Route 66 & Pacific One

Illinois: Chicago, Wilmington, Dwight, Mc Lean, Springfield, St. Louis

Chicago: It is a truly beautiful city that rises on the shores of Lake Michigan. Chicago proves to be a real surprise, one of the most beautiful cities in the United States. Not to be missed is the view from the top floor of the Sears Tower, which with its 110 floors is the tallest skyscraper in the United States. Not to be missed are the blues clubs like the Kingston Mine.

Illinois: Chicago - Wilmington, Dwight, Mc Lean (about 180 Km) The beginning of the legendary Route 66: the corner between Michigan Av. and Adams Av: this is where the legendary Route 66 begins. We begin the legendary Route 66; in all the bars, restaurants, road, shops, souvenirs, there are the "Historic Route 66" signs and signs inspired by the Route because since 1990 it has been enhanced and improved. Route 66 is big and is almost parallel to the highway; don't fall into the temptation to do it first and run a little faster by taking the Interstate, stay on the Route and equip yourself with the Lonely Planet Road Trip Route 66 book, which will show you step by step how to do it because many times it is interrupted and you have to zigzag between the route and the highway. To be sure, ask for information about the Route, everyone will be happy to help you get back on the road.

Missouri:Sullivan,Lebanon,Carthage,Carterville,Joplin - Kansas-Oklahoma:Claremore –Tulsa

Illinois: Springfield – St. Louis

Missouri: Sullivan (about 300 Km)

Visit to Lincoln's tomb in Springfield, the capital of Illinois. The town is very small but pretty and everything is inspired by President Lincoln; names of streets, shops, parks, statues, etc. We resume the Route until we meet the enormous Mississippi River and visit the city of St. Louis. We arrive in full swing, there is the Cardinals baseball game. Walk in the park where Gateway Arc is located, the 192-meter-high arch from where it is possible to see the city and the Mississippi River. State of Missouri: we cross many small towns, some even with only 100 inhabitants. We observe the big roads, big cars, immense prairies, houses far apart from each other and all with a garden, barbecue and American flag. The people are kind and are thrilled at the idea of knowing that people from far away come to travel this road.

6/08/06 Route 66

Missouri: Sullivan – Lebanon – Carthage (about 400 Km) The Route continues in some points to not be linear and even non-existent, in fact you have to travel a few kilometers on I 44-55 and then resume the Route further on. We begin to see horse and cow ranches, small villages and long straight roads.

7/08/06 Route 66

Missouri: Carterville – Joplin - Kansas Oklahoma: Miami – Claremore – Tulsa – Davenport – Chandler (about 300 Km) In the middle of the morning we stop for a break in a very nice diner with a particular decor dedicated to Route 66, Dreama's. Continuing on the road we pass through the state of Kansas for a short stretch and then enter Oklahoma. Lunch in Tulsa, a sad, rather ugly and deserted city; you can easily skip the stop in this town. For dinner we move to a restaurant recommended by locals, Dan's BAR-B-QUE Pit in Davenport.

Oklahoma City, Clinton - Texas: Amarillo, Adrian - New Mexico: Tucumcari, Santa Rosa, Santa Fe

Oklahoma: Oklahoma City - Clinton

Texas: Texola – Shamrock - Mc Lean – Groom (about 400 Km)

We visit the museum dedicated to Route 66 in Clinton. We cross the border with Texas and the landscape begins to change: desolate and uninhabited villages called "ghost towns", abandoned motels, restored old gas pumps, inhabitants with cowboy hats, arid and dry landscape. With the construction of the highways the inhabitants moved to the busier urban centers abandoning the towns close to the Route. For those doing this trip, one stop cannot be missed: the famous Cadillac Ranch where old Cadillacs are stuck in the ground immersed in an arid and desolate landscape. The cars correspond to the models produced from 1949 to 1963 and arranged in chronological order.

9/08/06 Route 66

Texas: Amarillo – Vega – Adrian – Glenrio (about 183 Km) New Mexico: Tucumcari

Along the way we stop at Conway, a ghost town, and after a couple of hours of desolate road we make a stop in Amarillo. Walk in the San Jacinto District area, a long street full of antique shops, silverware, knick-knacks, old stuff and motorcycle shops. In the afternoon we pass the "midpoint" in Adrian, that is, we are exactly halfway along Route 1,139 miles; there is a large, tall white silo that marks this point. Here we stop for a snack and eat the best chocolate cake of the trip in the Midpoint bar... it is truly worth it.

10/08/06 Route 66

New Mexico: Santa Rosa - Santa Fe (about 340 Km)

The temperature is very high and the asphalt is boiling, result: a tire blows out while we are traveling the Route. We arrive in Santa Fe and tour this very pretty town but unfortunately it is fake, full of luxury and expensive shops: it is the place where Americans vacation. In the central square there is an orchestra and everyone dances happily.

New Mexico: Alburquerque, Gallup - Arizona: Kayenta, Monument Valley, Grand Canyon, Seligman, Kingma

11/08/06 Route 66

New Mexico: Alburquerque – Laguna – Gallup (about 320 Km)

We arrive in Gallup, full of department stores that sell silver, precious stones and handicrafts made by the Indians.

12/08/06 Route 66

New Mexico: Gallup Arizona: Kayenta – Monument Valley (about 330 Km)

Tour of the market outside Gallup where the Indians sell handicrafts and silver at very good prices. We enter the state of Arizona and the colors of the landscape change, small rocky mountains begin to appear, all surrounded by red earth and an intense blue sky, beautiful and evocative. We arrive at the Navajo reservation where Monument Valley is located and we hurry to see the sunset inside Monument Valley; the landscape is beautiful, a sunset with intense colors, perhaps one of the most beautiful places of the whole trip. An incredible view of these spectacular monoliths eroded by time and immersed in the red earth and absolute silence. The reservation is managed by the Navajo, ($5 per person and cash only), and the tour is done by car in about a couple of hours. Remember to move the clock hand, in the reservation they have a "Navajo" time zone.

13/08/06 Route 66

Arizona: Monument Valley – Grand Canyon (about 250 Km)

We get up early in the morning to do the three-and-a-half-mile walk in Monument Valley. Next stop: Grand Canyon; we arrive in time to see the sunset and do the car tour of the viewpoints entering from the East side and exiting from the South.

14/08/06 Route 66

Arizona: Grand Canyon – Seligman – Kingman (about 280 Km)

The Grand Canyon is one of the most extraordinary places in America. It is possible to admire the erosion made by the Colorado River over the centuries on the rocks and observe the results of this erosion: the colored layers in the rocks. In the Grand Canyon you can encounter different climate zones, going from coniferous forests to hot and desert environments. We decide to do the 14-kilometer walk along a ridge of the Grand Canyon equipped with plenty of water. The landscape is magnificent and immense, difficult to describe. At the end of the walk there are shuttles that take you to the rest areas and parking lots; if you want, you can also do the tour with these shuttles. In the afternoon we arrive in Kingman.

Nevada: Las Vegas - California: Death Valley, Ridgecrest, Los Angeles

15/08/06 – 16/08/06 Route 66

Nevada: Las Vegas (about 170 Km)

We arrive around lunchtime in Las Vegas and it's a shame because we don't see from afar all the lights of this enormous city that rises in the desert. It is 45 degrees and the Strip Boulevard is very busy. It is the city of excesses, lights everywhere, hotels with more than a thousand rooms representing Paris, Venice, Rome, New York. Big cars and limousines and everywhere arcades, slot machines, roulette, gaming tables… just like in the movies. The hotels are luxurious and compete with each other with nighttime shows; worth seeing are the water and light show at the Bellagio and the pirates one at Treasure Island; all the others are paid. It is worth having dinner at the hotel buffets, with $20 you eat without limits.

Also a city of big contradictions, on one hand the Latin Americans who do the most humble jobs and on the other people who bet large sums of money and then on the street you will be invaded by business cards of prostitutes even at low prices.

17/08/06 Route 66

California: Death Valley – Ridgecrest (about 370 km)

Death Valley: a stop absolutely not to be missed. The landscape is stupendous, these enormous expanses of salt below sea level. The heat is unbearable, it touches 50 degrees and the tour is done getting out of the car only a few times. It is one of the most arid zones on earth, high temperatures and very little or non-existent rainfall. The temperature is lower when we arrive at the top of Zabriskie Point and take a short walk. These rocks convey the impression of a lunar landscape without vegetation and without life. Immediately after the exit of the park a splendid spectacle: the Sand Dunes, expanses of sand with dunes up to 200 meters high, we stop to feel the thrill of walking on the warm sand.

18/08/06 Route 66

California: Los Angeles (about 230 Km)

Towards Los Angeles the landscape transforms. We encounter traffic and chaos, big highways that lead to this enormous city. In this stretch Route 66 is interrupted and replaced by highways that lead straight to Santa Monica where the plaque dedicated to the humorist Will Rogers is located, marking the end of the legendary Route 66.

California: Santa Barbara, Santa Maria, San Luis Obispo, Monterey, Carmel, San Francisco

19/08/06 Pacific One

California: Los Angeles – Santa Barbara – Santa Maria (about 250 Km) We head north on the Pacific One which connects Los Angeles with San Francisco and skirts the California coast. The panorama is spectacular: sheer cliffs, sea, green hills and very beautiful towns; there are so many "vista points" where it is difficult to hold back and not stop to take a few photos.

20/08/06 Pacific One

California: San Luis Obispo – Monterey (about 270 Km)

We continue on the Pacific One surrounded by beautiful landscapes: reefs along the entire coast, pristine beaches and waves crashing everywhere and where one of the most beautiful and renowned spots is located: Big Sur.

21/08/06 Pacific One

California: Carmel – San Francisco (about 180 Km)

Tour of Carmel, a delightful little town, also known for a famous mayor of the city: Clint Eastwood; the town is enclosed within a paid route, the 17 mile. In the afternoon we arrive in San Francisco, the last stop of our trip, and the first thing we do is cross the Golden Gate and visit Sausalito. The bridge is spectacular and evokes many locations from many films; at the end of the bridge there is a square dedicated to sailors and with a beautiful view of the city and the bay. Sausalito is a residential and luxurious little town and has the merit of having a breathtaking view from where you can admire the bay of San Francisco.

22 – 24/08/06

San Francisco

We dedicate 3 days to this unforgettable city, center of the hippie culture of the 1960s and homeland of many youth movements. Today it is home to many characteristic restaurants and cafes and eccentric shops and where a mix of bohemian, trendy and 'urban chic' characters coexists. During these days we visit the fascinating Fisherman's Wharf, the port of San Francisco with a view of the bay, full of little shops and small restaurants where they cook giant crabs and fish, on the platforms of the port at Pier 39 the sea lions gather and from afar we observe the island of Alcatraz. Chinatown is a must-see stop for anyone visiting this city, but don't limit yourself to crossing the main street and venture into the side alleys to observe this neighborhood inhabited exclusively by Orientals, where English is not spoken and the signs are all in Chinese.

It is truly a city not to be missed and to which to dedicate quite a bit of time.