Revisiting Route 66: A Family Road Trip 11 Years Later
There are some trips you take because you want to see new places.
And then there are the ones you take because you want to go back.
This June, we’re heading west again—following stretches of U.S. Route 66 that we first traveled in 2014 and 2015. But this time, it’s different.
Jameson is 15 now.
And this trip? It’s about seeing it all again—through his eyes, a decade later.
🛣️ Then and Now on Route 66
On those earlier trips, Jameson was just a kid riding along as we explored roadside stops, neon signs, and small towns that still held onto pieces of the past.
This time, we’re going back to many of those same places.
Same stretches of road.
Same stops.
Same photo spots.
But everything’s changed.
We’re planning to recreate some of those moments—standing in the same places, taking the same photos—only now, 11 years later.
That “then and now” contrast is something you can’t plan perfectly. You just have to go back and experience it.
🎬 From Watching to Standing Inside It: Breaking Bad in Albuquerque
Somewhere along the way, Jameson introduced us to Breaking Bad.
What started as “his show” quickly became our show—followed by Better Call Saul and El Camino: A Breaking Bad Movie.
We didn’t just watch it—we got into it.
At one point, Pat and Jameson even dressed up as Walter White and Jesse Pinkman for a Halloween costume contest at Fallen Rock—and walked away with Best Duo.
So this stop in Albuquerque isn’t just a detour.
It’s a destination.
We’ll be visiting filming locations—many of them right along Route 66—seeing firsthand the places that became so familiar on screen. From Central Avenue to neighborhoods and storefronts, it’s that rare chance to step into something that once felt a world away.
🎮 Driving Through a Game World: Fallout: New Vegas
As we head farther west, another layer of the trip comes into focus.
Jameson’s interest in Fallout: New Vegas turns parts of Nevada into something entirely different.
We’ll pass through places like Goodsprings and Las Vegas—locations that helped inspire the world of the game.
What’s interesting is how that changes the experience.
It’s no longer just a drive through the desert—it’s a comparison between the real world and the one he’s explored on screen. Quiet towns, wide-open roads, and familiar landmarks take on a whole new meaning when you’ve already “been there” in a different way.
🎥 A Few Stops Along the Way
Like most of our trips, there are a few extra threads woven in along the way.
There are places I’ve had my eye on from shows like Poker Face, and even a quick nod to Showgirls in Las Vegas—those little moments that turn into their own stories once you’re standing there.
They’re not the focus of the trip—but they’re part of what makes the journey feel personal.
🌴 Finding Margaritaville… Again
And somewhere along the way home, we’ll pick up another familiar thread.
A stop in Tulsa brings us to a place connected to Margaritaville—a reminder of how much that idea of “finding your own version of Margaritaville” has become part of our travels.
It won’t be the beach.
It won’t be Hilton Head.
But that’s kind of the point.
Sometimes you find it where you least expect it.
🚗 Getting There—and Slowing Down on the Way Back
We’re starting this trip differently than most.
The plan is to make a fast push west—covering miles quickly to reach New Mexico and Nevada.
And then, on the way back?
We slow down.
That’s where Route 66 really comes into its own—when you have time to notice things again. To stop more often. To take the long way, even when you don’t have to.
🌄 Why This Trip Matters
This isn’t just another road trip.
It’s a return.
A chance to revisit places that meant something before—and see what they mean now.
To connect past trips with new ones.
To follow familiar roads with a different perspective.
And to share it all together again—this time with Jameson not just along for the ride, but fully part of the experience.
There’s something special about going back.
And we’re about to find out just how much.
🔗Related Links (COMING SOON!)
- Fast Travel: Southern Indiana → Tulsa → Albuquerque → Las Vegas
- Breaking Bad Tour / Filming Locations
- Poker Face Filming Locations
- Fallout: New Vegas In Real Life
- Slowing Down: Route 66 Eastbound
- Route 66 Meets Margaritaville