I will write my Route 66 Trip Journal later. For right now, I will mention that I found 14 Virtuals, two Traditional Geocaches and attended one Geocaching Event in Las Vegas. It was a great Cosmos Motorcoach Trip across country and a Coast Starlight Train trip up the Pacific Coast to home.
Route 66 Sept/Oct 2025
Wednesday, Sept 24 - I traveled with Cosmos Tour on Route 66.
It stretches 2,448 miles across two-thirds of the continent beginning in
Chicago, Illinois and ended in Santa Monica, California. Route 66 traverses eight states: Illinois,
Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, and California.
I took Vancouver Cab to PDX at 5:00am. Alaska Airlines flight was late leaving
Portland. As such it was late by the
time I arrived at the Hotel Saint Clair in Chicago, Illinois.
Thursday, Sept 25 - I visited the Art Institute of
Chicago with its famous lions at 12:15PM. I had lunch in the
museum cafe. I saw the artworks that
Ferris, Sloane and Cameron interacted with in "Ferris Bueller's Day Off
"as well as viewing the detailed list of renowned paintings in American
Art, European Art (Impressionist and Post-Impressionist), and Modern &
Contemporary Art.
I met Dennis James about 4:00pm in hotel lobby. He was our Cosmos Tour Director on the
journey across the United States on Route 66.
I accidentally left my phone in the Lyft. It
cost me $20 to retrieve it!
Friday, Sept 26 - We went on a morning sightseeing
tour including taking photos at the sign marking the beginning of the original
Route 66, and Cloud Gate aka The Bean. We
took a Chicago River cruise on the First Lady on the Chicago River and onto Lake Michigan for a view of
the city's striking architecture. Connie, a 1970s college friend who is also on the tour, and I had a delicious shrimp and chips lunch at a riverwalk cafe. We took a Taxi back to the Hotel Saint Clair.
Saturday, Sept 27 - After a continental breakfast we
traveled approximately 203 miles from Chicago to Springfield, Illinois. We saw the Gemini Giant with a model rocket, and a Texaco Standard Oil Company Service Station. Lunch from Wallys. Some of the Group rode the Jolly Trolley in Pontiac, IL. We saw the Giant Muffler Man holding a Hot Dog in Atlanta, IL. We stayed the night at the Drury Inn &
Suites Springfield. Hot food and cold beverages
at 5:30 Kickback. I watched "Below
Mediterranean Deck" on TV this evening.
Sunday, Sept 28 - After
a Hot Breakfast at the hotel we traveled 106 Miles from Springfield, IL to St.
Louis, MO. We stopped by famous Cozy Dog Drive In. Illinois Brick Road north of Auburn, IL (1.4 mile
long piece of restored hand laid brick road).
We visited Gateway Arch National Park in St. Louis, MO (I did not ride to the top of the
Arch). I spied the Wainwright State
Office Bldg. designed by Adler and Sullivan.
We stopped for Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, a Route 66 treat since 1929. I didn't get any as I was not interested. We stayed the night at the Pear Tree Inn St.
Louis.
Monday, Sept 29 - We
traveled 284 miles from St. Louis to Joplin, MO. We saw some of the 14 Murals in Cuba, MO. We saw the World's (Second) Largest Rocking
Chair in Fanning, MO. We saw Uncle Sam Muffler
Man in Uranus, MO. Lunch at Cracker
Barrel in St. Robert, MO. We had a Joplin City Tour
including a Historic Site sign - Bonnie and Clyde Garage Apartment 1933. We stayed the night at Drury Inn & Suites
Joplin. Hot food and cold beverages at
5:30 Kickback.
Tuesday, Sept 30 - After
a Hot Breakfast we traveled 217 miles from Joplin, MO to Oklahoma City,
OK. I saw a Texaco Muffler Man in Galena, KS at
the Western Motel. We had lunch at Hi-Way Cafe west of Vinita, OK. There was a
Giant Fiberglass Indian Chief. I caught
a brief glimpse of the Blue Whale of Catoosa, OK. I took several photos of The Golden Driller
in Tulsa, OK. I saw a Cowboy Muffler
Man with a Rocket near Decopolis Tulsa Art Deco Museum. We visited the Route 66 Centennial Plaza
(Father of the Mother Road). Huge neon
soda bottle (with a straw) at Pops 66. I
had dinner at the Sheraton Oklahoma City Downtown Hotel.
Wednesday, October 1 -
After breakfast we traveled 252 miles from Oklahoma City, OK to Amarillo,
TX. We saw the magnificent Centennial
Land Run Monument in Oklahoma City. We
saw Lucille's Historic Highway Gas Station near Hydro, OK. Lunch in Elk City from Wal-Mart. I found a geocache at Myrtle Kachina Doll
statue at the National Route 66 Museum in Elk City, OK. I took
a photo of the Leaning Tower of Texas (Britten U.S.A.) on the edge of Groom, TX from the motorcoach. We stayed the night at Country Inn &
Suites Amarillo West.
Thursday, Oct 2 - After
a continental breakfast we traveled 294 miles from Amarillo, TX to Albuquerque,
NM. We visited the Cadillac Ranch in
Amarillo. Ten vintage Cadillac's are buried
nose-down in a field at an angle. We
took photos at Midpoint of Route 66 in Adrian, TX (Virtual Cache). I should have had a slice of pie at the
Midpoint Cafe. I ate lunch at McDonalds
in Tucumcari, NM. I had dinner at Hilton
Garden Inn Albuquerque Downtown.
Friday, Oct 3 - I
thought about visiting Old Town (site of the city's original settlement),
Albuquerque Museum or Botanic Garden/ABQ Bio-Park. Instead I spent the day resting rather than
go anywhere. I had lunch, Happy Hour and
dinner at the hotel.
Saturday, Oct 4 - We
left the hotel at 5:00am to see the Albuquerque Balloon Fiesta. We saw the Flyover. We were served fresh glazed donuts and hot
chocolate. We were seated in a white
fenced in area. I enjoyed an unforgettable
experience of the early morning Balloon Glow and seeing dozens of colorful
balloons filling with hot air. We did
not get to see the Mass Ascension, where hundreds of colorful hot-air balloons
fill the morning sky. The wind was blowing too strong.
We traveled 375 miles
from Albuquerque to Williams, AZ. We
crossed the Continental Divide with an elevation of around 7,200 feet. We had lunch
in Gallup, NM at various fast food places. We stopped briefly in
Holbrook, AZ at the Wigwam Motel with its Teepees and a number of classic
vintage cars. Some people visited "Standing on the Corner in Winslow
Arizona" in the sleepy Route 66 town made famous by The Eagles in their hit
song "Take It Easy" many years ago. We stayed at
the La Quinta Inn and Suites in Williams, AZ. Mac and Cheese dinners from Gift Shop.
Sunday, Oct 5 - The
tour bus dropped me off at the Train Station in Williams, AZ. I rode the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon at 9:30am. I had lunch at Bright Angel Arizona
Room. I took the train back at 3:30pm to
Williams. Amy picked me up about 6:00pm,
took me to Safeway where I purchased items for a light dinner and dropped me
off at the La Quinta. I should have
upgraded from Coach.
Monday, Oct 6 - After a
Continental breakfast we traveled 260 miles from Williams, AZ to Las Vegas,
NV. We stopped at the Seligman Highway
Haven. I ate lunch at Panda Express in
Kingman, AZ. I saw The White Rock Canyon
Bridge (AZ) as we neared Lake Mead. We crossed
over the Memorial Bridge in Boulder City, NV.
Great bird's eye view of Hoover Dam.
I had a Cobb Salad and Pelle drink for dinner in my hotel room at the
Sahara Las Vegas.
Tuesday, Oct 7 - I had
a Starbucks breakfast at the hotel. I
went on a group trip to Hoover Dam. I
found the Memorial to the Dam Cool Dog (Virtual Cache). I took a Lyft from the hotel five miles to
the Geocaching Event at Yogurt Land. I
had lunch at Firehouse Subs. The Geocaching
Event was great fun. I got a small dwarf
cache container. I had a light
dinner at the hotel.
Wednesday, Oct 8 - I had a Starbucks breakfast at the hotel. I
said good-by to Connie, my college friend, as she was flying home from Las
Vegas. We traveled 292 miles from Las
Vegas to Los Angeles. I saw the
"Welcome to Fabulous Las Vegas" sign as we left town. I purchased Calypso Original Lemon Juice in
Baker, CA. I ate lunch at In-N-Out
Burger in Barstow, CA.
After a brief
time in our hotel rooms at the Westin Bonaventure we headed to the end of Route
66 in Santa Monica. I did not go down to
the end of the Santa Monica Pier as it would have been too steep coming back. The official end (from 1936 to 1964) of Route
66 was a mile inland at the corner of Olympic and Lincoln boulevards. I had a light dinner at McDonalds. We headed back to the hotel from Santa Monica
around 8:00pm.
Thursday, Oct 9 - I took
a Lyft to Los Angeles Union Station where I waited until boarding time in the First Class Lounge. I boarded Compartment
C in the Amtrak Coast Starlight at 9:30am to journey home.
I found 14 Virtuals,
two Traditional Caches and attended one Geocaching Event during the Route 66 trip.
