Event Coverage Route 66 trip - realistic miles per day ?

Wow... Just watched the video.

I would pass on shamrock

 

Well , I just watched that video , and I have to say , I am very disappointed . Having Irish blood in my veins , I was looking forward to visiting a town named Shamrock ... and getting to see that cool Conoco building , of course. I guess I will be re-thinking my Shamrock visit. Damn , that would have worked out so well , with the short run to Amarillo. Great info to know though ! Thanks for the heads-up.

 

As I figure things out , I'll post 'em up . I want to keep things very loose as far as itinerary goes , but a little planning never hurts .

Thanks . I hope it all works out in the end , ha ha !

 

There's tons of the old road left and you'll want as much time as you can afford. We took two weeks in the 63 Buick to drive from Chicago to Winslow AZ and still missed a lot. 150 miles per day is a nice pace. We did the Flagstaff to Santa Monica Leg later and that took three days. We want to do it again and are considering shipping the car back to Chicago to do it. Get Jerry McClanahan's book EZ66 and you'll be all set. SO much to see and some stretches through the Missouri Ozarks are maybe the finest driving we've ever done. Have FUN and message when you get to AZ we will join up. H

 

Looks like this was taken in downtown Amboy.

 

I have a couple route 66 books , the Ghost Town press maps , a very forgiving work schedule and a ton of ambition. I'm going to make the best of this trip one way or another. I figure we'll go as far as we want to , and just turn around . Maybe we can hit some stuff on the return trip that we missed on the way out.
The car should be road legal in a few weeks (my YOM plate paperwork is underway) , so I'll be driving it as much as possible soon. Updates coming soon on my build thread.

 

For several years we traveled to and from the Bonneville Salt Flats by on Interstate 40 and through Shamrock, Texas. We often stopped there for fuel, to take photos at the restored gas station, and we ate at the family restaurant. We have never had a problem. It does not appear much different than any other similar town in Texas and Oklahoma. Most of these places, that were by passed by the interstate, have empty buildings and the towns are in decline. I would not hesitate to stop there again. My experience seems to indicate that someone who made the video, has an axe to grind.

John

 

Yea , I was kinda bummed to watch that video about Shamrock , but I kinda thought the same thing - like someone with a grudge. Or is it ? Ya never know , I guess. I'm a long way from there , so I guess I'll find out for myself if I stay there .Maybe we'll stay close by and just drive through. Either way , I will certainly take advantage of the cool background of the gas station , like you guys did .

 

Wow! I thought I was the only person left on the planet who knows about Amboy! I've passed through there probably fifty times. On the road in-between Twenty-Nine Palms and Amboy, I remember two neat old hand-made signs. One in front of residence out in the middle of nowhere that proclaimed the property as "Calloused Palms, CA", that always made me chuckle.
The other sign was spray-painted on a sheet of plywood next to the road, probably twenty or so miles east of Calloused Palms. It said (in giant letters): "NO speed limit ... HAUL ASS !!"

 

Quite a fact filled video! Sure can't argue with that!

 

Anyone thinking about all or part of this trip, stop putting it off. Git goin!
We always planned and always had another excuse.
I didn't realize it but I was very lucky to be born and almost raised near Peoria, Illinois. Thanks to my dearly departed grand dad I learned to drive on parts of old Rt66.
After that I was sort of a trucker and drove in Illinois on parts before I-55 was finished. We'd also take vacations into Missouri. So I guess from Chicago into Missouri was some of the prettiest of the route. I know I miss all of the painted barns and other cool things. Dixie truckstop, the oldest truck stop in America still stands off I-55 in McClean, Illinois. Not the same building but still interesting. I also ate hot dogs in Springfield and biscuits-n-gravy at the Log Cabin restaurant. Lincon still has some neat old stuff.
Later when we had a Vette we went to Bloomington Gold where hundreds of Corvettes travelled a part of the old Rt 66.
I've been on parts here and there out west. But never really got to get off and see anything.
Now I'm thinking about putting my old Ford together. Wouldn't it be great for me and momma to travel as much of Rt 66 as possible to Kalifornee and back to Chicago? Do it while you can. Tomorrow may be too late.

Forgot the question..... Miles per day don't matter. Measure the trip in smiles.

 

Wish I could've seen the haul ass sign , what a hoot!

Definitely a lot of facts. Makes ya think ...

I am soooo looking forward to making this trip , I just wish 66 was closer to me. I have been thinking about this for so long , and it's getting closer by the day. Just like you said, tomorrow may be too late. My theory is about "some days" - you never know how many you have left. I'm labeling my trip as my "someday is finally here" trip. I've never really made a road trip with my dad , and to be honest , neither of us are getting any younger (he's in his 70's) . My parents are divorced since I was only a few years old , and pop lives 700 miles away , so really doing stuff like this is difficult , so I'd like to kinda reconnect a bit and make some strong memories. This trip oughtta do it , lol !!

 

Good luck on the trip.

 

I am soooo looking forward to making this trip , I just wish 66 was closer to me. I have been thinking about this for so long , and it's getting closer by the day. Just like you said, tomorrow may be too late. My theory is about "some days" - you never know how many you have left. I'm labeling my trip as my "someday is finally here" trip. I've never really made a road trip with my dad , and to be honest , neither of us are getting any younger (he's in his 70's) . My parents are divorced since I was only a few years old , and pop lives 700 miles away , so really doing stuff like this is difficult , so I'd like to kinda reconnect a bit and make some strong memories. This trip oughtta do it , lol !! [/QUOTE]
I share your excitement, September is coming up fast and the work on the Caddy is right on schedule.
Your someday comment reminded me of what an older friend told me when I was young, I was thinking of buying a boat and wondering if I could afford it, he told me to "just go get the dammed thing before you are old and have to hire someone to drive it for you." I'm much older now but that was good advice, screw bucket lists, do it now while you can enjoy it. Best wishes to you an your dad.

 

Add me to the excited list, although my little trip won't be as extensive as some of yours. My uncle, who is one of my best friends and swap meet buddies, is driving in from his home in the Missouri bootheel and we are leaving July 15. Gonna take Rusty the '46 and hit the old highway in Springfield, drive a couple, three days west and come back down 64 into Arkansas. Lots of pics will be taken and memories made I'm sure..

 

]Add me I am planning on driving some of 66 2nd week of June leaving nyc in my model A driving to Chicago for the greasera and gamblers show in joilet and the traveling for 4 days down 66 in no rush.
I will see how far I make it and then turning to Indy for the road rocket rumble.
I did 4 days on rt 30 in my henry j a couple years ago from windber pa to northern Indiana then to indy. What a great experience !
I look forward to cruising 66. I am working out kinks in my coupe but am confident its gonna be the greatest trip I have taken yet .
Maybe I will find a good job and just stay in the Midwest finally too!

 

The wife and I did end to end, a couple of years ago. There where no bad places to be at all. Took a week in our 46 panel. The jewel was a Very old section in OK. You will have to have a good navigator to find the oldest parts of 66. When we finished in LA, they opened the pier gates and let us drive up on the pier for pictures under the sign.

 

I live about two miles off route 66 near the Mule Trading Post, just east of Rolla, Missouri(mm 189). I cross the mother road everyday going to and from work. There are some neat sites to see across Missouri(and the rest of the trip). I sure wouldn't miss seeing the art deco gas station in Shamrock, Texas. My wife and I stopped there on our way to Flagstaff a couple years ago. It didn't seem any different than any other town along the way. The gas station is now the Chamber of Commerce office. I'll be watching this thread. Enjoy your trip. I'm right along the road if you need help. Sam

 

Thanks Pat and Mike.
Mike- I know you've got to be getting excited as your trip is coming up soon too. Make sure you take lots of pics and keep me in mind for pointers , as I'll probably be heading out after you. Great luck with your trip as well.

Can't wait to see your pics and read about your trip.

Good luck on your trip. It sounds like you have the right plan - no real rush. Seems to be the name of the game with 66.

Hopefully my dad will be a good navigator , cause I could get lost in a wet paper bag , lol !! We'll have a good GPS with the latest 66 app in it as well asy books and maps. Cool that you got to drive onto the pier. Once in a lifetime , would be my guess. Sounds like you had a good time.

Everything noted , thanks for the tips. If I make it out there , might just have to look you up. Hopefully not because of being broken down , lol !

 

Let me put your mind at ease. The video above is pure propaganda..
I live in Amarillo and have traveled to Shamrock 100's of times as part of my job for the last 18 years.
There is Absolutely nothing to worry about if you want to pay a visit.
I wouldn't recommend an overnight stay there simply because you can see everything in town in about 20 minutes. Better to travel in to Amarillo and stay there for the night.

 

Just west of Shamrock is Mclean. They have a Rt 66 & Devil' Rope (barbed wire) museum. Cool little town.

 

I'm glad to hear some positive feedback about Shamrock. I figured it was a pretty small town , which was kinda the appeal to me. Amarillo is certainly not out of the question though.

I definitely want to check out the devil's rope museum. Looks pretty interesting.

 

On a sorta side note - I talked to my dad this morning. Apparently he had to go to the hospital yesterday with stomach pain. They're thinking it might be diverticulosis. He also has an abcess in his colon that may need surgery to correct - hopefully not. They have him on all kinds of antibiotics and have him hooked up to tubes and stuff. He's bummin' right now , but I'm hoping he'll recover quickly. He's in his 70's , so it takes a while to heal. Hopefully thinking about our route 66 trip will keep him in an "up" mood.

Hopefully I didn't wait too long for our "someday is finally here" trip
...

 

Hope he feels better dude

 

Good to hear! I didn't want to comment with any opinion about Shamrock, since I haven't been through there for a couple of decades, but I thought it was a cool little town way back when. I stayed slightly longer than twenty minutes though, 'cause I ate a late breakfast at an old cafe there!

 

Thanks , my friend.

 

So I'm thinking about something else recently , for those that live nearby or have done it before - Is there a better time of day (or a better day for that matter) to have a chance to get a picture of my car next to the "Begin Route 66" sign ?? While obviously not a make or break for the trip , with all this effort and the miles involved , it sure would be nice to have a pic of it.

Any thoughts ??

 

Just wanted to bump this to see if anyone has a tip for me to try to get to the sign.

 

I stayed at a nice hotel in Shamrock...seemed like a neat little town.

 

Do you remember which one ? (you can PM me if you'd rather)