18 replies to this topic

[wid cg vrs]

Here we go again.Not been a good year so far,took redundancy in March not realising how bad things actualy are in the job market.Had 5 weeks temporary work which has now ended,so we decided to be reckless and spend half the redundancy money on another trip to the states as we enjoyed last years roadtrip so much.
This time we fancy Route 66 from Chicago to Santa Monica,booked it last night and leave in 4 weeks time.Done some research but has been a bit last minute so any advise or tips would be much appreciated.
  
   Thanks
   Wid

[wid cg vrs]

My new ride for the next two weeks.

[sk4gw]

Enjoy.

Did you see already the Series on TV, 'Billy Connoly on Route 66' ?  
If not i would try to watch it.
Its been repeated on Dave or  IT4 or whatever just recently

george

[wid cg vrs]

Watched it the first time and again over the last few weeks.Don't know how long it took him but I'll bet it was longer than the two weeks I've got.
First piece of advise - get a satnav if your traveling over here,you will need it  and it's saved me a few times already .Car hire companies will charge you £100 for 2 weeks.I bought a Garmin with full europe and USA maps installed for £110 .
Spent first day sightseeing in Chicago on foot.Driving into and out of city was very busy and quite hectic.
This morning (thursday) we started our route 66 drive to our first stop St Louis.Finding some of the old road is quite dificult and adds a lot of time to the journey but you get to see a lot more than you would if you take the Interstate all the way.A long day and 350 miles,would probably have been better to split it over 2 days.

[wid cg vrs]

St Louis to Springfield.--- 271 miles today,temp 92 degrees.Quite a few stretches of old 66 but they tend to stop suddenly,usually we have found that they just cross over to the other side of I44,but sometimes there are gaps so you need to get on to the interstate and pick it up further down.As said yesterday,by taking the 66 allow a LOT more time than  on the interstate,todays run took 9 hrs although we did stop a few times for a 2 hour walk into some caves (awesome) and some shorter stops.
Managed to give the Camaro's 6.2 L  V8 a little burst  along the way, what a beast .Think I came up trumps with this as a free upgrade, only drawback being that the boot is a lot smaller than the Mustangs and I can only get one bag in the boot with the other bag having to go on the back seat.something to bear in mind when hiring a covertible but I'm sure I'll cope .

[wid cg vrs]

Springfield to Oklahoma city. 349 miles but a much better run,all of it done on the 66.Sign posting has been much easier to follow,only a few slip ups soon rectified by sat-nav.Temperature up to 111 deg so the hood went up by mid day.Good roads all the way,shame to see some of the derelict homes and buildings but good to see some people re-opening a few of them.
Tips - When filling up with petrol you have to pay first which can be awkward not knowing how much you need to top right up.Can pay at pump but have had problems with chip and pin cards.
Watch speed limits,they change quite often and police are often hiding in unmarked cars.

[wid cg vrs]

Oklahoma city to Amarillo. 387 miles today,a bit more difficult than yesterday due to the fact there seemed to be less 'historic 66' signs so we had to do some calculated guessing along the way.A good set of maps would be advised.A couple of sight seeing trips : the Cadillac ranch and Palo Duro Canyon State Park.Fantastic scenery and a must do if you have time.

[wid cg vrs]

Amarillo to Albuquerque. 308 miles done today with a lot of it on I-40  coming off to the various towns where much of the 66 sights are to be found.Old road zig zags quite a bit along this stretch and quite a few dead ends where it finishes and starts again further up.
Two nights in Albuquerque so today we went up to Santa Fe, nice drive and very scenic if you take the turquoise trail on New Mexico 14 road, where you pass through a village called Madrid where part of the film "Road Hogs" was filmed,a busy stop off for bikers.
Petrol is costing on average  $3.40 a gallon, $60 to fill the tank.Will give final costs when finished.
[IMG]http://i1216.photobu...66/100_2103.jpg[/img]

[wid cg vrs]

Albuquerque to Holbrook. 283 miles which included a a diversion through the Petrified forest and Painted Desert.A truly spectacular sight and a trip which must be done if in the area.
Route 66 has been much the same as yesterday,again taking  I-40 and coming off at Historic 66 markers with some additional stretches of road to see attractions.Have probably missed some things along the way,but have to weigh up time and distance and other things to see.

[wid cg vrs]

Holbrook to Peach Springs. 341 miles including detour to Grand Canyon South Rim.Long stretches of 66 from Flagstaff.
Went up to the Canyon,absoutely awesome.In peach spring for two nights but should have stayed in Williams as advised.

[wid cg vrs]

Friday. 233 mile drive to Needles and back on the 66,from Kingman to Needles it was a a great drive on a long and twisty road,goes through a town called Oatman (not to be missed)a real old western town.
Saturday.235 miles from Peach Springs to Las Vegas with a diversion to Lake Mead,and across the Hoover Dam.
Two nights in Vegas,each to their own it's an exiting place but just hotels and casinos and I've got a 6.2 ltr V8 camaro so what would you do ?.
Sunday.A trip along the top of Lake Mead and on to the Valley Of Fire State Park.Not many people go here because they stay in Vegas but they don't know what they are missing.

[wid cg vrs]

Vegas to Barstow. 278 miles on the 95  down to the I 40 which meets the Route 66.This stretch of the 66 goes all the way to Barstow all but one small section.A few ghost towns along the way but miles and miles of desert road which becomes a bit boring.If you do this part of the route make sure you fill up before you start.Petrol at the few filling stations goes up to over $5 a gallon.

[wid cg vrs]

Barstow to Santa Monica,the last stop of what has been a great trip across 9 states.Barstow to Victorville done on the 66 then we lost it for a bit until we got to San Bernadino where we picked it up again all the way to Santa Monica (bit tricky following it in places).
Fly back tomorrow night so just enough time to visit a state park and have a last drive of the beast.

[sk4gw]

Thanks for sharing & it has been nice following your trip.

Looking forward to your next one already!
Have a good journey home.
cheers

george

[Yeti_Man]

Yeh, very interesting. I took a bright yellow Camaro SS convertible from LA to las Vegas and back to LA in June - great driving fun and my first time to the US. Hopefully I'll head back there sometime next year or in 2014 for a longer stay. I'd like to see more of Yosemite and Tohoe and Hungtingdon Beach are looked great. :-)

[wid cg vrs]

Total miles done =3682.
Total fuel cost = $694.
ave mpg according to trip meter. 21mpg. not bad for 6.2 litre V8
Although we enjoyed this trip along Route 66,we did find it more tiring than last years trip to California,nearly twice as many miles in the same time frame.To do a more leisurely trip I would suggest 3 weeks.We pre-booked hotels in advance so we had to get to these places each day which saved time looking for somewhere every night,most of them being Best Westerns which were adequate for one night stops.Bear in mind that apart from Vegas you will pay for hotel parking in many cities (we paid $52 per 24hrs in Chicago),last year we had to pay in L.A, San Francisco, and Santa Monica.

[wid cg vrs]

FocusZtec, on 15 August 2012 - 13:25, said:

Yeh, very interesting. I took a bright yellow Camaro SS convertible from LA to las Vegas and back to LA in June - great driving fun and my first time to the US. Hopefully I'll head back there sometime next year or in 2014 for a longer stay. I'd like to see more of Yosemite and Tohoe and Hungtingdon Beach are looked great. :-)

Went through Yosemite last year,loved it and would like to go back for longer sometime.Camaro was a great touring car and I really enjoyed it,just a shame the boot opening wasn't bigger.

[wid cg vrs]

sk4gw, on 15 August 2012 - 12:41, said:

Thanks for sharing & it has been nice following your trip.

Looking forward to your next one already!
Have a good journey home.
cheers

george

Thanks for following our trip,glad you enjoyed it. If and when I get work then next year may be Yellowstone and surrounding area.
    cheers
  Wid

[grr666]

That looks great and some handy info for me as well.
Really can't wait now
I've only got a lowly Mustang for my 3rd week and a Grand cherokee
for the first two weeks. Hopefully I'll get an upgrade too That Camaro looks
so deliciously trashy and over the top. Love it!!!

The Jeep  will probably be a good bet for us anyway as my wife is a redhead and
burns like a vampire in the sun. If needs be she can sit in the middle at the back to
try and keep out of it should it be really hot.
The Jeep is also big enough to sleep in if we really balls up our planning.  

Hopefully we can take our time along the route and try and reduce the daily
lumps of driving. My personality doesn't lend itself to strict schedules generally speaking.
Reading through this thread has definitely given me a few ideas.
Thanks for posting