Route 66

The Mother Road

Veni, Vidi, Vici

Day 1, Chicago to Springfield 198 miles
Breakfast at Lou Mitchells and then south past lots of food shacks. All good. Toured Joliet Prison (we're putting the band back together) and the Maple Syrup farm at Funks Grove. Saw the 66 Raceway, giant fibreglass spaceman and Paul Bunyan figures, a range of historic filling stations, Memory Lane, Dead Man's Curve and the Walking Trail. And it's Elvis Night at the oldest R66 Motel.

Day 2, Springfield to Lebanon 250 miles
Zigzagging between old and older routings, through the Shed on a Bridge, along the Red Brick Road and on to the turkey tracks. Easy to miss. Eat at the Ariston Cafe, past Henry's Rabbit Ranch and the pink elephant onto the Chain of Rocks Bridge across the Mississippi. The Meramec caves "well, it's not Blue John Caverns", stonehenge replica at Rolla and the Devil's Elbow. Overnight in Lebanon at the Munger Moss Motel.

Day 3, Lebanon to Riverton 150 miles
The mosque and Red's Giant Hamburger in Springfield, Gay Parita gas station and Bonnie and Clyde's hideout in Joplin. At some point this afternoon, we're only 24 hours from Tulsa. Briefly into Kansas past the Cars inspiration in Galena and to Riverton Post Office B&B for the night.

Day 4, Riverton to Chandler 160 miles
Baxter Springs, no longer as hell-raising as once was, past the R66 Retirement Home and Mickey Mantle's home base at Commerce. Past more gas stations and food stops, along the Ribbon Road 66 and then a totem pole park at Foyil. The giant Blue Whale at Catoosa is weird but fun, and an homage stop at the site of Les Paul's near fatal car accident. Lucky to keep his arm. Lincoln Motel tonight.

Day 5, Chandler to Mclean 202 miles
More historic petrol pumps, a round barn at Arcadia and the 50s-going on-2550s style Pops Soda Store on the way into Oklahoma City (mighty pretty) to see the Survivor Tree memorial. More museums and roadhouses, who was Lucille ? The Erick Curiosity Shop, utterly fantastic. The UDrop Inn at Shamrock and the Cactus Inn at McLean for the night. Not serving alcohol in the steakhouse, but the Barbed Wire Museum is outstanding.

Day 6, Mclean to Tucumcari 196 miles
A day full of famous R66 moments across wide open prairie. The VW Bug Ranch and then the Cadillac version, armed with paint. Had to be done. Through Amarillo, nice man bought me lunch at the Golden Light Cafe, on to a rest stop at Adrian MidPoint Cafe, closed. The Glenrio ghost town is waking up as a drug sanctuary but it's The Blue Swallow Motel at Tucumcari tonight, total kitsch memorabilia..

Day 7, Tucumcari to Santa Fe 180 miles
A bit of 1930s road today, taking the old routing up round Santa Fe and the other Las Vegas, where Jack and Captain America ended up in jail in Easy Rider. A swim in the Blue Hole at Santa Rosa, torrential rain and an hour under an bridge on the way. Flamenco cabaret and tapas, lots of art and tourist snares. Los Alamos (Who do you think you are Mr Feynman ?) is close but not close enough.

Day 8, Santa Fe to Holbrook 236 miles
Down la Bajada hill to Albuquerque, looking at Sandia Peak on the way. The conquistadore memorial to the first war between Europeans and native Indians, then across the desert, past Continental Divide and into Arizona, a leisurely ride through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest before decamping at a teepee motel in Holbrook.

Day 9, Holbrook to Grand Canyon 203 miles
A packed sightseeing day today, meteor crater, Jack Rabbit trading, Two Guns and Twin Arrows all before Flagstaff. Pancakes and coffee in Winslow and the Eagles luvfest, not forgetting Winona but hard to find nowadays. A diversion from R66 up past the Sunset Volcano to the eastern end of the Grand Canyon and pitching a tent to watch the sun go down.

Day 10, GC to Oatman 219 miles
And then come up. Back to Flagstaff, picking up the Lowell observatory on the way onto 66, over the highest point on the original 66 route, for lunch at the Red Garter Inn in Williams. Ever onwards to Seligman where the Historic Route 66 meme kicked off and the Burma Shave road to Hackberry and Kingman. More museums.

Day 11, Oatman to Barstow, 162 miles
The famous bit of the old Route, over Sitgreaves Pass and through Oatman, down to the Colorado River and quick side trip to see London Bridge at Lake Havasu. Then the petroglyphs at Needles before endless really hot desert, sandstorms and Roys Cafe by the Amboy lions. The Amboy crater is 'not recommended on foot between April and October. Good advice, it's pushing 40 here. then Bagdad complete with tree, the cafe is Newberry Springs but not desolate enough for the movie. Atomic memorial at Ludlow and beer, medals, shower and bed at Barstow.

Day 12, Barstow to the Coast 131 miles
A gentle end, past the bottle ranch and Iron Hog Bar, over Cajun Summit and a drop in at the first McDonalds in the world. Now privately owned and they're not fans of the chain ethos. Then it's into LA sprawl and increasing traffic, little left of the old waypoints in the urge to redevelop. Past the Madonna of the Trails and down to Santa Monica for selfies. Simples