Full disclosure, I took the start pic when I was in Chicago for an event earlier in the year. This way, I wouldn’t have to stop and pay for parking to grab it. I could just drive the three and a half hours from home to the start – and then just keep going. It saved both time and money that first day. I frequent Chicago enough to know I can return and visit Route-66-specific stops another day. I just wanted to make sure I started driving at the very start.
Because telling you every turn and stop would get monotonous for the both of us, I thought I’d hit the highlights from each state. I spent about a day and a half in IL. I spent my first night at the KOA in Springfield. There is so much of this state I’ve never explored (it’s soooo long, yo), and this stop reminded me of that. The campground was lovely, though – well kept. Bathrooms were spotless.
Also, for folks that don’t know, the cicadas were out in full force. More than just the regularly yearly ones. There were those PLUS the ‘I have slept in the ground for seventeen years and now have a lot to say’ cicadas. And my goodness – can they all scream their little heads of in unison. (*￣0￣)↗ (Yes, I know it’s not actually their mouth that makes that sound.) I’ve never experienced this before. While they do live in my state, they are far to the south of me. Let me just say – wow.
Braidwood, IL – One of the most common things you’ll find on the route are old-school diners, which I have always loved (though can’t often eat at because I don’t eat meat and fried food makes me queasy). But I had to stop here for lunch. Y’all – when I tell you the bathroom was PLASTERED with Elvis pictures… there wasn’t a square inch to spare. Good luck if you’ve got a shy bladder like I do… It was a cute stop with lots of photo ops.
Nilwood, IL – I had woken up earlier than originally planned my second morning because there was a storm coming I wanted to miss. This meant I hit my favorite stop a bit after sunrise. At first, I wasn’t sure if I could even turn down this particular stretch of road – but you can indeed. People live right off this section of the original road! When this section was laid in Macoupin County in the 1920s, a turkey left it’s mark, thirty-four marks to be exact, in the wet cement. The tracks, now over a hundred years old, remain.
Collinsville, IL – World’s largest castup bottle. I had to stop and grab a photo for my catsup/ketchup-loving mini muffin (I think he would drink that stuff straight if his parents would let him, which they do not). It’s a 170-foot tall water tower built in 1949. I’m sure the mini muffin would be disappointed to learn that it contains water and not catsup, as advertised. 😂
Pontiac, IL – The Route 66 museum in Pontiac is a must stop. They have a lot of memorabilia, but also, the owners are knowledgeable and happy to chat. Pictured below is the “School Bus Road Yacht” of Bob Waldmire, a self-proclaimed hippie who spent decades driving the route and creating sketches of what he saw. The museum in has one of his murals inside, as well as his orange 1972 VW Microbus. That Microbus was the inspiration for Fillmore (Cars, Pixar), who was originally going to be named Waldmire in his honor – but the plan was abandoned because Waldmire, an ethical vegetarian, was unwilling to sell marketing rights to Disney for a series of McDonald’s Happy Meal toys. (Can you even imagine how much money he turned down?)
I will say that the route is well-marked. They even have signs that will indicate the different routes (since 66 was realigned a couple times in various places). I found that if I put ‘avoid highway’ on my GPS, it would, for the most part, stick to 66 since I was going from one route address to another. But there were a few times I had to ignore the GPS and follow the signs.
Ami Maxine 