Ah, the open road, quirky roadside attractions, ol’ mom ‘n pop diners, saguaro-studded sunsets… doesn’t that sound nice? That’s Route 66, and it’s disappearing quickly. Is a trip with your RV on Route 66 on your bucket list?
Perhaps you’ve already done the trip, perhaps you’ve done it, but want to go back and do it again (or more, or another part of it), or perhaps it’s always been on your bucket list. Or, maybe you have no desire to do Route 66 at all.
What’s the verdict? Tell us below in the poll, and leave a comment too if you want advice, or want to offer advice about this wonderful, nostalgic piece of our country.
We’ve done parts of Route 66 on various trips, but i would still like to do an end-to-end Route 66 trip. Maybe someday!
We’ve done lot of it. To me it’s depressing in a big way. Lives lived and mostly now forgotten. The pride of ownership of a business,motel,etc and now rubble or at best just abandoned. So sad.
Did parts of it as a child, when it was the only road, numerous times. We would travel southern route from CA to Colorado to visit my father’s family.
live in Albuquerque, so I live on it. Been on it from Oklahoma City to the end in Santa Monica
I-40 parallels the Mother Road in many spots and also is part of the Original Route 66.
Parts of the original Route 67 is washed out and covered with sand and others are like a wash board or driving on the treads of a bull dozer.
In AZ you’ll see lot of those old Burma Shave signs courtesy of the AZ DOT which also has a museum worth seeing. Route 66 also goes thru the old mining town of Oatman where Clark Gable and Jean Harlow honeymooned located outside of Bullhead City.
Done it many times back in the mid-late 60’s. Watching the change over in those years was heart breaking. But the interstate changed travel for everyone. Non stop driving. I miss all those wonderful experiences. Some Great Food and Great folk lore; not to mention those hair raising, hair-pin turns on steep grades through Missouri.
Leaving from Chicago, headed to navy school in Napa, CA in 1965, I drove most of it. Mainly because that was THE route to CA in those days. Looking forward to ‘doing’ some of it in our trailer someday.
Did our Route 66 drive in 2005. Did a side trip to the Grand Canyon while in Williams, AZ. We did the Grand Canyon Railroad from Williams to the canyon and back. Did the observation cars and they were still running the steam engine then, but no more. If possible plan on at least 3 days in Williams as during the tourist season they turn the town into a 50″and 60’s time with period cars and period clothes. We stayed at Railside RV then but have learned it has changed hands and not as nice as back then.
Stay well, Stay safe.
Born and raised in Albuquerque. I’ve been back and forth on it on the NM, AZ and CA sections many times.
I’ve done at least part of it. Some places (like NM) it’s hard to find, and other places it is under I-40. Maybe do the whole thing some day, though I probably would want to try the National Road first.
Drove Texas to Hiway 99 in California (before I-5) in 1961. two lanes. would pass and get passed by same people all day. canvas water bags hanging from hood ornament. No AC, but some people had tube shaped swamp coolers in the passenger window. Classic cafes, restaurants, attractions.
I have, over the years, traveled along Route 66 in every State trough which it passes. I have not had the urge to make the trip in our RV due to so many places in this country I need to see while still young enough to enjoy them all.
In 2017, I drove Rt 66 from Chicago area to NM. BIG disappointment as SO MUCH of the original Rt 66 is gone and, some of the parts that are still there are not always friendly to big RVs ( I did see LOTS of bicycles on the old roadway). I’ve been told that more of the original Rt 66 is left from NM to CA. I was only going as far as Albuquerque, NM for the Balloon Fiesta. I found the RT 66 Museum in Pontiac, IL very interesting and well worth the stop (there are several Rt 66 museums along the way). If I remember correctly, on that trip I was also able to stop and see the Gateway Arch in St Louis, MO (again, well worth the time ).
We got a campsite at a KOA in Williams AZ and did not realize that to the south of that campsite was Route 66. So even though I did not travel on route 66 like I wanted to I did do a bucket list item. Very nice town I might add. Now to start exploring the east coast.