driving RT 66
 

We are looking for advice for a comfortable vehicle to drive RT 66 in. We will be 2 couples ( possibly 3)
We will be traveling in Sept. We originally planned on renting an RV for our travels. Not sure how practical that would be and now we are looking for a vehicle to rent that would give us 4- 6 captain chairs. We want to be comfortable and be up higher ( as in a SUV). Any suggestions for either car or RV would be appreciated.

Much of the original route is under I-44 and I-40 west of Vinita OK. Which end did you want to start with, Jackson Blvd & Michigan Ave in Chicago or Long Beach CA?
Can you get a comfortable vehicle with a dash cam so those in the back seat can watch a screen?
East of Victorville through Barstow the old highway is known as the National Trails Highway.
East of Ludlow (Exit 50) nearly to Needles, there is a long section in the Mojave Desert.
In Arizona, the drivable sections are between Needles and Ash Fork. In Parks AZ I found a geocache in the old roadway where the "Mother Road" has turned into a trail with a barbed wire fence across it.
I also found the geocache under a mailbox in Chicago which is the east end of US 66 marked with a sign.
I'm sure you'll want to detour north from Williams to see the South Rim of the Grand Canyon.

There is an interesting section of 66 a bit past Kingman, AZ off rt I-40. It goes up and over a bunch of switchbacks and through Oatman. This was a mining town that played out and was about to be a ghost town, but now the old places have shops, etc., there are burros roaming the streets and a cowboy shootout sometimes.

The drive from Kingman is neat, but not one I would want to do in a RV. If you keep on going past Oatman and cross into Nevada you eventually come to Laughlin. It is a mini Vegas on the bank of the Colorado river.

I would get a nice suv for the trip.

The SUV sounds like a good choice.

Where do you want to start and end your trip?

Lee Ann

Get the SUV, plan on inexpensive lodging along the way. Long drive, you won't be on the original Mother Road for the vast majority of it-- but if you don't mind all those hours in a car/SUV, oh the sights you'll see!

And by the way: Route 66 does NOT end in Long Beach (where I live). Its original end was Santa Monica Blvd. at Ocean Avenue in sunny Santa Monica (one block from my office-- over 30 miles from Long Beach). In November 2009, the end of Route 66 was officially moved to the middle of the Santa Monica Pier, two blocks south (Ocean and Colorado).

Inexpensive lodging in southern California will be a challenge. However, it's not impossible. A bit of planning will be necessary, since there seems to be no off-season for tourists any more in this area.

Thanks for the correction on the west end of Rt. 66.
The two Rt. 66 museums I am aware of are in Victorville across the street from the Amtrak station and in Barstow in what was once the railroad station and Harvey House.
Amboy CA is the model of Radiator Springs in the movie Cars.

There is a short musical stretch of Rt. 66 in New Mexico,
http://www.roadsideamerica.com/tip/45182
"America the Beautiful"

Thanks everyone. We are planning to drive from St. Louis to Santa Monica. And than flying back to Boston. Is there a difference driving west to east? East to west?

FYI - The road is only musical driving eastbound.

Depending on how many days you have planned for this trip, I would skip everything east of Amarillo Texas.
You may not be able to find a suitable vehicle that you can drop even with a fee in California.
You could fly to Albuquerque and cover the route west from there to Santa Monica and then drive back to ABQ and cover a few hundred miles east of Albuquerque before returning the vehicle where you rented it and then fly back to Boston.

As I answered to someone already and others echoed here there really isn't that much of the old Route 66. Mostly interstate with a few touristy stops. But enjoy anyway. I would recommend reading stories about the Dust Bowl days when folks headed west to California. And the Woody Guthrie songs

Stay at the Bluebird Motel in Tucumcari! Reasonable prices, very comfortable and historic!

Central Avenue in Albuquerque is the old Rt. 66.
The Route 66 hostel in Albuquerque has a nice room that is Pepto Pink. We stayed there 2 nights.

There are 4 people, so hostels would probably be more expensive than an inexpensive but clean motel room or two since I think they charge per person.

Oklahoma claims the most driveable miles of original Route 66. Interesting sites include Blue Whale in Catoosa, Totem Pole Park 4 miles off the road between Tulsa and Miami (pronounced my-am-uh), and the Round Barn in Arcadia. There are a couple of 66 museums along the way and a great Roger Miller museum in Erick. You can get great info and driving routes from the Oklahoma Route 66 Association.

There seems to be an overwhelming amount of research needed for this trip. Really not wanting to travel on interstates. Are there any maps or books that someone could recommend? I know there are many out there. Which are most worthwhile?

http://www.historic66.com/

Really helpful info

Here's a good guide, which I bought in Amarillo but is available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/Route-66-EZ66-.../dp/0970995199

The author also provides updates online at this website:
www.mcjerry66.com/ez66.php

There is a really good exhibit at the ABQ Museum on RT 66; I'd go if you are in town:

http://www.albuquerquemuseum.org/exh.../exhibition/76

It's there til 10/2/16.