Trip Down the "Mother Road" Route 66

[Marty Rogan]

This past weekend, a group of friends who are car enthusiasts took a short Fall Cruise down a stretch of Historic Route 66 between Dwight and Pontiac, IL.  It was a gorgeous, sunny and blue sky October day.  We had 10 people in 9 cars.  I was the sole Z, and sole import for that matter in the group.  One guy had an awesome 8K mile 1970 Superbird that was really mint.  Other cars included: Factory Five Cobra, '66 Mustang, '71 Torino,'74 Grand Am, '76 Trans Am, '67 Camaro convertible, and a 2015

 Mustang. The new Mustang was designated chase car in case someone broke down.  Fortunately we did not need to press it into duty.

 

The first stop was an old Texaco Gas Station that was built in 1933.  It was the longest operating gas station along Route 66 until 1999.  Next stop was a Standard Oil Gas Station built in 1932 and operated until 1975.  Both had been restored back to their original condition.

 

We met people from all over. At the Standard Station I met a father and son from Oregon. They were really excited to see my Z and talk about Z's.  The son has a '72 Z that was handed down form his aunt, who was the original owner. It was his first car, at the age of 15!  Lucky guy.

 

We had lunch at the Old Log Cabin Restaurant which was built in 1926, the year Route 66 opened. The food is really good too. Unfortunately I did not get a picture of it.

 

We ended the tour in Pontiac, IL.  We saw the Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum, along with multiple other museums.  Lastly we saw the Oakland-Pontiac Automobile Museum. They had some beautiful cars on display.  They have 51 cars in the collection.  Eighteen at a time are on display and they rotate them periodically.

 

If you are in the area and have the chance, it is well worth the time to take the tour.  The Texaco Station had a map of the World, with push pins stuck in it, which showed where where visitors had come from.  There was as many visitors from abroad as there were from the U.S.  Route 66 clearly has a special place the hearts of travelers and car people from around the globe.

[Z dreams]

What a fun day! Some nice Detroit iron to cruise with.

[Captain Obvious]

That's cool. If I had more time and more money, I'd do all sorts of expensive time consuming stuff, and one of them would be to drive the whole Route 66 from one end to the other.
 

[psdenno]

Sounds like a great drive. I live near the other end of the Mother Road and occasionally drive a stretch of Route 66 in Southern California. Although it has the "Historic Route 66" logo painted on the pavement, there's no sign of the old gas stations or hotels - just shopping malls and office buildings.

Dennis

[Hardway]

Great story and great pictures!  Thank you so much for sharing it with us.  Even surrounded my American muscle cars your Z looks right at home.  That Super Bird is as radical today as it was when it was new.  One day I would love for my wife and I to do some road trips in my Z.  I need to show her this post!

[Patcon]

I would love to spend some time on 66. Looks like fun. Thanks for sharing.

[Marty Rogan]

That's cool. If I had more time and more money, I'd do all sorts of expensive time consuming stuff, and one of them would be to drive the whole Route 66 from one end to the other.

 

Hey is only 2448 miles.  How long could that take, a week?

 

My friend that organized the trip wants to drive it from Illinois to California.  Now, THAT would be one hell of a cruise!

[Marty Rogan]

Sounds like a great drive. I live near the other end of the Mother Road and occasionally drive a stretch of Route 66 in Southern California. Although it has the "Historic Route 66" logo painted on the pavement, there's no sign of the old gas stations or hotels - just shopping malls and office buildings.

Dennis

That's really a shame they did not preserve any of the history out in CA.  There is quite a bit of it in Illinois. I hear there are quite a few cool things to see in Arizona, and a couple other western states.  There are actually several books written about it.

[Marty Rogan]

Here are a few more pictures.

[Captain Obvious]

So do either of the two restored service stations pump gas or work on cars, or are they both just tourist stops now?

[Marty Rogan]

So do either of the two restored service stations pump gas or work on cars, or are they both just tourist stops now?

The vintage pumps are just ornamental.   They are both just tourist stops now.  Judging by the visitor log, they get a surprising number of people visiting each year from all over the globe.  

[psdenno]

That's really a shame they did not preserve any of the history out in CA.  There is quite a bit of it in Illinois. I hear there are quite a few cool things to see in Arizona, and a couple other western states.  There are actually several books written about it.

 

When I moved west to California about 40 years ago, I drove Route 66 in my '71 Z.  At that time, Interstate 40 was still under construction in many places and hadn't replaced 66 as the main route from OK to CA.  I got to see the funky motels, gas stations and diners while they were in their final years.  If you ever make the Route 66 drive west, be sure to get a picture of yourself "standing on a corner in Winslow Arizona".

Dennis