CROSSING THE COUNTRY ON ROUTE 66!

The plan is made - to take the month of February and drive on Route 66 to LA. To add to the fun, we take Billy Blazes & Zog along (toys from Emmett and Rowan, our grandchildren). We'll photograph them and email back stories and pictures for a little geography lesson. We pick up Route 66 in beautiful St. Louis. Then a little stop in Fanning MO to get our bearings. 66 isn't always easy to find. It's now disguised by other route numbers but we track it down.

THROUGH MISSOURI TO OKLAHOMA

We get stuck in a storm in Springfield MO and have to wait it out. The only entertainment is the Bass Pro Shop near the motel. We have fun posing the toys with the stuffed animal displays. Then after the storm stops we head into Oklahoma City to the National Memorial. A very moving experience.

TEXAS!

In McLean Texas, we find this treasure of a gas station. Then in Amarillo, we track down Cadillac Ranch starkly rising out of a field. We didn't expect such harsh weather this far south but it is actually making everything even more memorable.

NEW MEXICO

We continue spotting Route 66 funky motel signs. Sometimes the motels have been closed and demolished but the sign remains as a historic marker. I fall in love with the Southwestern landscape. And visiting Native American sites.

HOLBROOK ARIZONA

The highlight of Holbrook is the iconic WigWam Motel. Such a memory for people along Route 66. In front of each wigwam is a vintage car. The place is still in business!

CROSSING THE MOJAVE DESERT

This is one of my favorite parts of our journey. The desert is so harsh and vast. Stone markers line parts of the road reminding us of the Okies and the Dust Bowl Migration during the depression. And all the other people who have ever headed West. How dangerous this part of the journey could have been.

CALIFORNIA!

Billy Blazes & Zog meet their super hero friends in Hollywood. They pose together in front of Grauman's Chinese Theater. We spend a week in LA, seeing the sites, partying with relatives and sitting in traffic!