Road Trip

[Tom Bahner]

Well, the wife and I thru caution to the wind and decided to take our Sedan Deville on a section of Rt 66. 

We started out on 66 in Joplin Mo., thru all 13mi. of Ks 66 and about 350 mi of the Rt in Ok, ending up at the Natl. Rt. 66 Museum in Elk City, Ok. . In total we drove a little over 1200 mi.

Probably not the smartest thing to do in a 52 year old car, but it performed flawlessly and was a hoot to drive. The only thing I noticed was the rear main changing from a drip to a puddle the last 200mi. Will have to get it taken care of.  Lots of honks, thumbs up, even pics being taken of us at 70mph rolling down the hiway.

It was a great adventure, saw lots of sights, and just flat had fun.

Tom B

[Tom Bahner]

Hi all, been away for a while. Thanks for the responses.

58 Edsel huh? Those are nice cruisers too. Not like a Caddie but still a classic. I likem all.

The next section I want to take is Chicago to St. Louis. I want  to set the 63 SDV by the lake at the starting point of Rt 66 in Chicago. The wife isn't too enthused about it, as she hates heavy traffic. Once you get past KC going east, the amount of traffic increases greatly. The last time we went East, the wife was ran off the interstate into the median by a semi. Luckily, nothing in the way and was able to drive through it. Who knows if we'll get it done or not. Depends on which one gives out 1st, me or the SDV. Just to get to Rt 66 from where we live is about 250-300 mi. so it turns into quite a trip rather quickly.

Another road trip I would like to take is to drive the Great River Road along the Miss. River. I really enjoy the history of the River towns.

Remember to enjoy the ride and keep'em on the road!

Tom B

[Doug Meloan]

David, Sounds like you had a fun trip.  We have stayed in the Route 66 motel in Seligman several times. I like how they have listed on the doors the "movie Stars" that had stayed in each room.  Always fun to meet "roadies" cruising historic 66, and we were always surprised at how many international fans of Route 66 you meet along the route. 

[David Thomas]

No, unfortunately I didn't. I actually listed our travel backwards in my previous post, we started on I-40 exit 1 and went east on Rt. 66 finishing in Seligman. By the time we pulled into Seligman it was pretty late, we stopped at the Rt. 66 Motel for the night. We had supper that evening and breakfast the next morning at the Road kill Cafe that was next door. Of course, I had the Caddie Grille Burger for supper! It was time to head back home the next morning so we hit I-40 and let the hammer down.

 

Yep, Oatman Burro's were there and hungry for those willing to buy food and feed them. We had lunch there and watched the shoot out at noon. There was a real nice 62 Impala SS with the 409 there, along with a 37 Diamond T pickup, 40 Ford, 56 Ford pickup and a 63 Impala. Must of been a group doing that end of Rt. 66, we saw the same group of cars at the Kingman Rt. 66 Visitors Center. I wish I had had more time for that section of Rt. 66, we only had one day and it was not enough. 

I hope someday to do some traveling in my 63, like Tom has with his 64.

[Doug Meloan]

David,  Did you get to meet Angel Delgadillo in Seligman?  He is kind of the father of Route 66 preservation and a heck of a nice man.  Burro's still roaming the road in downtown Oatman? That is a beautiful section of Route 66.  Sounds fun. 

[David Thomas]

First two weeks of April I made a motorcycle trip to Arizona. Part of the ride was on a section of Rt. 66 from Seligman, AZ through Kingman and Oatman down to I-40. Really enjoyed the road and attractions along the way. Also spent some time around Apache Junction/Phoenix, enjoyed the roads and mountains in the area.

[Doug Meloan]

My wife and I have traveled all of Route 66 and many sections numerous times over the past 15 years.  I enjoyed seeing your photos as it brought back good memories.  Be sure to share your trip and story with others.  I gave a powerpoint  presentation to a local service club about five years ago. They so much enjoyed it that by word of mouth I have now presented it 36 times and have another one scheduled in a few weeks.  People love to see the photos and hear the history. You did what I wanted to, and that is take the 63' Cadillac on the trip.  We always opted over the years to take our modern day Cadillacs, but not nearly as fun.  A few years ago, when I owned a 58' Edsel (yea, I know) I took it on the same section that you traveled.  I was glad to get it home as I worried the whole time that it was going to break down. Still plan on taking the 63' next time we travel Route 66!

[Jason Edge]

Tom,

Fantastic pictures and story!  Shoot me an email with the pictures attached any additional write-up about your Drive on Rt 66 you might have and I will include in a future newsletter.

For any other Chapter Member that would like their story in the newsletter feel free to shoot me an email to [e-mail] with your story and a few medium to hi res pictures.  If you want to do a full cover feature we can also do that but need say 4 to 8 pictures and a bit more written content.