Chicago to LA (Route 66)

[stanthecaddy]

Well,

The flights have now been booked, as have the Chicago, Vegas and Los Angeles hotels.

We have compiled a list of potential stops along the way and we will probably look to stick to it as close as possible. However, we are aware that by doing this then we may miss certain "must-see" things enroute.

Therefore, I'd appreciate it if anyone can inform me of any must do things along the way and i'll look to include them in our existing plans.

Thanks

[PNW Judy]

For places to stop, you can't do much better than checking out our Route 66 page! Virtual Route 66 on that page is a real treasure-trove of information but all the links are helpful.

Some of my highlights would be:
Arizona - Tucumcari, Cline's Corner, Albuquerque, Gallup
Arizona- Petrified Forest NP, Holbrook, Winslow, Grand Canyon, Seligman, Kingman, Oatman

Poke around there and come on back with your ideas and let us help you tweak some more!

[scotishbob]

I read the itenerary and it is very do-able. I suggest that you stay off the interstate and follow old route 66 from chicago to needles, california to see more of americana. You will find that both food (at the mom and pop diners are cheaper and better try to stay at non-chain motels along the way. Most are clean and comfortable and much, much cheaper! in the range to 30 to 40 a night double).
Also i recommend that you not stay at the Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Ar. but stay in Flagstaff. You can make the trip from there to the Grand Canyon with ease and then move on to vegas.
The Wigman Motel is only open with the owner feels like opening plus the rooms are not comfortable and are over-priced. Granted they are a novelty to look at.

Have a safe and wonderful journey.
Scotishbob

[stanthecaddy]

4 weeks til we leave for Chicago. After having a meeting last night me and my "route buddies" are nearly all set.

We've tweaked our proposed itinerary as follows...

Night 1 - Springfield, IL
2 - Lebanon, MO
3 - Tulsa, OK
4 - Clinton, OK
5 - Amarillo, TX
6 - Albuquerque, NM
7 - Holbrook, AZ
8 - Grand Canyon Village

then onto Vegas for 3 nights and LA for 3 nights before flying home!

Hopefully we'll get to see and do as much as possible using this as a guideline

[PNW Judy]

None of your travel days are extremely long so you should have plenty of time to explore and meander. Enjoy! And come on back after your return to let us know how things went. We love roadtrip reports!

[stanthecaddy]

Hi, after picking our car up on Sunday May 25th we hit the road for what turned out to be an amazing trip! (where we actually stayed)

25th May - Litchfield, IL
26th - Lebanon, MO
27th - Edmond, OK
28th - Amarillo, TX
29th - Albuquerque, NM
30th - Holbrook, AZ
31st - Grand Canyon
1st June - Kingman
2nd - Las Vegas (3nights)
5th - Hollywood (3nights)

Clocked up 2607 miles in total, and had a brilliant time!

[Midwest Michael]

Thanks for reporting back, it sounds like you had a good time.

If you have time, would you like to share some of your experiences, like your favorite stops, what you learned, etc?

[apet20]

Hi, after picking our car up on Sunday May 25th we hit the road for what turned out to be an amazing trip! (where we actually stayed)

25th May - Litchfield, IL
26th - Lebanon, MO
27th - Edmond, OK
28th - Amarillo, TX
29th - Albuquerque, NM
30th - Holbrook, AZ
31st - Grand Canyon
1st June - Kingman
2nd - Las Vegas (3nights)
5th - Hollywood (3nights)

Clocked up 2607 miles in total, and had a brilliant time!

I am about to embark on the same trip starting on monday. Can you give advise on motels or other places to stay? Did you have reservations for each of your stays or did you just find places along the way?

[stanthecaddy]

Ok, on planning our trip I had an idea in my mind as to where we should be at the end of each day to make the trip more enjoyable and almost equal mileage each day.

25/5 - The idea was to drive to at least Springfield, IL but ideally aim for Litchfield, IL. We stayed at the Super 8 in Litchfield which was absolutely fine for a night's sleep. Also, if you're there eat at the Ariston Cafe. (no reservations for Super 8, just turned up)

26/5 - Lebanon, MO - Stayed at the Munger Moss, reservations may be required but we tried to steer clear of making reservations in case our plans, etc changed. Really nice place, opposite a bowling alley which gave us a little evening entertainment.

27/5 - Edmond, OK - This was a good example of why we hadn't pre-booked our on-route accommodation. We were aiming for Tulsa but we'd made good ground and decided to go a bit further so that we could be closer to Oklahoma City for a morning trip to the National Memorial. We stayed at the Best Western, really comfortable beds!

28/5 - Amarillo, TX - We had decided on Amarillo because we wanted to eat at the Big Texan Steak ranch. We also decided to stay there too as the rooms looked quite cool. There are other places in town, and the BTSR will pick you up if you want to eat there!

29/5 - Albuquerque, NM - Stayed at the Monterey in the Old Town. However, this was based on a recommendation and it required to taxi ride to get to the "nightlife". (4 twentysomethings required this!)

30/5 - Holbrook, AZ - We wanted to stay at the Wigwam Motel because it looked cool but they had no vacancy (should've booked!) however, we drove slightly out of town to a Motel 6 and picked up two double rooms for $100!

31/5 - Grand Canyon - We booked rooms at the Red Feather Lodge on the morning we left Holbrook to ensure that we had somewhere to stay in Tusayan as we planned on doing a flight early on the next day. Probably the only place I think booking is essential.

1/6 - Kingman, AZ - After how cheap the Motel in Holbrook was we plumped for Motel 6 again and how glad we were as the price for two rooms was $74!

2/6 - Las Vegas - Booked the rooms at Circus Circus before we went to give us a target to meet on the road.

5/6 - Hollywood - Booked before we went also.

I'd recommend leaving Vegas to the end of the trip if possible and stay in Santa Monica in L.A. Wasn't that impressed with Hollywood.

Anything else I can help with please ask.

[apet20]

What were the general times you would come into a place you wanted to stay the night? I am figuring we will be entering a town around 7 or 8 pm. Is this too late to make a reservation? or will we be fine?