While my trip story is casually written, and not as a turn by turn,
mile by mile guide, potential Route 66 travelers can read this and hopefully benefit from
some of my directions, landmarks and references to the resources I used in my trip
planning. Please read my Trip Planning page to see what
materials I used.
A reminder about photographs: Some photographs appear as thumbnails, all
other photographs appear within the text as hyperlinks, so be sure to check them out!
We were quite excited that morning, the day of our vacation finally arrived! Our
flight was uneventful and was not long. We departed at 6:45 and arrived on time,
landing at Chicago's Midway Airport at 8:15 AM (Central time). We took the National
Rental Car shuttle bus to the parking lot, where we were told there would
not be any compact cars (Chevy Cavaliers) available for approximately 45 minutes. We were
offered a mid-size car, a Chevy Malibu, at the same price, so we took that instead.
After we got ourselves situated, we were on our way to Chicago, heading north on
I-55. Amber was quite excited as we approached Chicago, getting her first glimpse of
the skyline and the Sears Tower.
According to Tom Snyder in The Route 66 Traveler's Guide, Route 66 originally began (if you're heading westbound, that is!) on Jackson Boulevard at Michigan Avenue. It was then moved east to Lake Shore Drive at the entrance of Grant Park. Then, in 1955, Jackson became one way, eastbound, with its westbound counterpart being Adams Street, one block north. Therefore, most guides and maps make Adams & Michigan the starting point of Route 66, and so did we.
I knew that there is a sign indicating the beginning of the route, at Adams & Michigan. We headed north on Lake Shore Drive, took a left onto E. Jackson (which is two way between Lake Shore and Michigan); we turned right onto Michigan, and looked out for Adams. To the left, I saw the BEGIN HISTORIC ROUTE 66 sign - so far, so good!
I briefly followed Tom Snyder's book, to head over to Lou Mitchell's for breakfast, at 565 W. Jackson
Blvd. Unfortunately, we just weren't hungry, so we decided not to stop (which I
regret, but we did have a great breakfast in a short time, and I will definitely stop at
Lou Mitchell's next time!).
I headed back to Adams, made a left turn westbound and proceeded to follow
the Bob Moore book. Also, there were well-placed HISTORIC ROUTE 66 signs, which were
a great help as well! All the states have these signs to some degree, but Illinois
was the best. We passed the Sears Tower,
which is on Adams in this area.
It didn't take long to arrive at the suburbs of Cicero and Berwyn, where we made a left onto Ogden
Avenue. We were on the lookout for our first Muffler Man statue (holding a hot
dog!), and found him on the right side of Route 66 (Ogden), at Bunyon's Cafe. Just
before that, on the left is a muffler store with a cool sign as well, called Robin Hood Mufflers.
At Ogden & Harlem, we also saw a White Castle Hamburgers, the first of many to follow.
As we headed through Countryside, where we ate breakfast at the Route
66 Cafe & Grill. It was adjoined to a hotel, and was very nice, and served
a wonderful buffet breakfast.
We had to join the Interstate, and exited at Exit 269 - Joliet Road, which leads to IL 53 into Romeoville and Joliet. Not by coincidence, these towns were originally named Romeo and Juliet. Later, when the town of Juliet changed its named to Joliet in order to honor area explorer Louis Joliet, Romeo became Romeoville.
I thought this bakery in Joliet, The Milano
Baking Company, was adorable...too bad it had closed at noon! We also passed by
the Statesville Prison (remember the Blues Brothers - Joliet Jake), then headed into
Elwood (honest! LOL). It was interesting to see a line of old telephone poles here.
After Elwood came
Wilmington, and another anticipated site: the Launching
Pad Cafe - complete with the Rocketman
statue, AKA Gemini Giant. He was actually another Muffler Man in a previous
incarnation (note the position of his hands, right hand up, left hand down). We
weren't hungry at this point, but we did order Coca-Colas at the drive-thru. I
couldn't pass up the Launching Pad without ordering something!
A few minutes later we arrived in Braidwood, and the Polk-A-Dot Drive-In. This place is really cool, with the large statues of Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, James Dean and Betty Boop!
We did fine following the Bob Moore book through Godley, Braceville and
Gardner, then Dwight and Odell.
Between these towns (as in many areas along the entire route), Route 66 runs parallel to
the Interstate. Here is a photograph of a section between Braceville and
Gardner, view to the southwest, with the Interstate to the north on the right. In
the distance, an Interstate crossover is slightly visible.
In many towns, banners and signs announce local pride in Route 66. Here is a
photograph of one such banner in Dwight. Also in Dwight is this restored old filling station, where Amber also took this
video picture of me.
Left, intersection in Dwight. This old farm
is near Dwight, as is this section of old & new
alignments.
This barn ad for Meramec Caverns is west of Odell.
We entered Pontiac on Pontiac Road, and saw the Old
Log Cabin Inn. An interesting story about this place is that while it is still
in its original location on Route 66, it faced an earlier alignment. When the road
was re-aligned, it ran behind the restaurant. The building was turned to face the
new road!
Unfortunately, we got slightly lost for a bit between here and Chenoa 
(I didn't find the old, abandoned red brick train depot listed
in column 2 on page 85 of Bob Moore's book). The road leading out is Illinois 23,
not 53 (as listed on page 85, column 3). Thank goodness for an older gentleman who told us
Old 66 was 23! I insisted, based on Bob Moore's book, that it was 53, but this
gentleman was right! In Lexington, part of 66 was blocked. I turned left onto
West Main Street, and looked for a place where I could ask for directions to get around to
the point where I could continue on Route 66 again. I stopped at the Shake Shack
(above, right) and the woman there indicated to go ahead one block, make a right (S. West
Street), and follow that to where it would hook back up again with 66.
Next, we entered Towanda. Bob Moore says it's Indian for "where we bury our dead." Nice...!
After that, was Bloomington-Normal. On p. 87 of Bob Moore's book, he calls the left at this intersection tricky....yep! And Beich Road was a pain in the neck to find as well, since it is marked only as a frontage road. Luckily, a knowledgeable clerk at the gas station pointed the way!
We paralleled I-55 for a few miles, and found Funk's Grove Maple Sirup (yes, that's how they spell
it). Unfortunately, it was closed. Shortly after, we arrived at the Dixie Trucker's Home. It was a really neat
place (we like truck stops!), with a great Route 66 Hall of Fame
(click on the link at left for a few photos). If you ever stop at the Dixie, be
sure to check this out, it's got some great old photographs and memorabilia, as well as
photographs of many, many of the truckers who have taken refuge at the Dixie.
Here is another picture of the exterior of Dixie
Truckers Home.
Then came Atlanta, a very (very) small town, so quiet! It was reached by following the historic signs to a loop of an old alignment. They have an interesting Public Library Building with a Spanish red tile roof. The loop was pretty short, and as we left Atlanta, we took a right back onto Frontage Road, the newer alignment.
We followed Bob Moore's directions (page 87, column 3) into Broadwell, and the Pig Hip Restaurant, closed in 1992. It is interesting how it is off the newer alignment, on a portion of old alignment.
We found many of the sections of old alignment listed as we went through Elkhart and
Williamsville. Here is a
section of old alignment before Elkhart. We then entered the State Capitol, Springfield, passing the Illinois Fair
Grounds where the State Fair was actually taking place. The traffic was a little
slow, but not too bad. Unfortunately, I would shortly find this to be to my dismay
for another reason. My trip plan scheduled us to spend the night in Springfield and we
found that there was not a room to be had in the city!
To the right is another one of Illinois' wonderful HISTORIC ROUTE 66 signs. This one
is located in Springfield and marks an old alignment from Peoria Road to
MacArthur Blvd.
We passed by a neat McDonald's on MacArthur Blvd., which I read about somewhere on the Internet as still
retaining the original design. It was so 
different from any I have
seen in Connecticut or the Northeast in years! From my childhood in Connecticut, I
remember images of McDonald's with the same design, but as with most McDonald's, they were
redesigned to the brown brick style in the 70's. They have been redesigned again,
with a modified look of the original style (though not the same). This one was really
cool! The sign even bears the McDonalds' family crest!
Right afterward, we found our third Muffler Man, at Lauterbach Tire on Wabash Avenue...I was surprised, but after I looked at my trip information, I remembered that I had listed this Muffler Man as well. By the way, I found all this Muffler Man information at a very interesting (if unusual) site, The Muffler Man Home Page. Is it a plot or a secret conspiracy? Keep your eyes open...they're all around you!
On the advice of a local regarding hotels, I followed Wabash Avenue to Veteran's Parkway (unknowingly following a different alignment of old 66 which I later noticed on the HISTORIC ROUTE 66 map - the Route 66 alignment is at Chatham Road, turn left and follow this to IL 4). I continued past Chatham to Veteran's Parkway where there are several hotels. It was at this point that I realized that we were most likely not going to find any rooms in Springfield. I inquired as to other options, and a clerk at one hotel suggested I try Jacksonville. I decided to do that, and headed west on I-72. Even in the darkness, you could still tell there was nothing but cornfields out here. The novelty of the landscape wore off very quickly, and being literally out in the middle of nowhere in the dark, I was starting change my mind about going that far west off the Route 66 corridor. Thank goodness, I found signs of life in New Berlin, at a Phillips 66 gas station and an adjoining A & W Restaurant. Being in a strange place, in the dark, and feeling tired, disoriented and panicky was not a good thing! It was almost 9:00 PM, and I thought it would be nice to get something to eat, and re-orient myself a bit before trying to figure out what to do. Of course, even this simple idea had to go awry, when the girl at the A & W so cheerfully explained they were closing early due to a shortage of help (I cannot believe that in the middle of nowhere, with only 2 customers in the place, they could call themselves short-staffed...there were 3 employees there, and two additional employees were gabbing in the adjoining gas station/convenience store. OK, whatever. I was tired, irritated and incapable of arguing at this time.
"How about a root beer?" she (again) cheerfully offered, and said I was welcome to sit down and stay for a while. I didn't want to be crabby, so I got a root beer, and started to review my maps and books, then the Route 66 Dining & Lodging Guide (DLG). All of a sudden, they started to shut off the lights, so I got up, irritated again (hoping it wasn't showing, but still sort of hoping it was!). "No, no, no....you can stay," they said. I did, but only for a few moments longer. When Amber returned from the restroom, we left. I decided to try the Innkeeper Motel in Hamel, Illinois, which I found in the DLG. I don't remember what the problem was with two listings in the DLG for Carlinville (the Holiday Inn and the Carlin Villa Motel). I think they had no vacancy, because I am sure I would have chosen those first, with Hamel being so much farther south than Carlinville. Anyway, the Innkeeper Motel had room, and I felt as though I was direly lacking in feasible options. Since I had already filled the tank with gas, I only wanted to get the heck out of New Berlin (no offense intended), head back east toward Springfield and get to Hamel regardless of how long it would take.
I arrived back at the south side of Springfield, from my original point of departure onto I-72 at Wabash & Veteran's Parkway. At the time, I felt as though I reached this point by happenstance, because I was just getting ready to bypass Route 66 to Hamel altogether and use the Interstate when I found the wonderful (and very welcome!) brown historic 66 signs, marking that old alignment. I tried to match this up with the Bob Moore book, but I couldn't (he followed a different alignment), so I decided to just follow these signs. Anyway, after having commenced this route, I also used the colorful HISTORIC ROUTE 66 map for visual orientation, which had thankfully returned (though I was still very tired)! As I said earlier, I was unaware at the time that MacArthur to Wabash was actually an older alignment of Route 66 within Springfield. But as I sit here now, in the comfort of my home, I laugh as I read a portion of Tom Snyder's book: "South of Springfield, you'll have a choice of routes. You can jog west on South Grand and take MacArthur to Wabash to Chatham Road, to Spaulding Orchard Road, turning south onto old SR 4. This is an old, old alignment of Route 66, dating from the 1920's, and if you are a true fan of mutant roadbeds, this is the alignment to follow." (Laugh!!!) Well, I can I laugh now, but then, it was definitely not funny! I had this book, the HERE IT IS maps, the HISTORIC ROUTE 66 map, AAA state maps, and the Bob Moore book...it was all up to me to use my skills and this combination of resources, which I tried to keep organized, but constantly ended up being jumbled around me, while fighting extreme fatigue and disorientation! I was seriously wishing I HAD brought my laptop and my Microsoft Streets & Trips program (a feeling which would come up several times again!).
So, using the HISTORIC ROUTE 66 map, I did find that I was following the SR4 alignment
from the 20's, which is west of the 30's alignment (which parallels I-55). The 20's
alignment had (from what I could see at this time of the evening) a number of quaint
towns, including Chatham, Auburn, Thayer, Virden, Girard, Carlinville, Gillespie,
Sawerville, Staunton, and finally...Hamel! For information, after reviewing the
HISTORIC ROUTE 66 map, with the two alignments marked clearly in red, it appeared that
they are reasonably far apart and do not adjoin until Staunton, quite far to the
south. Bob Moore's book (which I was not using at this time) apparently follows some
sort of combination of both alignments, since it runs through through Waggoner,
Carlinville, Litchfield, Mount Olive and Staunton, very different than if one strictly
follows the Illinois 4 alignment. The newer alignment does take you past Russell
Soulsby's Shell Station, on the east side of I-55 in Mt. Olive. Bob Moore's book
says this station was in constant operation from 1926 - 1992 (I guess even though it is on
the newer alignment). Also, The Ariston Cafe is on this newer alignment.
Interestingly, Tom Snyder's book explains that the Ariston was originally on the old
alignment in Carlinville, and then they moved to the new location (on the newer alignment)
in 1935. Unfortunately, even if I had taken the newer alignment, it would have been too
dark to see these two historic sites...well, both items to mark down for next time!
Also a lesson in not driving at night...besides being dangerous when it gets too late and
one gets too tired, I was missing so much in the dark! Of course, the exception to
this rule is when there's plenty of neon around!!
There was a town on this alignment, which I couldn't visit as I would have liked. It
was such cute little town, with Route 66 running through a really neat town square.
It was like a small, Midwest version of Paris' Place Vendôme! I drove around the square
twice, just to look at the shops. But it was pretty late, and I had to move on and
it was too dark to take any pictures. After returning home, I traced this route on
MS Streets & Trips, and found a town with a street laid out with a square, and in
about the right place along the route. So, I did a little research on the Internet
and confirmed that this town was Carlinville, Illinois.
Even though I felt better about being back on track with a specific destination, I was still worried a little. I called the Innkeeper Motel twice from my cell phone (I guess I deemed this situation to be of an emergency nature and decided to use my cell phone!). The poor man at the motel was probably trying to sleep, and assured me that they have a night window, not to worry! At Hamel, this alignment ran close to I-55, so it was easy to find the Innkeeper Motel, which was near the junction. I was so relieved to finally find a place to stay, and the Innkeeper Motel was clean and comfortable. Next time, however, I will book a room in advance in Springfield, should it be around the time for the State Fair! By the time we reached Hamel at 11:00 PM, I had driven about 340 miles in 14 hours.
I guess I was still too excited to sleep deeply, combined with not being at home, so I woke pretty early. I thought I would put the time to good use, and got ready early and organized all my books and maps (as if...). I was sort of happy we were almost in Missouri, but definitely aware that I had driven too long and too far the previous night. I did not want that to happen again, and it didn't for the remainder of the trip. I felt much more directionally oriented, and was very happy about that, since I am normally that way anyway, and it was not a good feeling otherwise.
Leaving Hamel, I followed Bob Moore's book for a bit, combined with the HERE IT IS map
as I headed into Edwardsville on SR 157. 
We stopped at CVS (yay, familiarity!)
to get a Styrofoam cooler, ice and and some drinks. I also saw an old
A & W Family Restaurant Drive-In, which I remembered seeing in the Winter 1999 issue
of Route 66 Magazine. I was really excited to find it, yet I was disappointed that
it had closed down and was in slight disrepair. It was in operation at the time of the
magazine article, so it must have closed within the past 8 or 9 months. It was in an
interesting area - part commercial, part residential. I walked through the parking
lot, taking pictures and videotaping, thinking about what it must have been like in its
heyday. I pulled in to one of the drive-in spaces and asked Amber to take a picture,
and she was embarrassed, because an old man in the house next door was out working in his
driveway! LOL I felt a little silly when an older woman drove by as well, but
hey...the opportunity was there, and we were paying our respect to the place, not
disrespect! Edwardsville, Illinois was one of my favorite towns along the way.
Here are some pictures and digital photos taken at this A & W:
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Sign in the back |
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One of the menus |
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The main sign in the front, marked CLOSED below |
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A view from the back of the parking lot to the front |
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A picture of me parked in one of the spaces |
Billboard for Manhattan's (restaurant), Edwardsville.
We wanted a good breakfast, so I consulted the Route 66 Dining and Lodging Guide and found a listing for The Hen House, 1250 E. Chain of Rocks Road on the left just past the intersection with Illinois 111. The Bel-Air Drive In is on the right, directly opposite on Chain of Rocks Road. The Hen House sounded good, and it was even better - both the food and service were excellent and a good value. I highly recommend it.
Continuing on Chain of Rocks Road past this point, Bob Moore's book does not list
detailed directions to the Chain of Rocks Bridge (a must-see for me), so I used a
combination of the HERE IT IS maps, historic signs and Tom Snyder's book. We did, however,
pass The Luna Cafe as marked in the Bob Moore
book. We managed to get to the point where Illinois 203 intersects with the
continuation of Chain of Rocks Road.
Here we passed by, among others, the Chain of
Rocks Motel and the Land of Lincoln Motel.
Tom Snyder's book was extremely helpful at this point. I felt I was heading the
right way (I was), and we started to cross a
bridge with a NO TRESPASSING sign. Amber
was paranoid about crossing it and said we shouldn't. [I believe her feelings were a
direct result of what I read in Michael Wallis' book Route 66: The Mother Road, about
the warning signs near the Blue Whale in Catoosa, Oklahoma about trespassers getting
shot!] LOL!! More on that later, though.
Anyway, I was absolutely not going to continue without going to the Chain
of Rocks Bridge, that was for certain. I wanted to consult my resources again, so in
the middle of this bridge, I turned back and pulled over in a spot just before the bridge.
We spotted three cute young deer grazing by the roadside, and Amber kept busy videotaping
them.
Meanwhile, I looked over both the HERE IT IS map and the Tom Snyder book, which states, "at
the SR 203 junction, cross to the South side of I-270 following Chain of Rocks Road.
Continue west over the canal bridge and a brief stretch 
of dirt road, past the fenced bridge entry, and on down to the river's
edge." A ha!!! I was on the right
path! After Amber stopped videotaping, I read that to her, and she felt a bit
better, so in spite of the NO TRESPASSING sign, we continued. We made a left to head
down to the riverside where we heard a billion bugs and the rush of the Mississippi
River. We could see the Chain of Rocks Bridge to our right. There were all
kinds of pick-up trucks here, owned by good ol' boys with long scraggly beards and
overalls, who were fishing in the river. No offense intended, but I was a little
uncomfortable, so we left, and headed back up the dirt road.
At the top, we turned left so that we would be heading over to the bridge, and passed through the fence gate (there were cars parked there, and some normal looking people (again, no offense to the good ol' boys, but...). I thought about parking there, but Tom Snyder's book said to pass the gate, so I did. Anyway, I had often heard about the big dirt mound needed to climb to get to the Chain of Rocks Bridge, and we kept debating whether or not to climb it. Since we hadn't seen it yet, we kept going. We were quite happily surprised as we drove up and saw the Chain of Rocks Bridge...no dirt heap, no overgrown vines and brush!! There was even a portable toilet and a table with information and an awning covering it, and even an attendant (who also does bicycle patrol). Come to find out, through a flyer they had on the table, that a land trust called Trailnet which develops bicycle and pedestrian trails, leased the bridge from the City of Madison and began a $4 million restoration. They opened the bridge for bicycle and pedestrian use in June of 1999. The Chain of Rocks Bridge closed to traffic in 1968 and became rusty and overgrown (which is how most of my information between 1993 and 1995 displayed it). I hadn't seen anyone's current information or websites about it since!
So we walked on the Chain of Rocks Bridge, but it was a little warm and humid, so we only went to the point where the bridge *just* reaches the Mississippi River (and Amber did want to see the bend). For those of you unfamiliar with it, the Chain of Rocks Bridge was created with a "radical bend" of 22 degrees in the middle. The flyer states that this was "so that southbound riverboats could align with the current, slip between the bridge's piers and avoid striking the two water towers in midstream just south of the bridge." It goes on to state that "in 1952, this section was closed to commercial traffic following the completion of Chain of Rocks Canal." So, that confirmed what I saw in Tom Snyder's book about that first bridge. It still made me wonder about the NO TRESPASSING signs! Since they are using this as a pedestrian/bike trail, they should take them down!
The current intent of Trailnet (and for which the Chain of Rocks Bridge is
a key element) is to create "the Confluence Greenway, a 40-mile riverside park and
trail system extending on both sides of the Mississippi River from the Gateway Arch at St.
Louis north to the confluence of the Illinois River at Grafton, Illinois." They
state that the project is slated to be completed by 2004, but I was quite happy with the
portion I encountered at the bridge...as I said, it was a VERY nice surprise!!
PHOTOS FROM THE CHAIN OF ROCKS BRIDGE:
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This page was last updated on Saturday, June 04, 2005
