Phil,
Well, our starting points probably are separated by several hundred yards and about a dozen years or so. Then, we had two objectives. One was to travel the Mother Road Rt-66 and the other was to be in Albuquerque for the Balloon Fiesta. We managed both and had a great time.
You will want to pick it up the other side of Chicago, and that is a great place to start.
While Rt-66 technically no longer exists, the route is marked and most of it has been supplanted by more modern roads. This was a great and comfortable route and if you care, I can tell you a lot more.
Our mailing address is Belleville, but we actually are in New Boston (Huron Twp).
Matt