ROUTE 66 ROAD TRIP: Starting in Chicago, must see stops and things to do in Illinois along Route 66!
Vložit
- čas přidán 14. 06. 2024
- We are on a bucket list journey to the west coast via Route 66! Today we started our travels in Chicago, Illinois at the "Begin" Route 66 sign. From there we travelled along Route 66 through Illinois. We stopped at the Launching Pad / Gemini Giant, the Two Celled Jail, Route 66 Underpasses, Bob Waldmire's 1972 VW Microbus at the Route 66 Association Hall of Fame and Museum, Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup, Land of Lincoln, Lincoln's Tomb and drove past Henry's Rabbit Ranch and the World's Largest Catsup bottle!
Our plan is to travel the entire length of Route 66 from Chicago to Los Angeles and stopping at the must see places along the way!
Join this channel to get access to perks:
/ @mikeandheather
Follow us on Instagram:
/ mikeandheathervlog
Timestamps:
00:00 - Intro
00:37 - Starting Route 66
01:58 - The Launching Pad & Gemini Giant
03:58 - Gardner's Two Cell Jail
05:30 - Underpass & Standard Oil Filling Station - Dwight, Illinois
08:05 - Route 66 Memory Lane - Lexington, Illinois
08:22 - End of Route 66 Day 1
09:28 - Cruisin with Lincoln on 66 Visitors Center - Bloomington, Illinois
11:23 - Route 66 Museum & Pontiac, Illinois
16:31 - Funks Grove Pure Maple Sirup Farm
19:29 - Muffler Man in Atlanta, Illinois
20:20 - The Lincoln Tomb & Lincoln Home National Historic Site - Springfield, Illinois
22:16 - Ending Route 66 Day 2
Curious about our gear? Want to know what we have in our van? Click this link here to find out:
www.amazon.com/shop/mikeandhe...
Route 66 travel guides:
Navigation app we used to stay on Historic Route 66: www.route66navigation.com
Helpful books:
Route 66: EZ66 GUIDE For Travelers: amzn.to/3AZyAmN
The Best Hits on Route 66: 100 Essential Stops on the Mother Road: amzn.to/3PYMkm2
The travel credit card we use: capital.one/42dsoD4
DISCLAIMER: Please note that the links included in this description may be affiliate links. If you purchase a product with the links in this video we may receive a small commission. There is no additional charge to you if you do! Thank you for supporting our channel!
#route66 #route66roadtrip #route66illinois
I've just watched the Billy Connolly Route 66 TV series, and now going through your videos. All very helpful and insightful. My partner and I are planning the trip for Summer 2026, which I believe is the year of the highway's centenary.
Forgot to mention we're from the UK!
One of the easiest keepsakes to get, that have been around forever, are postcards. The photos on them are amazing and they don't fade too much over time if stored properly. They don't take up a ton of space either. Looks like yall had a great trip.
The mufflerman were made by my father Bill Swan along with many other iconic fiberglass statues which can be seen in a short Amazon ebook for only 14.99 called "The man behind the mufflerman ".
Hello from wet and rainy Belfast Northern Ireland. I’m hoping to do the route 66 later in November and I’ve just found your blog… looking forward to watching your trip and following in your footsteps ❤
Fellow Western New Yorker gearing up for my first Route 66 trip. Thanks for the great information you provided us!!!
That is so exciting! Thank you so much for watching, we really appreciate it! Best of luck in your travels & go Bills! (or Sabres as they are actually playing right now haha)
My son and I have recently found your channel. We are route 66 enthusiasts and hopefully one day get travel it. We are Australians. We love your channel as you are travelling from Chicago we are seeing alot of different locations to other Vlogs. Your videos are very well presented and edited. Very informative and captivating.
Wow, thank you so much for the kind words, we really appreciate it and you watching! It really does mean a lot to us that you are watching ALL THE WAY FROM AUSTRALIA! That is too cool! Hopefully both you and your son will get to travel Route 66 soon, when you do you will have to keep us updated! We would love to hear all about it! Best of luck in your travels, thank you once again for watching!
Yay! Back on the road again.
Yes we are! We are so excited to be :) Thank you for watching!
Thank you for this playlist. Great music selection. I enjoy singing along. Maybe watched the 66 series 20+ times. Lol.
Oh wow! Thank you so much for the kind words and for watching, we really appreciate it and you! P.S. We get our music from Musicbed 😉
I know this was filmed a year ago, but I was able to find a passport, on 6/12/23, at the Route 66 State Park, in Eureka, Missouri. They had last year's version, and the 23 -24 version. However, they were not free, at a little over $12.00. They have a nice display and giftshop.
Awesome! We are so glad you found one! Thank you so much for the information, we really appreciate it and you watching. We hope your passport is now full of stamps :)
When I moved to California by my parents, we rode most of the way from Detroit to Los Angeles on route 66. We dud half of interstate 44/40, 15 to 10. By the time I started driving cross country route 66 had been decommissioned. I moved to California in 1967.
I'm leaving to drive 66 at the end of the month. Thank you for your videos.
That is amazing! Don't forget to put your feet in the ocean once you have made it to the pier. You will have to let us know how your trip went after you complete it, we would love to hear all about it! Take it easy :)
Very cool!! I’m so jealous. My wife and I just did the Vermont 100 in May. We actually did it twice. We took two days driving north, spent a day in Burlington, and then drove south over one day to see a few thing we missed going North. Unfortunately there were a few thing we wanted to do that weren’t open until Memorial Day weekend, but we really enjoyed our trip.
Great video kids!( I can say that cuz I'm almost 70) Keep up the good work. I'm going follow you all the way thru. I may not comment. But I will be here. Stay safe. Think ahead.
Thank you! You are too kind! We are glad to have you here ☺️ Thanks for watching, we really appreciate it!
This didn't show up on my feed, better late than never! Excited to watch your Route 66 trip! Maple sugar candy is my favorite. Absolutely!
Thank you! We are excited to share our Route 66 trip 😊
The Maple Sugar Candy was dangerously good haha
cool, Route 66, another thing on my bucket list that I can learn from you beforehand. Have lots of fun with it !
Topic cooking in van life, if you have nothing else to do than look cool on videos on CZcams and cook fancy menus with a 4-plate stove, then you can conjure up three-course menus in the van. But then you can't do anything else that day. I was on holiday in Scotland for 4 weeks in May. During this time I cooked 1 time myself, had dinner 2 times and bought takeaway food 4 times. The rest of the time I made and ate sandwiches. I wanted to see something of the country and its people and not spend my time cooking in the Transit Connect. You can do that when you are retired and time is no longer an issue. You are doing the right thing in my opinion. I like your style and your videos, greetings from Germany.
Route 66 was on our bucket list for a very long time, I am glad it has now been added to yours! We are having a lot of fun and it is totally worth traveling along. You are right, meal preparing can take a long time, we usually stick to quick grab and go meals so we can continue exploring like you in Scotland! (plus neither of us are good at cooking haha) Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Nice video. Nice music. Nice sights shared. Enjoy your trip (with an "i")!
We just found your channel and are so grateful! We are leaving for our Route 66 adventure right after Labor Day… your experience about not being able to purchase a Rt 66 Passport, prompted me to order one online! Thank you for this valuable tidbit! We are looking forward to watching your entire trek!
That is so exciting! Labor day will be here in no time. You are going to have an amazing time! Thank you so much for watching, we really do appreciate it! Stay safe and take it easy :)
I think a lot of people from around the world have this on their wish list! Thanks for the interesting info! Thank you Mike and Heather!
Great to see you’re on the road again! This was the best Route 66 tour I have seen and I’ve watched a lot of them. Great job!!!! 💜
This will be fun! I want to do this someday. Can’t wait to see what’s next! ✌🏻💕
You are right, we are having a lot of fun! We can't wait for you to do it someday as well and when you do you will have to tell us all about it :) Thank you for watching!
Hi Guys,
Love your channel :)
We’ve just watched your first episode on Route 66. We did it back in 2019. You are going to have a blast and we will follow you all the way.
Lookout for our Brick in Tulsa at the Buck Atom attraction (if you go there of course)
We’re now planning on doing Highway 1 Maine to Key West next year.
Take care and happy travels xx
Beautiful view & scenery of Route 66 love the history of it 🙂👍❤️
Thank you! And thanks for watching, we really appreciate it!
@@mikeandheather Ur very welcome 🙂👍❤️
This makes me so happy! My wife and I did the Route in 2020! You will love it! Use the app AND the guide book. Get every stamp in your book you can!
We've started to plan our trip on Route 66 and plan on leaving Miami, Florida late August 2023. I've watched a lot of videos so far on yours was by far the most informative. Best tip so far was to relax, keep it real and enjoy. Second best was to buy the passport before you start. I just ordered our passport. I can't wait to follow your journey. New subbie!
Wow, thank you so much for subscribing! We are happy to have you here :) This may be a spoiler alert but we did not find a passport until we made it to our last stop in California, at the end of Route 66! If we could do it again we would 100% order the passport before we left haha Best of luck in your Route 66 travels!
We plan to travel Rt. 66 starting April. Safe travels! Thank you❤
That is amazing! You will have to let us know how it goes, we love hearing about other people's travels! Best of luck and safe travels! Don't forget to put your feet in the Ocean once you have finished :)
And I’m going to order a Rt 66 passport book before the trip 😎I was so happy that you finally found one 😀
Glad to see you out on your travels! Oh, I upgraded from my Renault kangoo to a Nissan NV200… loving the extra space, but not loving the fuel prices here in the U.K. 🫣
Thank you! And thank you for watching :) We are happy to hear you are enjoying your upgraded van, we sometimes wish we had extra space as well 😀 Unfortunately we can also relate to the high gas prices, hopefully they drop soon!
A Great tour with you 🙋
I wish you happiness 😇
Aidy from Kilmarnock Scotland me and my friend doing it October next year
Wow, Scotland?! That is too cool! The North Coast 500 is on our bucket list, funny how roads from across the ocean are calling to us :)
Best of luck when you travel Route 66 next year! We would love to hear all about it when you do! Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
Loved this so much we are now subbed. Excellent presentation.
Thank you for the kind words and for watching, we really do appreciate it and you!
@@mikeandheather we downloaded a bunch more to watch, and watched a lot of your Route 66 last night (we live in a national park and don’t have real tv nor internet). We are loving it!
@@hammockstocoasters Wow, you just made our day! We cannot thank you enough for all the support, it means a lot to us 😊
Glad to see you back on the road!
Great video guys, enjoy the adventure
Our family is planning a route 66 vacation so we're looking forward to future episodes. We're enjoying your videos, but especially route 66. At 10:58 of the video I'm pretty sure I saw a mouse on Mike's shoulder. Best wishes.
Oh boy, we all know Mike is not a fan of mice so I hope you are joking haha we watched back the footage just to make sure though lol
That is so exciting about your upcoming Rt. 66 trip! You will have to keep us updated on your travels as well, we would love to hear all about it! We absolutely recommend Rt. 66 and are excited to share the rest of our experience, thank you so much for watching, we really appreciate it!
@@mikeandheather We just returned from this year's vacation so the route 66 trip is in the early planning stage. Also we just bought a fixer upper and it is definitely more fixer than upper so that is an issue as well.
Sorry, the mouse comment was a joke referring to Mike's reaction to the "MOUSE" shout in your conversion video while removing the overhead. Mike's reaction was hilarious.
I have a suggestion for future travels. A friend of mine, with friends, did a motorcycle trip to the four corners of the continental US and documented the 4 points with photos. Why not do it in a camper van. If you ever decide to visit Key West and take I 75 or the more historic Tamiami (Tampa to Miami) Trail please let us know and we'll buy you lunch or dinner. Either route will take you within a couple miles of our house.
Oh boy! So excited for you both. Always enjoy your journey.
Thank you! We are excited too :) Thanks for watching, we really appreciate it!
there is so much you are missing, but you'll catch them next time.
You are right! There is so much to do along Route 66, we have many things we have added to our list of things we have to do when we inevitably travel the Mother Road again!
Great video, I always enjoy seeing your country from your travels. Looking forward to your next Route 66 instalment.
Thank you! We really appreciate you following along :)
Wonderful stops. WOW I've already learned so much about Route 66 and you just started. Great video. Just saw you added Instagram and those pictures were amazing. Woohoo!!! More Mike and Heather. Safe travels 💕
Haha yes! We are trying to be better at this whole social media thing as well :) Thank you so much for watching, we really do appreciate you!
hey! my wife and I are big fans of yours and would be more than happy to host you in Las Vegas if you needed a place to stop on your way to Los Angeles or on your way back to refill supplies or just have a place to stop and relax!
Wow glad you enjoyed your time in Chicago👏🏻👏🏻 !! Hope you had a great time and will share more stories of your travels 😊😊
We really did enjoy Chicago, especially the pizza! Thank you so much for watching, we appreciate it!
Launching pad is closed now…..apparently a bad divorce or something.
👍
😊
I’m bummed about the passports for you guys. Hopefully you get lucky at some point. I look forward to the rest of route 66. It’s definitely something i’d like to do
What's this with the plain peanut butter sandwich? No jelly, no Marshmallow Fluff? :-)
Check “Keep Your Daydream” on CZcams, they did the Route 66 thing.
Hi Mike and Heather. Questions for y'all. Is there a lift kit for Ford Connect? At least 3" or so? That y'all know of? I've been looking but it all comes to mid size transit. Thanks in advance but most importantly.. y'all be safe and enjoy your adventures! Your friend from California.
😊😊😊😊😊😊😊👍
Hi, is there any Google map route guidance that you used to navigate this journey? Thanks
I love your Rt66 videos. Thank you. Question: was The Launching Pad still in business when you came through Illinois? I'm getting conflicting info but the listed phone number is disconnected. Thank you
Thank you for the kind words and for watching, we really appreciate it! Yes, the Launching Pad was still open for business, it was just closed on the day we were driving through. As far as we know, it is still open! We know the new owners were very excited about keeping the Route 66 history alive 😊
Hi i would like to know how to get to route 66 from Washington state Seattle
We think the easiest way to drive to Route 66 from where you are is to start at the end of Route 66 and drive it backwards to Chicago. That would mean driving from Seattle down to Los Angeles, specifically the Santa Monica Pier where Route 66 starts and taking it all the way to Chicago! You could then even add the Pacific Coast Highway road trip to your adventure on the way down to Los Angeles to complete 2 amazing road trips!
If you are wanting to start in Chicago, flying there and renting a car to travel Route 66 may be an option for you! We have had several people tell us that is what they did to be able to drive Route 66 and that they were able to just drop the car off in Los Angeles once they completed the journey and fly back home.
Hope that helps! Thank you so much for watching, we really appreciate it!
Does anyone know if the Launching pad is permanently closed or just temporarily closed?
Last summer when we were there it was only temporarily closed! Hopefully it is still open, it is truly an iconic place. Thank you for watching, we really appreciate it!
where does it start Adams Street?
Yes! Route 66 starts at the intersection of Adams Street and Michigan Avenue in downtown Chicago. There is a sign that actually says, "Historic Route 66 Begins Here." Hope that helps! Thanks for watching 😊
@@mikeandheather Is the traffic a pain to get there?
@@MrZocor It is right around the corner from the Chicago Bean/Millennium Park so it is in a touristy area but the traffic wasn't too bad, at least it wasn't when we were there! Hope that helps!
@@mikeandheather Is it E. Adams St (W) and S Michigan Ave?
Hello from wet and rainy Belfast Northern Ireland. I’m hoping to do the route 66 later in November and I’ve just found your blog… looking forward to watching your trip and following in your footsteps ❤
That is fantastic! We are so excited for you, you are going to have an amazing time! We hope to visit your part of the world someday too :)
Thank you so much for watching, we really appreciate it! Safe travels!