After Chicago we headed from Joliet towards the East Coast and Boston with the intention of stopping at several places.
The weather put a damper on that plan as we were chased by thunder storms, rain, flood warnings, more rain, and tornado warnings along our route.
We decided to haul butt towards Boston. Well it did not take as long as I thought it would so when we were near Boston we had a couple extra days before our RV park and rental car reservations.
I asked the hogboys where they would like to spend a couple of days nearby. After checking out our maps they said; "Maine!"
So off to the Southern Coast of Maine we went. We ended up in Saco / Old Old Orchard Beach.
A local suggested to us that we might, "...like a drive upta Down East and dinner at a Lobstah Shack".
Not a bad view for dinner, ayuh?
Here comes dinner!
Well I was going to take a photo of our lobstah dinner...but when it arrived we all dug in and forgot about photos...
The next day the rain and thunderstorms caught up with us.
This was the first time on the trip that the weather kept us somewhat inside. It was ok though we caught up on laundry, postcards, and rest.
The next day started out with thunderstorms and rain. That afternoon the sun came out so we went to the beach.
Had to get our feet wet in the Atlantic Ocean.
Too soon it was time to pack up the BRT and head towards Boston.
Continued...
Cadillac Ranch Texas.
Yup, had to have a steak here...
We did not get to see the "World's Largest Ball of String" but we did see the "World's Largest Barbed Wire Museum"!
"Crazy Legs Walker"
"Melba the Mouth"
Galena (link)
Oh yeah!
What could possibly go wrong here?...
This + four teen age boys = several days of "colorful"
comments...
Meramec Cavern (link)
Because we had to be in Boston on a specific date, (more about that later), we had to skip a lot of the Route 66 attractions from here on.
We did visit the Abraham Lincoln Presidential Museum in Springfield Missouri. It was incredible!
ABRAHAM LINCOLN PRESIDENTIAL MUSEUM (link)
Next stop Chicago!
Had to have breakfast at Lou Mitchell's.
WE MADE IT!
The end of, (for most folks the beginning), The Mother Road, The main Street of America, Route 66.
Yup, we are 10%ers! The 10% of folks that drive Route 66 backwards.
Is this the end of our adventure? Oh no...we still have Maine, Boston, and...
To be continued...
Some thoughts about Route 66.
Normally when we travel we do not have a timetable. For this trip we had to be in Boston at a certain date due to having to make reservations at an RV park and car rental.
We were on Route 66 for a little over three weeks. With all the neat sights and side trips we could have easily spent six weeks on the Mother Road. There were many places we would liked to have spent more time at. We also bypassed many places.
We met dozens of interesting, friendly, and helpful folks, (and one grumpy one).
Traveling in an RV was the best way for us. For the most part we did not have any issues going where we wanted in the RV. We did rent a car in Southern California for several days so that we could get around there. We also rented a car in Joliet Illinois so that we could drive to Chicago and the start / end of Route 66. There is no way I would try to take an RV into Chicago.
It was a lot of driving. Having the RV made it so nice. Our boys had a lot of activities that kept them busy while driving. It is also nice to have most of the comforts of home with you.
