Day 2: From Lincoln To Lebanon  with some Reminiscing along the way...
They say that some things look better in the daylight. Unfortunately, those words did not apply to our motel from night 1. At some point, I think the facility was probably a classic spot to stop for the night on a road trip but over the last 20-40 years(it's old) it has deteriorated into a sad run down building that certainly isn't a Hotel, not really even a Motel, perhaps a NOTELL.
So after clearing away the silverfish from the bathtub and jumping in and out of the shower faster than Michael Phelps swims the 50 we wandered into downtown Lincoln for some breakfast.  Went past a couple of iconic Route 66 landmarks on the way.

 After an awesome breakfast we headed off to Springfield Illinois and the home of Shea's Gas Station Museum. As we pulled into to the parking lot we barely missed getting whacked by an eldery couple backing out of the very small parking area. We paid our $3.00 and Bill Shea the proprietor began regaling us with facts and information on the amazing collection of artifacts he has on display. As I listened to Mr. Shea I couldn't help but think of my Granda Leo(Mom's dad) and how he would have absolutely loved this place. Grandpa Leo was a lifelong mechanic with crooked fingers and a million ideas on how to fix things. From the 1896 gas pump that could only pump up to 1 gallon at a time to the 1930 washing machine the Shea family still uses to wash rags, my Grandfather would have absolutely been impossible to get to leave this place. When I moved to Oregon for Law School Grandpa Leo told me 30 time minimum that I had to stop at the Corn Palace in South Dakota.Now the Corn Palace is a fine tourist stop but for those that have been there, it's closer to the World's largest ball of twine than Disneyland.  If Grandpa thought the Corn Palace was unbelievable, this place would have been Mecca. 

Oh and the eldery couple that nearly backed into us was no other than Bill Shea Sr., the 91 year old survivor of WWII Utah Beach Normandy invasion and the founder of this establishment. Mr. Shea Sr. has been designated the Father of The Mother Road and started the museum after the gas business faltered years ago. We were disappointed we missed the chance to meet him(although happy he didn't run into the Mustang) and I couldn't help think how cool it would have been to see either of the Shea's spend the day with Grandpa Leo, sifting thru the 50,000 or so artifacts and antiques in their museum. That would have been something.
   From Springfield we headed toward St. Louis. The interesting thing about this trip is with guidebooks and an I-phone APP guide you end up seeing things that would simply passed by on any other vacation.  Obsolete signs, closed hotels,  and other delapidated buildings are the "highlights" of the road in most locations.  Shea's and other stopping points are spread out by some miles which is probably good.  Otherwise it would take you even longer to traverse the Route.

     

  The rest of the day was spent mostly seeing these types of signs, buildings etc. with the exception of a stop at a very unique "attraction" in Stauton where a gentlemen had combined a pile of delapidated VW's with a gift shop and rabbit cages. Get it VW Rabbits??  He also, according to the signs along the street of his establishment was a registered Notary, a life insurance salesman and of course a purveyor of gifts and memorabilia.  Must be business life along the Route these days now that it isn't the bustling thoroughfare it once was. 
     We ended the day trying to avoid how we started the day. We actually called ahead to get a room at a iconic Route 66 hotel.  50's retro, clean and the owner is filled with tips for going forward with our trip.  Here is our stopping point. I will post a photo of the 50's retro bathroom later...you have to see it.

Off to the road for Day 3...might try to make Oky City but as with everything on The Route. We'll see.

TJ

Day 1 Complete...from the concrete jungle to Bullet Holes....
Well the journey has started. Scott and I meandered to Chicago, picked up Dennis and made our way to downtown Chicago to the staring point of Route 66..the corner of Lakeshore Drive and Jackson/Adams. Now in a classic case of poor timing..we decided to start this trip in the middle of Lollapalooza which happens to be taking place..yep, you guessed it in Grant Park which is at the corner of Lakeshore and Jackson/Adams. Road work, traffic we expected not 25,000 tatoo'd and pierced kids there to see bands named Totally Enourmous Extint Dinosaurs, The Tallest Man on Earth or The Band of Skulls...these are real bands...seriously.
      Route 66 has been nearly obliterated by dowtown Chicago but they do a nice job of marking it. Here is one of the famous signs

We arrived in dowtown but it took us nearly 2 1/2 hours to escape  but we finally did escape and finally were able to find a lunch spot. 

This place has been around since 1955 and there really is nothing better for curing downtown driving stress than steak and eggs and 3:30 in the afternoon. As Kara my daughter would say..they were "delicious.'  Here is the proof.

After eating Steak and eggs we finally ended up on the Route 66 we anticipated...

This is an actual segment of the road now closed in rural Illinois..no tall buildings, no traffic jams, no semi trailers trying to squash us in the Mustang..ahhhhhhhhhhhhh!!!!
Speaking of the Tallest Man on Earth Band playing at Lallapalooza...I wonder if these two guys were there earlier today...

Yes these are real sights on the route.  Still not sure why Paul Bunyon is holding a hot dog.
 We ended the day in Lincoln Illinois, only covering a total of 170 miles from the start of the Route but given the Downtown Chicago fiasco, we didn't do too bad. Tomorrow should be better with an earlier start. That is assuming we make it to morning...remember on of the rules..No Chain Hotels..well given the late night we ended up at the CROSSROADS OEL..the M and T were dark so it shows as an  OEL. Needless to say, I have stayed more questionable establishments but I can certainly say none with what appears to be a bullet hole in the back window.

But at least there's beer and tomorrow is a new day....Out for tonight.

TJ

The Rules of the Road:
The trip started with a number of loft goals or rules as our parents used to tell us. They were as follows:
1. No 4 lane highways.
2. No chain restaurants
3. No chain hotels
4. No connectivity to work

So can we follow the rules??:
Rule 1......Well, obviously with the modernization of the highway system rule number 1 is nearly impossible to follow. The article that gave me the idea for this trip was about 3 guys that had nearly a month to journey across country. Our band of three doesn't have that luxury. The realities of work, kids and the fact that none of us has won the lottery or invented something to replace the internet means we all have to return to work in a reasonable amount of time. We shall endeavor to take every 2 lane version of Route 66 possible.

Rule 2....This one should be easy. Route 66 is filled with small towns with little bars, little cafes and hometown restaurants. Anyone that knows me knows this is the way my family travels...no frickin Pizza Hut please!!!! If you are in Colorado(or wherever) you ask around to find out what is the local specialty or what one restaurant you should visit while you are there. Guaranteed, the answer will not be, "make sure you hit the Pizza Hut down the street."  My family and I have found some absolutely amazing spots, foods and people by following this rule as often as possible  I'm sure our reviews on this trip will be filled with numerous exotic concoctions made from armadillo, jackalope and who knows what...I can't wait.

Rule 3....this one may prove to be difficult but doable as there have been numerous hotels renovated to old time standards.  Won't break my heart to skip Motel 6(light on or not) or your average Holiday Inn where you wake up and can't tell where the hell you are because the bed spread in Tucumcari looks exactly like the bed spread in Ames, Iowa. As we have no schedule, I truly hope we have some luck here since there will be no reservations.

Rule 4....well, this blog is the obvious give away that we won't be completely disconnected. It's amazing and a little sad that we as individuals can't disconnect for more than a day or so but its the reality of life. Dennis and I own our own businesses and Scott is a mucky, muck ad guy whose firm just did a Super Bowl Commercial this past year. Now, I'm sure the world wouldn't stop if we all three went dark for a week BUT given we all have kids in college and our jobs pay for that college as well as this trip, complete 100% disconnection is impossible. We all are committed to keeping it to a minimum and limited to a set time and time limit each day. Guaranteed that I will at the very least have a cocktail in my hand whilst checking the 450 e-mails I get per day on average...not exaggerating!!!

Enough for now.....nearly one day closer to departure.

Out for Now..

TJ

Route 66 2012: Well-here we go.
5 years plus of yakking about it. 6 months of coordinating work and family schedules. Believing at least 3 or 4 times just in the last year that it wouldn't happen and yet somehow, the time has finally arrived.  Logistics are set, the Mustang Convertible located,Rules negotiated and plans(or the lack thereof) have been made.

The participants are:
Dennis Haren-Prairie High class of 79
and
Scott Appleget-Prairie High Class of 80
and
Kurt Tjelmeland-Prairie High Class of 80

Three very good friends from high school  that have not spent nearly enough time with each other the last 30 plus years.  We are all 50 years old and to celebrate living this long(and this well) we decided to embark on this journey.

The Trip starts starts Friday August 3rd when Scott and I pick up Dennis in Chicago and head to Grant Park, technically the starting point of Route 66. The trip will continue westward to Santa Monica, California and end officially end Friday August 11th which so happens to be the day Dennis turns 51. Now rudimentary Internet research will tell you that Route 66 has nearly been wiped out by the Interstate system all in the name of "Progress."  Fortunately for our group of 3 travellers, there has been a renaissance of sorts and states and towns have started to emphasize and promote their connection to the Mother Road. We intend on following the path of the Old Route 66 as closely as possible.

The Blog: Each of the three of us will be posting hopefully daily. The content of the overall blog is yet to be determined but expect some history, some play by play of the sights and sounds from the Route,  some memories and hopefully some humor. Our intent is to record our experiences on the trip. We also expect that the trip will spur conversation of the past, our recollections of good and bad times and who knows maybe provide some entertainment along the way. Stay Tuned.....more to come on rules of the road etc...

Oh yeah.....
Here is the mode of transportation.  Yeah...I know....pretty sweet huh!!!