Topic: Get your kicks........ (A request for advice)

[Late Developer]

I'm in the process of arranging our holiday and want to make sure it's a good one. We've whittled the preferences down to two; a tour of Cuba (before Castro pegs out and Starbucks, etc move in) and a drive along the length of Route 66.  Right now, Route 66 looks favourite.

The itinerary I've been given is:

- Chicago (2 nights)
- Springfield, IL (1 night)
- St Louis (1 night)
- Springfield, MO (1 night)
- Oklahoma (1 night)
- Amarillo (1 night)
- Albuquerque (2 nights)
- Holbrook (1 night)
- Williams, AZ (1 night)
- Las Vegas (3 nights)
- Los Angeles (3 nights)

I'm not looking to change anything unless it makes sense to do so. However, can anyone in the know (i.e. those who live there and/or have actually done this trek) see any flaws in the destinations listed or nights spent?

Also, what photogenic wonders are en-route between destinations that we need to look out for...?? What would be the best photographic guide books we could read to show us the highlights along the way?

The distances between destinations all look achievable easily. However, what I've no way of telling is if there's any top-notch photo opportunities / national parks, etc. that we'd get the chance to see by staying at alternative locations.

We're intending to depart the UK end of September / early October but we need to book the holiday in the next couple of weeks.  I'm happy if people want to PM me / email me information, just in case this is a bit too much off-topic.

Lara and my ambition is to produce a joint Route 66 book, so we'd be genuinely extremely grateful for any advice / information available - or even "it looks just fine".

Many thanks. Paul.

[Greg Bartley]

wicked nice trip
as much time as poss in each location is the go
all my ex wives all wanted to know why no time generated the best results for my photog!
lets hope it doesn't rain eh !

[Francois]

And you think you'll be able to grab it all in 17 days?

You could take a good month to do it and still miss a ton of stuff!

[irv_b]

Oh man that looks a good trip -mega jjealous! though the cuba one would be my first choice due to the reason you mentioned!

[Late Developer]

And you think you'll be able to grab it all in 17 days?

You could take a good month to do it and still miss a ton of stuff!

2,448 miles in 17 days? Physically, sure we can! The reason I'm asking for the advice, however, is that I know there isn't a hope in hell we'll see everything - I'm trying to make sure we don't miss anything "obvious" to the folk who've "been there and done that".

[Late Developer]

Oh man that looks a good trip -mega jjealous! though the cuba one would be my first choice due to the reason you mentioned!

We're leaving Cuba to next year (all being well on the job front) as I want to get fit enough to do a lot more walking than I anticipate doing on the Route 66 trip. Here's hoping Fidel can hold on for a few more years...

[Rafael Morales]

I have been on it twice and I had a great time both times. My highlights include.
The Blue Swallow Motel, Tucamcarry
The Road Kill Cafe, Seligman
We found a Barb Wire Museum I don't remember the town.
There is an awesome airplane museum near the Grand Canyon (Williams?) I have some great pictures I shot with my Pentax SP500. I think they are my best ever. The Canyon Photos were awesome too.
I saw maybe in Prescott a Wigwam motel. I wish I would have taken photos but we were on the other side of the road.
In Amarillo for the beef jerky. (I wish I knew the name of the place.)

Btw bring a wide angle lens. I had a 50mm with me at the Grand Canyon.

[Phil Bebbington]

Miss Tucumcari at your peril! A real gem of a place. There are stacks of places to stay there, great quality and good prices.

However, you might want to speak with Becky as she has pretty much driven the whole thing or at least that which is left to drive!

[Greg Bartley]

two words ,  camera insurance , travel insurance .........actually thats four !

[David A-W]

Don't forget Winona

[Chris A Fraser]

Looks like a great trip!

Having been to Cuba, I would highly suggest it. it is a beautiful country and wonderful people that are more than welcoming.

[Info Red]

I live in St. Louis, and have spent considerable time on Route 66.  As previously mentioned, you could spend a month along that Route and still miss things, but it's a terrific vein of imagery to explore!  When you come thru St. Louis, it is an absolute must to stop at Ted Drewes Frozen Custard, truly a unique place with the best frozen custard on the planet!  No matter where you are on the route, be prepared for lots of unplanned stops, u-turns, and delays due to seeing things you didn't expect, but need to be photographed.  Definitely a photographer's dream!

To whet your appetite, I've attached a few of my photos taken with Kodak HIE Infrared film, printed on Ilford matte papers, and hand colored using Pebeo photo oils and Prismacolor pencils.

Gas Pump - Funks Grove, IL
Abandoned Homestead - Conway, MO
Twin Arrows Sign - Twin Arrows, IL
Wigwam Motel - Holbrook, AZ

BTW, the Wigwam Motel is in Holbrook, AZ.  Last time I went thru California there were still some vestiges of another wigwam motel there as well; don't know about now though.  Every time I take 66 something else has vanished, fallen down, or been covered with ugly beige vinyl siding; it provides a sense of urgency to take the trip before there is nothing left.

It is a loooong 2,448 miles, but I love doing it as much as I can!  You'll definitely "Get Your Kicks..."

Mark

[moominsean]

Most of the interesting stuff happens at Texas and after, though there are still many large stretches of nothing but flat or loooong hills. You will probably get through Illinois and Missouri a lot faster than you expect, and spend more time from new Mexico through California since that's where most of the cool stuff is (though in New Mexico, there are really only three places you will drive through photography-wise...Tucumcari, Santa Rosa and Gallup). 17 days is probably plenty of time since you could drive it in four days and still get some photos in if you were just getting from A to B. But I've been from Gallup through Oro Grande multiple times and you could spend forever shooting that section. Try to check out the Painted Desert/Petrified forest in AZ as well, which loops from and to 40 (Route 66). Arizona probably has the highest density of shootable areas along the route. Two nights in Albuquerque is probably too much!

I would say that if you are heading up to Vegas (I assume to gamble and such), make sure you head back down to Kingman and take R66 from there to LA or you will miss some of the most iconic areas....you may actually get bored with Vegas for three days unless you are there to gamble. Not much else to do in Nevada! Typically that route is up from Kingman and back down towards Barstow, which means you miss one of the best parts of Route 66...Oatman, Needles, and all the abandoned stuff in California. And there isn't tons of stuff after Barstow. Really, you could spend months in southern Calfornia alone shooting.

And really check out a map and make sure you are getting off of 40 to follow the real Route 66 as it breaks away in AZ and California!


Holbrook, AZ by moominsean, on Flickr


Winslow, CA by moominsean, on Flickr


Ludlow, CA by moominsean, on Flickr


Santa Rosa, NM by moominsean, on Flickr

[Terry]

You will indeed redefine your concept of flatness.

[Diane Peterson]

The only thing I would add is to leave LA and head north, preferable on 1 or 101 towards San Francisco..Really the best part of California happens after Morro Bay or even better San Francisco..I know how it is to travel, I do the same thing when I am in the UK but we don't have the luxury of the wonderful trains here..Planning another trip to the UK and then to Paris and Spain next spring to walk the Camino de Santiago..I love travel! Let me know if you need maps or anything.

[Rafael Morales]

One of the coolest things that happened in one of my trips was I had a chance to look through the Flagstaff observatory's telescope. I saw the Pleides (sp) through the telescope that saw canals on Mars and discovered Pluto! it was a special event. I found out about it through a leaflet I got at the motel.

[ambaker]

As one who lives near Route 66,  I may be jaded.  I'd go for Cuba.  Though 66 is changing, the pace is fairly slow, and much of what can be commercialized, already is.  Cuba, on the other hand, may soon go through a massive change, with the Cuba of today soon lost forever. (for better or worse depending on your point of view.)


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

[Late Developer]

Thanks to one and all for the comments and advice.

We got a call from our friend at the travel agent yesterday warning of an imminent price hike for the flights - so we've booked the holiday as it stands. We can, however, re-schedule the accommodation if we wish within the timeframe. We've also requested a "convertible" car for the duration - so I'll be driving with my top down which, I can assure you, is not a pretty sight.....

I'm going to have a close look at the itinerary so that we fit in the places mentioned by Moominsean, Info Red and Rafael Morales. Tucumcari and the California stretch sound way too good to be missed. Frozen custard sounds fabulous to me but my wife detests custard - so she'll just have to watch me eat it and find something else they sell for herself.

Neither of us are gamblers at all (maybe a $10 flutter on the one-armed bandits one evening) but in retrospect three nights probably is too long - though the immense amount of neon sign tackiness might prove interesting for dusk / evening shooting.

Incidentally, where's the best "town" to be based to spend a few hours at the Grand Canyon? There's also some immense impact crater we'd like to see "just off" R66. Any ideas where that would fit in best on the itinerary, please?

I will definitely be bringing a wide angle lens, ND grads / filters and a polariser. As we'll be operating out of a car, I'm tempted to bring the Hasselblad (or Mamiya 7) and tripod instead of 35mm. I'm also thinking about shooting slide film (Fuji Provia 400). Maybe a bit fast for daytime? Not a problem for the Hassy, I suppose, as I could keep a separate back loaded with the stuff and use Provia 100 in daylight.

I'm going to try to wean Lara off digital (at least partially) for the holiday as she could shoot the 35mm, metered, AF stuff. Watch this space 

Right, thanks again for all your help. I'm really looking forward to our first ever trip to USA. Hopefully, the first of many....

[Info Red]

Williams, AZ, and Flagstaff, AZ are both close to the Grand Canyon, but of those two my favorite is Flagstaff.  One of my favorite places anywhere actually, whether on 66 or not.  Some nice bars and restaurants (try Alpine Pizza, if it's still there - great beers), and sufficient lodgings of various price points to choose from.  And I think it's only about 35 or 40 miles from the south rim of the canyon, but I might be off on my mileage a bit...

I haven't seen Seligman AZ mentioned in this thread yet, but it's worth a stop as well, for Delgadillo's Sno Cap.  Color film is a plus for this place!

Enjoy the trip!

IR

[Sandeha Lynch]

You're probably thinking of this one: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meteor_Crater

[img="http://maps.google.co.uk/maps?q=asteroid+crater+arizona&hl=en&fb=1&gl=uk&hq=asteroid+crater&hnear=Arizona,+United+States&t=m&z=9"/img]

Looks like you can't miss it. 

[moominsean]

Flagstaff is about 90 miles from the South Rim. Best place to stay, better selection of motels than Williams. What you do is head up to the east end of GC via 89, drive through to the other exit (stopping at the lodge, etc.), then take that exit back down to Flagstaff via 180 (or head straight down to Williams.)

From Flagstaff west, you will drive through a few cool small towns, but again look at the map so you know when to get off of 40. And when you leave Kingman, make sure you take "Old Route 66" which takes you through Oatman and down towards Needles. Also, when heading west from Flagstaff, make sure to hop onto 66 (which is of course route 66) which takes you through Hackberry and Peach Springs, as well as a visit to Grand Canyon Caverns. 40 will just take you straight to Kingman and there aren't any towns on that part of 40.

The thing about Vegas is the strip is actually quite small. There is other cool vintage stuff in Vegas but it is a large city so finding the good shots can be pretty random. It's overall a mostly ugly town and state!

I lived in Phoenix for 15 years and explored most of AZ, SoCal and chunks of New Mexico and Utah. Really, you will always miss something, but try not to miss the good stuff by sticking to the freeway, as Route 66 branches off. There is a whole heck of a lot of nothing between towns. I have Arizona pretty much memorized and could go on and on about what to check out. It really is probably the "most dense" stretch" of route 66 in terms of oddities and stuff to photograph. If you like roadside dinosaurs, Arizona will exceed expecations!

[astrobeck]

Whew!
I'm on the road in Texas right now, but will answer in depth later...a few things first though.

I have driven the entire Route 66.  It's something you won't regret!!!
I live just outside of Albuquerque, so come see me when you drive through.  One night in ABQ is, as Sean says probably enough..but it depends on what you want to see and do, plus Santa Fe is just up the road, and is part of the route depending on what date book you go by.

The "Safari"  is the hotel to stay at in Tucumcari, NM and it's just across the street (almost) from the Blue Swallow.   The beds at the Safari are fab!

The Painted desert and the Petrified Forest are great photo op places, mainly the Painted Desert.
There's also a side trip you can take to Meteor Crater in Arizona if you like looking at big holes in the ground.  Personally I think it's overpriced to look at, but it is cool for what it is.
I have friends that work at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and you can take tours there and look through the refractor telescope there if you stay the night in Flagstaff...


When I get back home off the road, I'll dig out some of my Route 66 maps and stuff and send to you.

You'll love the road out here!
Becky

[Late Developer]

Whew!
I'm on the road in Texas right now, but will answer in depth later...a few things first though.

I have driven the entire Route 66.  It's something you won't regret!!!
I live just outside of Albuquerque, so come see me when you drive through.  One night in ABQ is, as Sean says probably enough..but it depends on what you want to see and do, plus Santa Fe is just up the road, and is part of the route depending on what date book you go by.

The "Safari"  is the hotel to stay at in Tucumcari, NM and it's just across the street (almost) from the Blue Swallow.   The beds at the Safari are fab!

The Painted desert and the Petrified Forest are great photo op places, mainly the Painted Desert.
There's also a side trip you can take to Meteor Crater in Arizona if you like looking at big holes in the ground.  Personally I think it's overpriced to look at, but it is cool for what it is.
I have friends that work at Lowell Observatory in Flagstaff and you can take tours there and look through the refractor telescope there if you stay the night in Flagstaff...


When I get back home off the road, I'll dig out some of my Route 66 maps and stuff and send to you.

You'll love the road out here!
Becky

Hi Becky.

We're definitely planning on at least 1 night in Albuquerque and it'd be great to meet up. Diane and yourself have offered maps - and Lara and I would be delighted to borrow or buy copies (whichever suits) as, aside from a "Lonely Planet" guide, we can find very little in print on the subject of R66.

It would seem churlish not to and gape at the Grand Canyon as we'll be relatively close to it en-route. Strangely enough, I'm actually more interested in the Meteor Crater as it is evidence of a discrete event that many scientists seem to believe was responsible for creating a nuclear winter that killed off the big dinosaurs. What do you call expensive? I'm led to believe there's a multi-park annual ticket that works out cheap if you visit several national parks along the way.

The Painted desert and the Petrified Forest are on the main agenda. We're currently booked to stay in Las Vegas but, unless there's anything worth seeing (apart from "The Strip" at night, I'm seriously considering bypassing it. Big, ugly cities hold very little attraction for me.

Is the Lowell Observatory the one with a big line of radio telescopes stretching across the landscape? I used to live a 20 minute drive from Jodrell Bank in Cheshire and was taken there when I was too young to really appreciate it, so I might see if Lara's up for a bit of late night star-gazing.

Hope your trip to Texas goes well. Speak soon,

Paul.

[astrobeck]

Ah, the VLA, Very Large Array...
Definately worth a look!

Right now the dishes are in a close configuration, so the photo op there is as good as it gets.
It is west of Socorro, and Socorro is just an easy hop down from Albuquerque....about an hour drive, then another hour drive (approx) west to the dishes.

If you google a guy named Bob Walmire...I think that's his name, he has a hand drawn map of Route 66 that is fun to read and us as a guide for exploring Route 66.
Personally I would skip Vega, and spend the time at the Grand Canyon, and other natural sites along the way.
More later, my laptop battery is fading, but I promise to write more extensively when I get back home in about 5-6 days.
Looking forward to meeting you and Lara!!!!
Becks

[Phil Bebbington]

Paul, I drove past the VLA just a few weeks ago on my way to see Becky. Most impressive! Socorro is a nice place to stay as well, should you find yourself needing to, like I did!

[moominsean]

Meteor Crater is interesting for what it is, but not particularly interesting at the same time. Once was enough for me. It's boring to photograph! And too wide to get in a single shot. Concept is amazing, site itself is pretty dull.

The cinder cones around Flagstaff are much more interesting. You can climb SP Crater if you want a workout. On ranch land north of Flag off of 89. Or you can just do the much easier trails at Sunset Crater.

[Late Developer]

Thanks for the "heads up", Sean. "Much easier trails" sounds more like it as my knees are shot to buggery and I've recently started to have problems with a trapped nerve in my right hip 

[artobest]

I'm tempted to bring the Hasselblad (or Mamiya 7) and tripod instead of 35mm.

Surely 6x6 for a trip down 66 ...

[Late Developer]

Well, final touches put to the itinerary and hotels / motels all booked:

- Chicago (2 nights)
- Springfield, IL (1 night)
- St Louis (1 night)
- Springfield, MO (1 night)
- Oklahoma (1 night)
- Amarillo (1 night)
- Tucumcari (1 night)
- Albuquerque (2 nights)
- Holbrook (1 night)
- Williams, AZ (2 nights)
- Needles (1 night)
- Los Angeles (3 nights)

Hoping to meet up with Becky near Albuquerque and maybe head off to see the VLA. Las Vegas is off the agenda as it just didn't seem to fit with the rest of the trip and, apparently, it's not even on Route 66 anyway!

Hopefully, the longer evenings that are promised will give me a chance to put the Mamiya 7 through its paces for low light shooting....

[astrobeck]

I'm back from Texas so can reply more in depth and sensibly now.

Chicago is great for museums.  I spent a week there several years ago and didn't see everything.
Sean  can probably give better insider tips since he's moved to the windy city.
Here's a link to a must see.
http://www.route66university.com/busdir/hubblereplica.php
It's just off the highway in Marshfield, Missouri and will just take about 20 minutes of your time to see it and take a snap or two if you like.
The Hubble Space Telescope replica sits on the courthouse lawn in Marshfield, which was the home of Edwin Hubble.

Amarillo is a good choice for an overnight stop.
The stockyard cafe there serves up some tasty food.
http://stockyardscafeamarillo.com/
The fried catfish is great, and so is the chicken fried steak. 
But Amarillo also has the gaudy Big Texan restaurant just off I-40 and it's worth going in because everyone does and the food isn't too bad considering it's a huge tourist trap.
My most favorite place in Amarillo to take a camera is the old Helium Plant just west of town.  It's a rusty relic of better days.  You can't go in, but there are some easy shots to be had with little walking.

Route 66 meanders through downtown Amarillo and is bricked in places.  There are sculptures along the way and some painted ponies.

Tucumcari is probably my favorite place in New Mexico to go to and just wander around.  Lot's of neon and kitchy stuff of the Route 66 era.
As mentioned in an earlier post, I always stay at the Safari Motel.  The beds are fab and the art deco styling of the rooms is just perfect for a good nights rest.

We can meet up when you are in Albuquerque and I'll give you some tips about places to go around town that aren't on maps and tourists usually just don't go to the trouble to go to, or they don't realize they are here.

BTW- When will you be here?

I'll dig out the maps and info I said I would send to you earlier and circle some of the things I think you might like.

Becky

[Late Developer]

Hi Becky.
Thank you so much for all the info and links. We are really looking forward to visiting. The company we used to book the accommodation doesn't have an a/c with the Safari Motel so we're stopping at the Blue Swallow which we're told is pretty good, too.
I'm not sure of dates (I don't have them with me on the train) but I will PM you once I have them to hand. I'd appreciate some guidance on the best maps to use.
Speak later.
Paul

[Phil Bebbington]

Paul, I was at the Blue Swallow last year. The rooms are small, but, perfectly formed. Much like myself  Tucumcari is a gem

[astrobeck]

Here's a turn by turn guide that I have used to drive Route 66.

It covers most of the better known spots on the road.
http://www.historic66.com/
It also shows where the old road is compared to the interstate as you drive it.

There are of course many places not mentioned that you will see as you drive past and then a few that you just have to ask locals about once you get to some towns.
For example:
In Arcadia Oklahoma there is the famous Round Barn built in 1898.  Arcadia is not far from Oklahoma City.
But not mentioned because it is new, and within sight of the Round Barn is "Pop's".  Pop's is a very cool diner that was built along the road to help invigorate the area.  It is loaded floor to ceiling with LOTS of bottles of pop and soda type drinks.  It also has a restaurant, which is not bad and they do serve a decent burger.
Out front is a large NEON ( actually the lights are LEDs), soda bottle that is a neat ---kitschty photo op, especially at night.
http://route66.com/
There's a virtual tour on the site.  But it's better in person.

Moving on to Tucumcari, NM, there are all sorts of motels and restaurants to make your visit fun and lots to waste film on.
What is not on the map is the old county park swimming pool.  It is in bad shape, and kind of out of the way, although you can see it from I-40 if you know when and where to look.
But it is one of my favorite stops in that town.  You can tell that in it's heyday it was kinda swanky...except vandal burned the palce a couple of years ago after the city found funds to rebuilt and restore it.

Anyway, a lot of the stuff you will see as you drive along.

[Late Developer]

Thank you Becky, one and all for your help with this project.

Driving on the wrong side of the road in a foreign country is completely new for both Lara and myself, so maps and staging points are going to be very useful as I can see us getting pretty stressed at times. So long as we are driving into a setting sun (for the most part) in the evening, we can't be going too far wrong.....

Lara's doing the digital record and I'm sticking 100% to film (I think). It's tempting to take MF but part of me wants to travel relatively light and rely on a couple of 35mm Nikon bodies - one loaded with colour and the other with B&W. Whatever we take, we're hoping it makes for a trip of a lifetime and wanting to come back for more.

[astrobeck]

Well, if it helps any...
there is a nice photo lab in Albuquerque that does good processing of B&W and color.

I let them do some of my stuff when I get lazy and don't want to do it myself.  Good folks!

You can also buy film in town here, but it's expensive and limited selection.
Don't know about other big cities, but you should do well in Los Angeles, since Freestyle is there....

Looking forward to meeting you and Lara and then seeing your photos later on....
Becky

[moominsean]

There are a few places to get 120 in chicago. Central Camera downtown, and Calumet Photo is here as well. Or you can go to the Lomography store if you want what they offer. I'd bring at least one MF camera! And some ektar for those southwest skies...

[astrobeck]

Just found this while looking for something else about "The Mother Road"
Hope it's useful...
http://blog.jimgrey.net/

[Windy]