Greg Goodman is currently in...San Francisco

Every day I get an email in my inbox from Groupon with an offer for a half-priced or discount coupon to some business in San Francisco. It can be anything from a meal to a massage, fired dancing lessons, haircuts (not for me :P ) theater tickets or baseball games. Well, that same company is having a crazy viral marketing scheme where they will pick one person to spend a year living off of nothing but Groupons. Sounds right up my alley, so after learning about the contest with only a few hours before the submission deadline, I threw together the following submission. Take a look!

Virgies Restaurant in Gallup, New Mexico

Though I am now living in our new apartment in San Francisco, there are still a couple more photos and stories from Route 66. As I left Texas and entered New Mexico and then Arizona, I found myself wondering, “is this the desert?” All my life I pictured the desert of America to be the same as the desert of Egypt. Sand and only sand. However, I’ve since learned that the desert along Route 66 is the “high desert.” This means that in addition to having lots of dry brushes and tumbleweeds, it is also very cold! Heck, it even snowed on me in Santa Fe!

Highlights of this leg of the trip included:

In front of the Painted Landscape of the Petrified Forest National Park, Navajo, Arizona

Petrified Forest National Park, Navajo, AZ: For 28 miles, I drove through and stopped at scenic overlooks to gaze out at a changing landscape filled with some of the most stunning red rock formations I have ever seen. Part of the park is called the Painted Desert and it’s like someone carved out a chunk of the desert, created a sea of hills and mounds and spray painted the whole thing red.

Other areas of the park, however, could not be more different. One area looks like the surface of the moon with gray land, a few rocks and mounds everywhere. Yet another part is filled with the actual petrified wood, which is still there after a volcanic eruption covered the entire desert in lava thousands of years ago. Also different is Newspaper Rock, where visitors can gaze down on ancient petroglyphs carved by some of the earliest inhabitants of the land.

The Painted Desert

Finally, for Route 66 aficionados, there is an old car and original telephone poles going off into the landscape to commemorate the road’s original path right through the heart of the park. I honestly can’t count how many times I was taken aback by the beauty of the whole place. One day I hope to return and actually just wander through it instead of driving.

The Continental Divide, New Mexico: An Indian trading post has been set up on the spot where rain water either drains into the Atlantic or Pacific Ocean. There is literally nothing else there, just a shop on a geographical point.

Cement wigwams for rent at the Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, Arizona

Wigwam Motel, Holbrook, AZ: “When was the last time you slept in a wigwam,” says the sign outside this classic Route 66 motel. Literally a collection of cement wigwams, I was surprised to find that the inside was actually quite spacious and comfortable. Wigwam motels are actually located across the USA, but this particular one is historic as it was the first to be a chain. Needless to say, I can now boast that the last time I slept in a wigwam was October 26, 2009.

Santa Fe, New Mexico: Santa Fe has perhaps one of the most downtown historical districts that I have ever been in. Filled with traditional adobe buildings, classic churches and stunning Mexican-influenced architecture, I had a blast wandering around town as the sun set and shined its golden light against the yellow walls of the city. Plus, the drive there from the interstate is an hour of desert and mountains as far as the eyes can see. Truly magical.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - the oldest house in the USA

The Oldest House in the USA, Santa Fe, NM: I don’t know what I expected, but it was just a small adobe building with a teeny sign letting you know of its importance. Built in 1646, it has undergone countless restorations and renovations and was, sadly, closed for the day by the time I got there.

The Oldest Church in the USA, Santa Fe, NM: The San Miguel Mission, an old Spanish colonial mission church, was built between 1610 and 1625. Despite having been rebuilt many times, much of the original adobe walls are still intact.

Fire Rock Navajo Casino, Gallup, NM: Curious to see if my blackjack luck from St. Louis would continue, I stopped off at this Indian casino only to find that they don’t have table games on Monday or Tuesday. Does that make sense to anyone?

The Rio Puerco Bridge on Route 66 in New Mexico is one of the original bridges on the Mother Road

Rio Puerco Bridge, Laguna Pueblo, NM: An original Route 66 truss steel arch bridge, the Rio Puerco Bridge still stands alongside the interstate and is walkable for pure nostalgia purposes. Being a big fan of both nostalgia and bridges, I got a kick out of it.

Route 66 Crossroads, Albuquerque, NM: In the middle of Albuquerque’s historical downtown, amongst a mix of modern and classic buildings, lays a marker where the original Route 66 crosses paths with the realigned Route 66. Quick history, the highway opened in 1926 but was majorly changed and rerouted in 1937. And now you know.

World’s Largest Petrified Tree Rest Stop, Holbrook, AZ: This gimmicky rest stop boasts the world’s largest petrified tree, but in reality it’s broken into dozens of small pieces. So technically yes, they do have what they claim, but it’s nowhere near as impressive as one might hope.

Oatman Topock Highway, Arizona: Perhaps the most scenic stretch of Route 66 in the country, this winding road between Cool Springs and Oatman is unforgettable. The landscape seems to stretch into infinity and is filled with mountains, trees, bushes and more than 100 sharp curves. Definitely not for those who get carsick.

Me on a 10 foot tall rabbit at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, Arizona

Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, AZ: Once a popular stop for Route 66 travelers, this gas station and tourist shop is now closed. However, the 10 foot tall rabbit outside still remains, inviting people to sit on it for a quick photo opp.

Hackberry General Store, Hackberry, AZ: After lying in ruins for years, new owners have taken the shell of an old tourist stop and general store and turned it into a little piece of nostalgia. Filled with signs, outhouses, cars, gas pumps, recreated 1950s restaurants and more, the place is a great stop on the long scenic road in Arizona.

Cool Springs Service Station, Cool Springs, AZ: A Route 66 gas station for years, this gas station is most famous for having been blown up in a scene of the Jean Claude VanDamme movie, Universal Soldier. Now completely restored and under new ownership, the place is filled with souvenirs, photos, memorabilia and, of course, copies of the movie to buy.

Oatman, Arizona: One of the strangest places on Route 66, the entire city seems to be a recreation of a Wild West town. Oatman is literally in the middle of the mountains and the middle of nowhere, but dozens of buses a day come through to tour the place. Unfortunately, by the time I got there the sun was setting and the place was virtually deserted. I would 100% love to go back one day.

Abandoned barns and swimming pools in the ghost town of Two Guns, Arizona. The hobo lived in the barn on the top left

I’ve never been to a ghost town before, so imagine my glee as I pulled off the interstate and drove up to Two Guns: a town that looked as if no one had set foot in it for decades. My approach was slow and full of stops to take photos of everything. First there was the gutted old gas station, then more old houses, towers covered in graffiti art and even an original decaying Route 66 bridge. Well, after hours in the car and nary another soul in sight I figured this abandoned town was a perfect place to pee in the open.

With my business finished, I took out my camera and began to take photos of a beautifully grafittied pool sitting next to an abandoned old barn that once doubled as a tourist stop. Imagine my surprise when, after a couple of minutes of snapping away, I hear a voice saying, “Hello. How are you doing?” Well, after pretty much jumping out of my skin in shock, I took a look at my greeter: an old hobo complete with the tattered jacket, hole-filled gloves, socks coming out of the shoes and a smell to match.

Two Guns, Arizona

I kept my distance at first, but gladly donated all the change in my pocket when he asked if I could spare any money. Next, he told me that what he really needed was a ride into Flagstaff, where he had been trying to get for days. I politely informed him that I didn’t even have room for another bag in my car, let alone another person. He next asked me if I would like to know some history of the area, to which I graciously said yes.

He talked. I listened. But I still kept my distance. It was literally him, me and the wilderness. The man seemed nice enough, but who really knew. Did he have a knife or gun under that dirty trench coat? No one would hear me scream. Anyway, he continued to talk for a few minutes then invited me into the barn, which he apparently lived in, to continue with his story.

One of the original Route 66 bridges that crossed the span in Two Guns, Arizona

At this point, I felt like I had no choice but to excuse myself and say that I had to be in Los Angeles by the next day and really didn’t have time. In reality, he was probably a completely harmless and lonely old man. Lord knows he was full of information about the area and after I left him I followed his advice and checked out another section of Two Guns that I never would have found without his pointer. But when I was invited into the hobo’s house…well, that just sent my sketchy-meter over the edge and made it time to leave.

For more on Two Guns, check out Legends of America

John Delgadillo is the son of the original owner of the Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, Arizona. John now serves up a healthy supply of jokes with each order

Since 1953, a member of the Delgadillo family has been serving up fountain drinks, burgers, burritos, malts and a steady supply of comedy at Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In in Seligman, AZ: a Route 66 classic. The fun began as soon as I got out of my car, parked in a lot filled with classic cars, billboards, gas pumps, road signs and other Route 66 paraphernalia. Walking past the outdoor seating area, I entered the long and narrow ordering area, which was wallpapered with business cards, badges and patches from former visitors.

Standing amongst a large collection of 1950s signs and trinkets, John Delgadillo greets every visitor with a smile and a joke. Upon seeing my Mets hat, John began the rapport by saying, “hi New Yorker.” When I asked, “what’s good,” he replied “nothing for you New Yorker.” He then proceeded to squirt a yellow string out of a bottle of mustard, completely fooling me for a second.

The Snow Cap Drive-In, Seligman, Arizona, has been serving burgers and jokes to customers since the 1950s on Route 66

While I contemplated my order, a pair of girls came into the shop and were promptly asked, “do you know what you want or do you need to look?” They said they needed to look so John handed them a candy bar called Look. Later, after placing my order for a burrito and saying yes to his offer of napkins, he produced a strung together collection of used napkins and asked me if I wanted them recycled. Yet more gags awaited me when I said yes to wanting a stray for my root beer was handed a bundled together collection of actual straw.

Finally, after getting my meal and asking John if he had a business card he said, “yes, here’s my card,” and handed me a business card with the words “My Card” on it. I know this type of humor isn’t for everyone, but I absolutely love puns and these were like bad puns with props. The final gag came when I tried to get out of the door using a handle on the right hand side, only to find it was a fake one and the door opened by the real handle on the left side. Thanks to John and his punny sense of humor, Delgadillo’s Snow Cap Drive-In really was a highlight of my entire drive across Route 66.

Santa Fe, New Mexico - The Inn and Spa at Loretto

New Mexico

When I was in Santa Fe, New Mexico, it actually snowed. But not like back home with big flakes. These were small round balls: almost like hail, but not hail.

On Sunday, the south is closed.

I think I’m the only person who drives through the desert and has it rain. Seriously, every time I get in my car…rain!

I saw my first New York license plate in Santa Fe…seven days into the trip.

Sometimes I have to force myself to take the interstate instead of driving Route 66 in order to make up time I have lost stopping for every sign and gas station along the way.

Tumbleweed on the road in Arizona

I actually saw a tumbleweed blow across the highway in front of me in Texas. I also saw a few more in New Mexico.

During some of my many hours alone I tried to figure out why I love the whole Route 66 experience and the signs and the whole thing so much. The best I could come up with is because of how much I loved Back to the Future as a kid. I was always fascinated by the 50s as shown in Hill Valley and I must know every word of that movie by heart.

After seeing signs that hitchhikers might be escaped convicts in multiple states, I finally saw prisoners on the side of the road. Only they weren’t hitchhiking…they were cleaning the highway.

There are random 10 mile segments of the interstate that are called Safety Corridors where you have to drive with your headlights on and speeding fines are doubled. I have no idea why.

World's Largest Petrified Tree is broken up into pieces and scatterd around a Rest Stop, Holbrook, New Mexico_

The politically correct term may be Native American, but all over the place I see signs advertising the Indian this and the Indian that. And these businesses are RUN by Indians/Native Americans…you choose which one I use here.

Sometimes there is a sign for Route 66 on the interstate but when I get off to check it out it’s literally just a few feet of original road that had some special significance. Then it’s back onto the interstate that same exit.

It’s not good for the future of my lead foot that after being legally allowed to go 75 it now feels like I’m crawling at 80.

In Western New Mexico, there is an Indian-owned handicrafts store every exit…or so it seems.

I crossed the Rio Grande.

The West movie theater in Prewitt, New Mexico

My cell phone ring is Lime in the Coconut and when the song randomly came on my iPod I had a knee-jerk reaction even before the thought that someone was calling me popped into my mind.

Signs on the side of the road talking about road work say, “project funded by the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act.” Your stimulus dollars at work.

ARIZONA

New Yorkers find each other. While at the Petrified Forest National Park I met a man from Brooklyn at the first scenic overlook. Of course, I then ran into him at every subsequent one and had to make small talk over and over again.

Arizona is the only state that does not say the state’s name on the Route 66 markers. It just says, “Historic Route 66,” as opposed to “Historic STATE Route 66.”

I got to fill up my gas tank at an old-school service station with the gas pump that counts gallons and price with rotating plastic pieces instead of on a digital screen. The lever you usually lift to start pumping was on the side and had to be rotated down over an opening to get the gas to start flowing.

On Route 66 at the Jack Rabbit Trading Post, Joseph City, Arizona

I’ve got it easy traveling Route 66. Before the mid-90s, there were no National Historic Route 66 signs pointing the way across the country. And there was certainly no Internet to guide the way.

I drove through a dust storm. It’s like driving through very windy fog that pelts your windshield while tumbleweeds blow.

I didn’t stop because it was on the other side of the road, but I saw the World’s Largest Map of Route 66 on the other side of the road near Meteor Crater, Arizona.

My car hit a tumbleweed head on. It bounced off my windshield and flew behind me, but I wonder…could a big enough one damage the car?

I guess part of the reason that the high desert is so cold is because it has an elevation of 6,000 feet.

Is it really asking so much to have beautiful blue skies every day? I swear, it’s been 90% cloudy this whole drive.

Along a long stretch of original 66 north in Arizona, Burma Shave signs still line the road. Appearing in sets of five signs, they tell little rhymes and end with an ad for Burma Shave. One example is “It would be fun. To go by air. If we could put. These signs up there. Burma Shave.” Another is, “If daisies are. Your favorite flower. Keep pushing up. That mile per hour. Burma Shave.”

Check out the New Mexico photos on Flickr

Check out the Arizona photos on Flickr

……

New Mexico

Arizona

The Desert Hills Motel on Route 66 in Tulsa, Oklahoma

The road trip continues. Leaving the desolate stretch of Route 66 in Kansas behind, I paid a visit to the World’s Largest Totem pole before spent a night in a classic Route 66 motel in Oklahoma. From there my journey west continued as I watched the scenery morph from mountains lined with fall foliage to the flat desert of northern Texas. Along the way I talked to countless shop owners, heard tales of years gone by, gasped in awe of the red rocks in Texas, spray painted NYC onto a Cadillac sticking out of the desert and stood atop a giant blue whale.

Full Highlights:

In front of the world's largest totum pole in Oklahoma

World’s Largest Totem Pole, Foyil, OK: located in the creator’s back yard, I made it in time for the tail end of dusk and barely had enough time to set up my tripod to take a photo in front of it.

Claremore Motor Inn, Claremore, OK: another classic Route 66 motel that I spent the night in. This one was remodeled recently and was nicer than any of the chains I have stayed in so far. And…no bedbugs!

Blue Whale, Catoosa, OK: a giant, life-sized wooden blue whale sitting over a lake with a dry water slide. Though the slide was closed years ago, the place is under new ownership and this team of seven local men is committed to keeping it as a tourist destination and Route 66 staple.

The Blue Wale in Catoosa, Oaklahoma, on Route 66

Original Road Segments, Bristow, OK: Alongside the new four-lane Route 66, segments of the original road still exist and are drivable for a mile or two at a time. This is strictly for nostalgia purposes and man did I eat it up!

Route 66 Museum, Clinton, OK: advertised as the best Route 66 museum on The Mother Road, my guide book did not lie. It was filled with old signs, recreated diners and gas stations, classic souvenirs, videos and a detailed history of Route 66.

Erick, Oklahoma: this entire town was sight in itself. The main street looks just as it did 50 years ago and as it was Sunday and a big town-wide event had just finished, I pretty much had the place to myself.

Route 66 in Erick, Oklahoma

Tulsa, Oklahoma: another town that gets its own entry. It seemed that every two storefronts still had a sign of some sort outside or was a sample of beautiful architecture.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, TX: my first meeting with the awe inspiring red rock deserts of the South, I spent the morning driving through the park taking it all in.

Tex Randall – The Biggest Texan, Canyon, TX: a giant cowboy that used to be the icon of a roadside steak house now is all that remains of the business.

On Route 66 in Oklahoma

Cadillac Ranch, Amarillo, TX: someone stuck 10 classic Cadillacs face-down into the desert outside Amarillo. In the years since, spray paint bottles are left there for visitors to add their own bit of art to the roadside attraction. I painted a “NYC” on one.

Route 66 Midpoint, Adrian, TX: the midway point of Route 66 where it is the same distance from Chicago as it is to Santa Monica…1139 miles…

First or Last Motel in Texas, Glenrio, TX: depending on which way you are driving, this dilapidated old shell of a motel and gas station sits on an abandoned stretch of Route 66. This sight was a real glimpse into what happened to towns when the interstate passed The Mother Road by.

An abandoned gas pump in McLean, Texas

I had a defective gas pump outside Oklahoma City. First it kept shutting off like it was done even though I had just started pumping. Next, after finally finding a position that kept it on, the thing actually overflowed my gas tank. A man who worked at the gas station who was talking to me said, “I’ve never seen that before!”

I actually saw a sign advertising for tickets to a gun show. Hahahahaha!

At one of my motels in Oklahoma, the woman actually used one of the old credit card imprinting for my receipt.

I made it almost 1,000 miles without paying a toll: from western Pennsylvania to the interstate in Oklahoma.

The speed limit is 75 in Oklahoma! Awesome…it’s like, I can drive the same speed I usually do but the risks go way down.

A sign on the side of the road on I-44 in Oklahoma said, “Hitchhikers might be escaped inmates.”

Lee Davis, one of 7 locals who keep up the Blue Whale Route 66 attraction in Catoosa, Oaklahoma

While watching TV in my room I came across Spike TV playing “movies that don’t suck.” This would have been great except they were playing Matrix 2…which definitely sucks! (and yet I watched it)

After three straight days of gray skies and rain, I was thrilled to start my day in Claremont with the sun shining, blue skies and slightly warmer weather.

Why is it so cold in the south?

The middle of the country really does lead a simpler life. It’s very apparent in the signs, stores, towns and on advertisements. For example, one billboard for online banking said, “e-statements…you don’t have to be extreme to go e.”

Large segments of Route 66 in Oklahoma are built on top of the original road and are two lanes in each direction. This means much faster speeds and far less turns than on the old roads.

In the early days of Route 66, people had to caravan in order to ward off bandits.

I wonder what runs through people’s minds when they see that the car tailgating then passing them because they are doing 10mph under the limit think when they look at my plates and see New York. I’m really not doing NY stereotypes any favors.

Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Canyon, Texas

I can’t count how many Main Streets I drive down. Fitting, since I grew up on Main Street.

People are so friendly on Route 66. While stopped on the side of the road in Oklahoma taking a photo of a Route 66 gas station, a cowboy in a pickup truck stopped to let me know that there were a bunch of murals in the downtown area, off the Route, that I had to go see.

Amazingly, considering how many there are back home and abroad, I have seen amazingly few Starbucks so far.

“American Owned” is a very popular thing to put on any business’ sign.

Staying on 66 becomes something of a guessing game at times.

The Rose Bowl on Route 66 in Tulsa, Oklahoma

After getting a manager’s special price to check into a Quality Inn in Amarillo, Texas, the woman looked at my license and said, “why did you need a cheaper price? You’re from New York. You must have money!” Where am I, back in Bali with that thinking?

The continental breakfast at my hotel in Texas had biscuits and gravy, sausages and eggs. Mmmm.

Shortly after entering Texas, I saw a road sign saying “Don’t mess with Texas. Obey posted speed limits.”

Northern Texas is not quite the desert but not quite a tree-filled area. Not sure what it is exactly.

When driving country highways in Texas it feels like I have the world to myself.

A Texas roadside sunset on Route 66

Route 66 in Texas is completely different than in the other states I’ve been in so far. Most of the Route is only the interstate and every now and then an exit will have a “Route 66 here” notice on it. Even then, the historic road is usually only a few miles long then it’s back onto the interstate.

There are giant metal windmills all over the landscape providing wind power.

A lot of towns only have one, if any, stoplight.

Many of the towns along Route 66 dried up when the interstate bypassed them and are now shells of their former self. I get this. What I find crazy is that people still live there and raise their families.

Railroad tracks run alongside much of Route 66 and at one point I saw railroad ties being placed using cranes on railway cars.

Oklahoma – View the set on flickr

Texas – View the set on flickr

Oklahoma

Texas

New plan!

Change of plans. Instead of shooting north to take the Oregon Trail, I’ve decided to just stay on Route 66 all the way to Los Angeles. It’s just too much fun! After leaving St. Louis, I spent a two full days doing nothing but driving The Mother Road and taking in all its attractions, signs, cafes and decaying buildings. Along the way I stayed at another classic Route 66 motel where I got eaten up by bedbugs, saw the world’s largest rocking chair and the world’s largest gift store, toured an amazing cavern with one of the world’s biggest stalagmites and visited a town that could easily be taken right out of Back to the Future.

I’m currently in Bernalillo, New Mexico, but this entry covers my time in Missouri and Kansas from October 21 -22, 2009. Highlights included:

The famous Route 66 Munger Moss Motel in Lebanon, Missouri

Munger Moss Motel, Lebanon, MO: one of the classic Route 66 motels, still run by the same woman who ran it 30 years ago. The motel features one of the most famous neon signs still lit up today.

Meramec Caverns, Stanton, MO: long before it was a tourist trap, Jesse James and his gang used these caves to escape from the long arm of the law. Since 1933, it has invited millions of guests in to tour the amazing stalactites and stalagmites. Since it’s low season, my tour consisted of three total people plus the guide.

Creative Chainsaw Carvings, Stanton, MO: an entire store filled with beautiful wood carvings all done by chainsaw. The owner’s late husband was one of the pioneers of the art form and she spent nearly an hour chatting with me about the history of chainsaw art.

Toy Museum, Stanton, MO: a huge museum filled with antique toys. Unfortunately, although the owner was all too willing to invite me into his gift store and chat for 30 minutes about toys and Route 66, he would not open the actual museum as he was expecting a special guest. No comment.

Stalagtites insite Meramec Caverns in Stanton, Missouri

Steak and Shake, Springfield, MO: one of the originals of this mid-west fast food franchise, my guidebook stated that there would be carhops serving me my meal in my car. In reality, it was just a guy who brought a menu to your car, took your order and brought you a bag of food. I did not stay.

The World’s Largest Gift Shop, Phillipsburg, MO: the name says it all. Literally, it had rows and rows of gifts, all organized by type such as Coca-Cola, dolls, Route 66 stuff, signs, lanterns, etc.

The World’s Largest Rocking Chair, Cuba, MO: this attraction was only built a few years ago but it fits right into the Route 66 landscape.

Carthage Town Hall, Carthage, MO: a beautiful old stone building in the middle of a town square filled with storefronts that look like they are still in the 1950s. This area reminded me of Back to the Future. 1.21 jiggawats!

Spencer Garage, Spencer, MO: a recreated old-school gas station.

The Rainbow Bridge at Brush Creek in Riverton, Kansas, is one of the most historic bridges on Route 66

Devil’s Elbow Bridge, Devil’s Elbow, MO: this stretch of road and bridge used to be one of the most dangerous parts of Route 66. Now it’s just one of the most scenic: filled with rough original road and draped with trees.

4 Women on the Road, Galena, KS: a restored service station run by four women that has one of the inspirations for the Pixar movie Cars outside.

Rainbow Bridge over Brush Creek, Riverton, KS: the only remaining single-span concrete bridge on Route 66. Great architecture and surroundings.

At the Spencer Service Station

When I asked for directions at a post office in Missouri, the woman actually said to me, “go west young man.” Classic.

Store employees are constantly impressed by my New York license plate and how far I’ve driven.

Some nights I eat out…others I eat random foods I brought with me. Some highlights have been the tuna sandwich and lima beans night and the canned soup complimented by canned corn and microwave popcorn.

It’s crazy that people can still smoke in restaurants all across the south.

My dinner in Lebanon, Missouri, was at a local eatery and after getting what the waitress recommended I found myself face to face with two giant piles of roast beef, a mound of mashed potatoes and a swimming pool of gravy. I ate it all and it was outstanding!

The Mule Tobacco Barn man in Rolla, Missouri, on Route 66

Also in Lebanon, my breakfast at a local greasy spoon was an amazing fatty feast of a 3-egg omelet, hash browns and some of the best biscuits and gravy I’ve ever eaten.

Missouri farmers are very religious with a lot of Baptist churches and Jesus related messages on signs on their fences. Good times in the Bible Belt.

It’s tough to tell what is an original Route 66 business and what is new because most places try to replicate the look of the old shops and everyone has a Route 66 sign outside.

I have seen a bunch of amazing sunsets so far while driving. Unfortunately, since I’m driving west, before the sky gets beautiful the sun itself spends quite a while blaring into my retinas.

When giving me directions, one of the old timers at a toy museum told me to go straight until I hit an “electronic light.” As in, a traffic light?

In one area of Missouri, there is a stretch of 66 that is only one lane. I thought I had found it, but after about 10 minutes of driving down a barely paved, mostly dirt and rock, road I realized I had no idea where I was and had to go to the GPS to find my way back to civilization. Literally, I was out in Deliverance country with one farm every 5 miles.

Route 66 in Kansas

Talk about forward thinking, the guy who opened Meramec Caverns in Missouri bought hundreds of billboards on the side of the highway in 1933 for $100 per year for 100 years. So now he dominates the road for hundreds of miles and by the time you get to his caverns you have no choice but to stop.

Why is it that I always find the $20 hotel rooms when I don’t need a place to stay?

Along the way, I’m trying to count how many WalMarts I see. Making this harder are the fakeouts, like CarMart, who’s sign looks exactly like the WalMart one and from far away it takes me a few seconds to see it clearly.

There are a lot of old motel, gas station and diner signs that still stand, although the building that used to house the business is long gone.

Old gas station remnantas alongside Route 66

I sometimes feel that driving Route 66 gives me permission to do whatever I want in my car. Short stop to turn into a driveway to take a photo of a sign? No problem. U-turns, backing into oncoming traffic lanes and driving on the sidewalk? Of course! Parking my car anywhere I please to hop out and take a few quick pics? Naturally. It works because these towns have pretty much no one in them and because everyone there knows exactly what I’m doing.

So many of the old Route 66 businesses were housed in beautiful stone buildings.

I can’t believe I have been in Kansas. Interestingly, it has some of the most evocative Route 66 sights of my trip to date.

Route 66 is beautiful in late October with all of the changing leaves

I may not have made it to New England for the fall foliage, but the color changing is in full effect on my drive so far and makes the landscape infinitely more interesting and gorgeous.

Big bold arrows pointing drivers to a business are very prominent on Route 66 signs.

While standing outside my motel room talking to Carrie on the phone, a woman who clearly was a prostitute walked out of another room, went to her car, realized she forgot her keys, joked about it with me and had to go back to her John’s room to get them.

Click here to go to the flickr gallery

Getting my kicks

For those who don’t know, I’m on the move again…this time on a road trip across America. After years of talking about it and planning it, I am finally moving out to San Francisco where Carrie just found us a great apartment a block off of Haight Ashbury. So, on Saturday, October 17, I packed up my car and headed out. My route includes a few hundred miles of Route 66 in Illinois, Missouri and Kansas before heading north to Nebraska to pick up the Oregon Trail and continue my journey west. As always, I will be blogging about my trip and I promise that these entries will be much shorter than the ones from my last trip…

The Gardenway Motel in Villa Ridge, Missouri, is one of the scattered original Route 66 motels still open for business today

The trip began with a two day stopover in Washington, DC, before my first day of real driving took me nearly 600 miles through Maryland, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, Ohio, and Indiana. Then, after a night in a hostel in Indianapolis and a 200 mile drive, I hit Route 66 in Springfield, IL. There my progress drew to a snail’s pace as I spent the rest of the day immersed in American kitsch, roadside attractions and history with constant stops along the way. The day ended with a visit to the world’s largest catsup bottle and a night in Collinsville, IL, about 15 miles out of St. Louis.

Originally planning to finish most of Route 66 on day three, I got sucked in by St. Louis. The first half of the day was spent at a casino playing blackjack and winning $200. Then, by the time I had checked out the Gateway Arch and took the Anheiser Busch Brewery tour, it was time to check into the Gardenway Motel: a neon-signed Route 66 roadside original. The room smells like stale smoke, there’s no cable, Internet or phone and it wasn’t cheap…but I’m typing this entry from the same room that travelers stayed in more than five decades ago.

A full list of all the things I have seen in my first full three days is as follows:

Bill Shea, the owner of Bill Shea's Gas Station Museum on Route 66

Bill Shea’s Gas Station Museum – Springfield, IL: often called the best tourist stop on Route 66, it is filled with all sorts of old signs, gas pumps, cars and kitch

Cozy Drive In – Springfield, IL: the birthplace of the corn dog

The Lauterback Tire Man – Springfield, IL: a giant man outside a tire shop that used to hold a giant tire until it was replaced with an American flag

Henry’s Rabit Ranch – Staunton, IL: a great souvineer shop with all sorts of car-related antiques from Route 66 as well as a rabbit ranch. At one point, Henry had a rabbit that was on the 2008 presidential ballot but couldn’t run because she died. Her reason for running was that she was “black like Obama, a woman like Hillary and old like McCain.”

Old Coke machines at the Pioneer Motel in Springfield, Illinois

Soulsby Shell Station – Mt. Olive, IL: an old Shell station that has been restored to look exactly as it did in the 1950s

Ariston Café – Litchfield, IL: one of the oldest diners on Route 66

The World’s Largest Catsup Bottle – Collinsville, IL: at 170 feet high, it is really just a decorated water tower…but still pretty cool

The Gateway Arch – St. Louis, MO: the large arch by the waterfront that St. Louis is famous for

Anheiser Busch Brewery – St. Louis, MO: the tour covered the seven block compound and finished with two free beers

In front of the world's largest catsup bottle

Ted Drewes Frozen Custard – St. Louis, MO: it’s like ice cream, but fattier and more rich…and not as good. The roadside shack that serves it is a Route 66 icon.

Gardenway Motel – Gray Summit, MO: one of the original Route 66 hotels

Countless other motels and roadside diners. Some were still open and look like they did years ago but many others are long-closed and in various states of disrepair