Good ole Route 66 trip planning

Nothing like getting good advice from you folks! You helped me a lot.
Bill

I am just finishing a Highway 66 adventure (1 mo.)...from Barstow, CA...Arizona...New Mexico...Texas (no. so.), Oklahoma. My "bible" wasRoute 66 Adventure Handbook by Drew Knowles. He takes you step by step through each state and has pictures and fantastic information. He also lets the reader know where the road is gone and how it can be picked up again. Highly, highly recommended

Tucumcari, NM is a good Route 66 stop.

Good Ideas. Yea, I knew they slowly started taking apart Route 66 and I suppose just knowing the must see sights is really the key. I'll check the links you folks suggested. We're going to try and make the trip soon.

Thanks
Bill

You need a good route 66 guide. National Historic Route 66 Assoociation publishes a good one, but bought my copy through the Oklahoma association. I'd give you a title, but not where I can get my hands on it now. Title contains "E-Z Guide...".

I've run most of 66 in Oklahoma, Texas and Kansas, about 1/3 of it in New Mexico, found parts in Illinois and eastern Arizona, but not west of Flaggstaff. Old 66 is largely replaced by I-55 in Illinois, I-44 in Missouri to Springfield, then runs some distance away from I-44 in Oklahoma. In most of Missouri I-44 business route will follow old 66 to go through towns, similar for along I-40 from OK City to Santa Rosa.

Finding the sections of 66, knowing when to use the replacement Interstate, is what the guides are about, in addition to finding the museums, historic reconstructions, relics, and interesting ruins.

Baxter Springs, Kansas, has made itself over into a route 66 tourist destination, and most people don't even know 66 cut through a corner of Kansas.

Route starts on the lakefront in Chicago, ends at the ocean in Santa Monica. Gets reasonably near the Grand Canyon.

I don't think this is one you want a computer or trip planner service to work out for you, because you need to make your own decisions about when to use the Interstate, when to follow one of the several old routes, and which one. Like do you want to ge west from Santa Rosa to Abq like 60s, or through Santa Fe as in the 40s; both still exist.

Little decisions can make big differences. You can get through St Louis in 20 minutes on I-44 at a good time on a good day, old city street routing of 66 could take a couple hours or more. Same for Tulsa, OKC, Amarillo, Abq, Springfield, on a smaller scale. Tulsa to OKC on 66 is twice the time of following the Interstate, but you can travel most of the way on 66 at the cost of an hour, if you know where to start, where to hop back onto the superhighway.

But if you are planning to try to see everything, maybe driving times aren't going to matter, you can spend two days in museums between El Reno and the Texas line, driving time would be under three hours with no stops.

I also plan my own trips. When traveling we like to use Roadside America, maybe you will find something interesting.
Enjoy your travels.

Just start singing the words to the song,they will plan it for you.

Check out the links that camperpaul suggested. I believe than anyone can use the AAA on line triptik, but you must be a member to save your trip. I used it to look at attractions for our trip to the Grand Canyon last year, and found a couple of museums.

Depending what time of year you go and how much 'out of the way' you are planning to go, you might want to start the Route 66 portion in St Louis.

I don't depend on "trip planners" to plan MY trips for the same reasons I don't take guided tours.

Here are a few Websites to get you started on planning YOUR trip:

Historic Route 66: The Mother Road

ROUTE 66 - Road Trip USA

I "got my kicks" on Rt. 66 many times starting in the 1940s and sadly watched while the "Mother Road" was slowly destroyed and replaced by Interstates.