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Day 9 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66: June 22, 2002: Adrian, Texas to Joplin, Missouri
We started the day with an early breakfast at the Midpoint Café in Adrian, Texas. As expected, it was excellent. We had another chance to visit with Joann Harwell before saying goodbye—until next time! By this point, we both agreed that the Midpoint Café had become our new favorite place to eat along Route 66. The “Evil I” and Route 66 Again After leaving Adrian, we once again found ourselves on the “Evil I” (Interstate 40) heading east. Once we were east of Oklahoma City, we exited the Interstate and returned to historic Route 66, passing through Edmond, Arcadia, and Warwick. Seaba Station One of our most memorable stops of…
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Day 8 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66: June 21, 2002: Williams, Arizona → Adrian, Texas
We enjoyed a wonderful stay at the El Rancho Motel in Williams, Arizona, located on the eastbound side of Route 66 at the east end of town. We highly recommend this motel. It’s independently owned with friendly service, very clean rooms, and nicely furnished accommodations. Our room even included a refrigerator, microwave, and coffee maker, all at a very reasonable price. Places like this are exactly why we enjoy supporting mom-and-pop motels along Route 66. Morning in Williams Before leaving town, we had breakfast at Goldie’s Route 66 Diner and spent a little time walking around Williams, browsing a few of the gift shops and enjoying the classic Route 66…
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Day 7 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 20, 2002: Seligman, Arizona → Needles, California → Williams, Arizona
Today was a fantastic day filled with some of the most iconic stops along Arizona’s stretch of Route 66. Meeting the Delgadillos Our morning began in Seligman, where we had the pleasure of meeting Angel and Juan Delgadillo, two legends of Route 66 preservation. Angel is widely credited with helping revive interest in Route 66 and preserve the historic road through Arizona. It was wonderful to meet them and hear some of their stories. Hackberry General Store From Seligman we continued west to the Hackberry General Store, which also serves as a Route 66 visitor center. The store is packed with vintage signs, classic cars, and Route 66 memorabilia —…
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Day 6 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 19, 2002: Gallup, New Mexico to Seligman, Arizona
Today’s Highlights Visited the Jackrabbit Trading Post Followed the old alignment of 66 toward the Painted desert and saw the Painted Desert Trading Post We picked up a good guide to Route 66 in Arizona Went through Flagstaff and Williams As we approached Seligman, it was sunset and as we rounded a hill, it was breathtaking. We spend the night in Seligman at the Stagecoach 66 Motel. All Route 66 Honeymoon Photos
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Day 5 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 18, 2002: Tucumcari to Gallup, New Mexico
On Tuesday morning we began the day with a stop at Tee Pee Curios, located near the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari. Before leaving town, we followed directions given to us by Mike Callens to visit the cemetery where Lillian Redman is buried. We wanted to stop and pay our respects before continuing west along Route 66. The Cuervo Cutoff Adventure The highlight of the day came when we decided to attempt the Cuervo Cutoff, one of the more adventurous historic Route 66 alignments. Using Jim and Jerry’s “Bones” map, we headed southwest along this fascinating stretch of old highway. Unfortunately, after about 2.5 miles we reached a section…
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Day 4 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 17, 2002: Amarillo, Texas to Tucumcari, New Mexico
Monday morning we said goodbye to the Big Texan after meeting Becky for breakfast before hitting the road again. Cadillac Ranch Our first stop was just west of Amarillo at one of Route 66’s most famous roadside attractions: Cadillac Ranch. After walking a couple hundred yards into the field, we found the famous row of Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. Of course we couldn’t resist adding our own touch — we signed our names on one of the cars before continuing west across the flat Texas Panhandle. Vega and Dot’s Mini-Museum Our next stop was Vega, Texas, where we met another Route 66 e-group member, Linda Drake, who works…
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Day 3 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 16, 2002: Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Amarillo, Texas
We started our day in Oklahoma City by meeting up with Ken and Melissa, their kids Alicia and Jericho, Ken’s friend Mark, and Nicole for breakfast at Jimmy’s Egg. Several other Route 66 e-group members joined us as well, including Jim Ross, Laurel Kane, Sue Preston, and Mark Potter. Jimmy’s Egg is similar to a Denny’s or Perkins, and they serve a great classic breakfast — plenty of bacon and eggs to fuel a long day on the road. After breakfast with the group (thanks again, Ken!), we headed west at a very relaxed pace, intentionally staying off the Interstate whenever possible. Yukon and El Reno Our first stops took…
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Day 2 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 15, 2002: Fenton, Missouri to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
Saturday, June 15 brought a long stretch of driving on our honeymoon journey along Route 66. Unfortunately, much of the day required traveling on Interstate 44 through Missouri so we could reach Oklahoma at a reasonable time. Both of us had already driven Route 66 through Missouri—individually and together during our April 2001 trip—but it still pained us to be on the Interstate. We really didn’t like “shunning” the Mother Road! Whenever we could, we jumped back onto Route 66. Breakfast in Pacific, Missouri Our first stop of the morning was Pacific, Missouri, where we exited at I-44 Exit 261 to visit Monroe’s Route 66 Diner. The diner is housed…
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Day 1 – Our Honeymoon on Route 66 – June 14, 2002
Speedway, Indiana to Fenton, Missouri Our honeymoon road trip actually began three months before our wedding. We weren’t married until September 14, 2002, but Jennifer had just moved to Speedway from the Chicagoland area and wouldn’t have any vacation time at her new job by the time the wedding arrived. So we decided to take our honeymoon early. Since we’re both road warriors at heart—and our shared fascination with the lore of Route 66 is actually how we met—it felt only natural to plan our honeymoon along America’s most famous highway. As luck would have it, Indipala SS, an Impala SS club in Indianapolis that Pat belonged to, was planning…
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December 2001: New York, New York
Being originally from Connecticut, trips to NYC were something I did frequently since childhood. After I moved to Illinois last year, I knew I would not get back to NYC very much. When I visited my family in Connecticut this first Christmas after moving to the midwest, I knew I had to go to New York! Especially after the events of September 11, I wanted to go and see Ground Zero, as well as the memorial wall at St. Paul’s Chapel. For all the times I visited NYC, I rarely took pictures, since I lived nearby and didn’t feel the need to. This time was different, since I don’t live…