at a Super 8 in Albequerque for the night.



Day 10 Albuquerque, NM to Joplin, MO

I woke, showered, and packed. Upon putting my bags in the car I noticed this.



I’m so glad I added tow coverage to my insurance policy…it just paid for itself. So I got a tow to a Firestone hoping it would be a quick patch job and I’d be on my way. I ended up losing about 2 hours of driving time, but I finally got back on the road.
I next stopped for gas in Shamrock, TX were I noticed that my tire was nearly flat again. After some choice language, and airing the tire back up, I decided to get back on the road and just pull off periodically to check the pressure and air back up if needed. As I was driving, I reconsidered and stopped in Sayre, OK at another tire shop. The folks there told me that the steel cords were poking through the first patch and that they cleaned it up the best they could, but that it could potentially happen again. So once again I hit the road, and crossed my fingers. The weather was taking a turn for the worse and severe thunder storm warnings had been issued along my route.



I finally made it through the storm line, but knew they were tracking northeast in the same direction I was heading. I was trying to put some separation between myself and the storms when I was pulled over for doing 80 in a 75mph zone. The officer had me come back to his Charger and proceeded to run my info and ask me questions regarding my trip. He was very cool and let me off with a warning. Whew!
I crossed the Missouri state line and pulled over in Joplin to crash for the night. The tire pressure had again dropped by the time I made it to Joplin, so I aired up and decided to wait and see what the morning brought.

Day 11 Joplin, MO to Louisville, KY

I found that the tire had only lost 5psi overnight, so I said screw it. I aired up and hit the road. I stopped about every 100 miles to check the pressure. By the time I got to St. Louis, I had lost about 5psi. At this point, I decided not to press my luck and headed for another shop. I ended up stopping at Dobbs Tire and Auto Center in Sunset Hills, MO. They got me in and out within an hour and used a plug patch instead of a flat patch. One of the counter guys saw my NICO shirt and commented that he used to be a member and had owned multiple 240s. From there it was a straight shot back to Louisville and home.



Return Trip Gallery

[maxhopper]

I have non-stock wheels and tires on the Maxima, so my speedometer was off approximately 3mph (which also affected the odometer) compared to my GPS.

Final numbers:
Total miles (uncorrected) - 4152
Total Gas (Premium) - 160.817 gallons - $656.71 - $4.0835/gallon avg
Avg MPG (uncorrected) - 25.8

[dre1507]

I love road trip threads.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

I read the whole thing. This is getting me pumped for my upcoming road trip to New England. I need to start planning my stops.

[gwoods]

Sweet trip! thank you for sharing the pictures. 4 corners area is beautiful

[WDRacing]

Glad you made the trip dude and got home safely. That trip is one of the items on my bucket list as well.

Tiffany is still lookin good!

[float_6969]

That was a great first thread of the morning for me. Thanks for sharing the trip with us!

[audtatious]

I'm still amazed people get pulled over for 5mph over.....

Looks like a fun trip. Sux about the new tire.

[Repo Man]

Epic Scotty!

[taffy16400]

My highlight of the trip (besides seeing Scott) was the Fleetwood Mac.concert-- oh yeah, and Scott singing karaoke to a Johnny Cash song.
Tiffany

[Fezzik]

My highlight of the trip (besides seeing Scott) was the Fleetwood Mac.concert-- oh yeah, and Scott singing karaoke to a Johnny Cash song.
Tiffany

Should have taken video of this. I'm envious of this trip. One of my bucket list things to do.

[PapaSmurf2k3]

One of my bucket list things to do.

See Scotty sing some Johnny Cash?

Tiff for some reason I didn't think you lived in California... probably because you came to Carlisle that one time.

[nissangirl74]

I love road trips! Thanks for the awesome coverage. Glad you liked the Pine Country Restaurant. Makes me want to make the 4 hour drive up for dinner tomorrow night (yes, I'm serious). On a side note, we went to Terranea Resort last summer. it is gorgeous

[Bubba1]

Wow awesome road trip. Great writeup.

[maxhopper]

One of my bucket list things to do.

See Scotty sing some Johnny Cash?

Trust me, no one wants to see that. I never sang karaoke in my life and swore I never would...but I did it.

Tiff for some reason I didn't think you lived in California... probably because you came to Carlisle that one time.

She moved to California shortly after Carlisle.

I love road trips! Thanks for the awesome coverage. Glad you liked the Pine Country Restaurant. Makes me want to make the 4 hour drive up for dinner tomorrow night (yes, I'm serious).

I'm just glad I didn't see their pie case until I was paying my bill.

[Fezzik]

I'm also glad to see the max did very well on the trip