Castle Car Wash - Chicago, IL. Almost at the border with Cicero is the old Castle Car Wash, closed now but plans underway to save the unique building.

Dell Rhea's - Willowbrook, IL. Dell Rhea's Chicken Basket opened in 1946 across the street from the (now gone) Hinsdale Airport. I frequently have had their fine chicken dinner, highly recommended!

Gemini Giant at the Launch Pad Inn - Wilmington, IL. Wilmington is the home of the Gemini Giant. The Gemini Giant is a large fiberglass "muffler man" of the 1960's era. Next to the Giant is the Launching Pad Inn. The Inn was built in 1960 and at first sold only hot dogs and ice cream, but has long since expanded to a full service menu.

The Eagle Hotel was serving stagecoaches in 1936. It's the oldest hotel on all of Route 66 and was slated for demolition until the Route 66 Corridor Preservation Program started restoring it so that it can continue to cater to travelers for generations to come. The old hotel is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Polka-A-Dot Drive Inn - Braidwood, IL. First started in 1956 in a school bus painted with rainbow colored polk-a-dots, the Polka-A-Dot Drive Inn served lunch from a mini-sized kitchen inside the bus. Today the Drive In sports bigger-than-life statues of James Dean, Marilyn Monroe, Elvis, Betty Boop and the Blues Brothers.

Streetcar at the Riviera Restaurant - Gardner, IL. Behind the Riviera Restaurant is an old horse drawn Streetcar Diner that is well over 100 years old. In 1932 the Streetcar was purchased and moved to Gardner. Soon it became a simple diner providing good food with just a small sign in front to identify it. For a while it even became an unofficial stop on the Greyhound bus line before the diner closed in 1939. In 1955 the streetcar was moved behind the Riviera Restuarant. When the restaurant burnt down in 2010, it was moved to Gardner next to teh 2-cell prison.

Riviera Restaurant - Gardner, IL. The Riviera Restaurant was built in 1928. Reportedly, movie legends Gene Kelly and Tom Mix used to regularly stop here and it was a favorite out of the way joint for Al Capone during his heydays. During prohibition the old roadhouse offered both liquor and slot machines to discrete travelers. On Christmas 2009, the owners retired and the Riviera served its last dinner. In 2010 the restaurant burnt down due to an electrical fire.

Ambler's Texaco Station - Dwight, IL. Dwight is rich in Route 66 history. Ambler's Texaco Station was built in 1933 and has been servicing the Route 66 traveler ever since. It was in operation pumping Marathon gas until 1998 and ranks as one of the longest operating stations on Route 66. In 2003 it was restored to its current beauty and serves as a welcome center.

Dwight, IL

Standard Oil station - Odell, IL. The Odell Standard Oil Station was built in 1932. This historic station sold gas at 20 cents per gallon to the travelers of Route 66. The station continued to operate until the 1960's when it discontinued selling gas and was used as a body shop until 1975. After sitting neglected for years, the building was saved by the Illinois Route 66 Association. Fully restored, the old station serves as Route 66 information center. Placed on the National Register of Historic Places in November, 1997, it was also the first recipient of the Cyrus Avery Award, which recognizes preservation projects on Route 66.

Odell, IL. During the road's busy periods, 1926-46, a tunnel was built going under the road to St. Paul's Catholic church. It was filled in the '50s.

Cayuga, IL. Here is the northernmost of the two remaining Meramec Caverns barns along the Mother Road in Illinois. The Meramec Caverns is a set of natural limestone caves that features beautifully sculpted patterns of stalactites and stalagmites, located in Stanton, MO.

Cayuga, IL. One of my favorite photos from the Road in IL.

Pontiac, IL. The Route 66 Museum and Hall of Fame has Route 66 artifacts, pictures, and literature capturing years of adventure on the old route. The museum was built inside a refurbished firehouse, which is also listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Mural in Pontiac

Mural in Pontiac

Railroad Depot - Chenoa, IL. The Depot has been demolished.

Steve's Cafe - Chenoa, IL. It opened in 1918 and served "the best steaks on Route 66".

Memory Lane - Lexington, IL. Just north of Lexington, a stretch of closed Rt. 66 has been restored as an interpretive walk and park and filled with Burma Shave signs, a "broken down car" and original billboards. Memory Lane is opened to motorists only during Lexington's Route 66 reunions, parade, and other Route 66 events.

Towanda, IL

Funks Grove, IL. In 1891, the Pure Maple Sirup Farm (yes, "sirup" with an "i" was Webster's Dictionary spelling of the product made by boiling sap), was the first commercial sirup camp. It is situated in a prairie surrounded by a natural maple grove filled with sugar and black maples. Lovely place. YOu must go back in March to visit when they are making the sirup!

Funks Grove, IL. Railroad depot.

Paul Bunyon Statue - Atlanta, IL. Originally on Route 66 in Cicero, this statue watched over Bunyon's Hot Dogs until the business closed in the early 2000's. In 2003, the Route 66 Association of Illinois relocated the landmark to Atlanta. Palm's Grill opened in 1938 across the street. In 2009 it reopened and we were fortunate to visit on its opening week.

The Mill Restaurant - Lincoln, IL. The old Mill Restaurant became famous for its schnitzel shortly after it started business in 1931. It closed in 1996 but is being renovated by the Route 66 Heritage Foundation of Logan County.

Lincoln, IL. The Railsplitter Covered Wagon is the largest covered wagon in the world. It is recognized in the Guinness Book of World Records. For several years, the wagon had been located in the Divernon/Pawnee area. Inspired by the idea of having this tribute to Abe Lincoln located in the namesake community, it was moved to Lincoln in 2007.

Broadwell, IL. The Pig Hip Restaurant operated from 1937 to 1991. Then it became a visitor center and museum. In 2007, the Museum unfortunately burned down due to an electrical fire.

Capitol - Springfield, IL

Springfield, IL. The first fast food of the Road was introduced at the 1946 Illinois State Fair. In 1950 the Cozy Dog Drive Inn opened and introduced the world to the corn dog.

Auburn, IL. If you take the Rt.4 alignment through Auburn, you will drive on the rare red brick alignment.

Virden, IL. Continuing on the Rt.4 alignment, Virden has a wonderful mural.

Waggoner, IL. "Our Lady of the Highways" Madonna Shrine, between Waggoner and Raymond is a marble statue of the Virgin Mary.

Farmersville, IL. Art's restaurant dates back to 1920 when it was known as Hendrick's Brothers Service Station. This eatery was rebuilt in 1952 after a fire destroyed the original building. Art's was refurbished and reopened in early 2006.

Ariston Restaurant - Litchfield, IL.Opened in 1924, it's still operating today. The front faces the original 1930-40 two lane alignment, while the back of the restaurant greets four lane travelers.

The "Million Dollar" Courthouse - Carlinville, IL

Russell Soulsby's Shell Station - Mt. Olive, IL

Stauton, IL. An old gas station site, Henry's Rabbit Ranch, still features the old pumps and signage from yesteryear. Henry's Rabbit Ranch is another of the whimsical stops along the Mother Road, featuring a bunny image similar to the Jackrabbit Trading Post, with the spoof "Hare It Is!", a play on the Jackrabbit's legendary "Here It Is" sign. You can see the rabbit cages on the left.

Hamel, IL. Just north of Hamel is St. Paul Lutheran Church and its large blue neon cross. It was placed here by a family who lost their son during World War II.

Hamel, IL.

Mitchell, IL. The Luna Cafe opened in 1924 and offered gambling and a bordello (the good old days!) Today, it is still serving good food to this suburb of St. Louis.

The Old Chain of Rocks Bridge spans one of the most scenic areas of the Mississippi River. When it was completed in 1929 it shortened travel time between St. Louis and Edwardsville. It is 5,353 feet long and is one of the longest continuous steel truss bridges in the country. One of the most distinctive features is the 22-degree bend in the middle. This feature allowed southbound riverboats to align with the current, slip between the Bridge's piers and avoid crashing into two water intake towers midstream just south of the Bridge. The Chain of Rocks Bridge became a part of Route 66 in 1936 and was used until 1968 when the opening of the toll-free I-270 bridges caused a decline in traffic. The bridge is currently open for pedestrians and bicyclists only.

On the Old Chain of Rocks Bridge.

Water intake towers.

St. Louis, MO. Ted Drewes Frozen Custard at 6726 Chippewa has been serving up frozen "concretes” to hungry travelers since 1929.

Gray Summitt, MO.

Meramec Caverns - Stanton, MO

Bourbon, MO. The Bourbon Lodge once provided a restaurant, cabins and a Phllips 66 station. The cafe was in the stone building, which now serves as a private residence. To the right, in the small white building, was the Phillips 66 Station.

Cuba, MO. The Wagon Wheel Motel has been operating since 1934. It was built of Ozark native stone and called the Wagon Wheel Cabins. In 1946, it was expanded from 9 units to 14 units.

Route 66 Cafe - Cuba, MO. Paul T. Carr built a Phillips 66 Station in 1932. It was converted to a Mobile Station in 1968 before closing. It has now been restored to its original beauty.

Doolittle, MO. John's Modern Cabins started as Bill and Besse's Place in the 1930's. Six cabins were built around a dance hall. On Halloween night in 1935, Eugene Duncan fatally shot his wife and wounded two others in the dance hall's fireplace room.

Lebanon, MO. The Munger-Moss Motel was built in 1946 and still stands today as a Route 66 icon. The complex originally consisted of seven buildings and provided garages next to the units for the customers’ convenience. The garages were later made into additional rooms.

Lebanon, MO. Wrinks Market opened in 1950 by Glen Wrinkle and closed in 2007 when he passed away. It has now reopened by his son.

Paris Springs, MO. Built in 1930, the Sinclair gas station has been restored by Gary Turner.

Bridge to Spencer Garage - Spencer, MO

Spenser Garage - Spenser, MO

Carthage, MO

Red Oak II is a town built by Lowell Davis northeast of Carthage. He has placed original buildings in what used to be an empty field. Phenomenal place.

Red Oak II, MO

Red Oak II, MO

Phillips 66 - Red Oak II, MO

Carthage, MO. The drive in became a junkyeard, but has now been restored and back in business!

Paddoc Liquers - stateline, MO

Galena, KS. The bridge over the mines into the town of Galena. The bridge is not being maintained, so may be closed.

Four Women on the Route - Galena, KS. Melba Riggs and the rest of the 4 Women on the Route bought the old KanOtex Service Station and restored to to provide sandwiches, snacks, and Route 66 memorabilia.

Right beside the station is "Tow Tater," a a 1951 International boom truck that was the inspiration for "Tow Mater" in the movie Cars.

Riverton, KS. The Eisler brothers store was originally a gas station and dates back to 1925, originally the Williams Store.

Baxter Springs, KS. The 1930's Phillips 66 Station is a Route 66 Visitor station.

Quapaw, OK.

Commerce, OK

Rest Haven - Afton, OK

Moose Lodge - White Oak, OK

Route 66 Mall - Chelsea, OK

Ed Galloway’s Totem Pole Park - Foyil, OK

Catoosa, OK. The most famous attraction of Route 66 is the Blue Whale Park. Built in 1970, the water park included a reptile zoo. When the owners passed away in 1990, the park fell into disrepair. But it is being restored through fund raising and volunteer efforts.

Blue Dome Service Station - Tulsa, OK

Ollies Station - Red Fork, OK

Rock Cafe - Stroud, OK. Now listed on the National Register of Historic places, the Rock Café has been revived and is again l operating today. It burned down in 2008, but was rebuilt the next year and is doing well today.

Rock Cafe in 2008 after the fire.

Rock Cafe in 2009 open for business.

Davenport, OK. The restored 1933 Texaco Station has a montage of old license plates.

Arcadia, OK. The Round Barn was constructed in 1898 and is restored as a Route 66 Exhibit.

POPS - Arcadia, MO

Bridgeport, OK. The Pony Bridge was built in 1933 and uses 38 small ("pony") trusses to cross the South Canadian River.

Hydro, OK. Lucille Harmons was called "The Mother of the Mother Road" until her passing in 2000. She lived and worked this 1927 gas station/auto court since 1941. It has been restored by a new owner.

Weatherford, OK

Clinton, OK. The Oklahoma Route 66 Museum is the first official state-operated Route 66 museum in the country.

Kobel's Place - Foss, OK

National Route 66 Museum - Elk City, OK

National Route 66 Museum - Elk City, OK

National Route 66 Museum - Elk City, OK

Western Motel - Sayre, OK.

Texola, OK. The ghost town on the OK-TX border.

Shamrock, TX. The Conoco Tower Station/U-Drop Inn was built in 1936 in the art-deco style popular in the '20s and '30s. It's now a visitor station and houses the Chamber of Commerce.

Magnolia Gas Station - Shamrock, TX

First Phillips 66 in Texas - McLean, TX

Alanreed, TX. Super 66 Station built in 1930 is being restored.

Britten Truck Stop sign and leaning water tower - Britten, MO

Groom, TX. The Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ Ministries was built by a man in Pampa who was disgusted with the huge billboards advertising pornography along I-40 to Amarillo. The cross is the largest in the Western Hemisphere at 190 feet and can be seen from a distance of twenty miles on a clear day.

Conway, TX. Has the Bug Ranch, 5 partially buried Volkswagen Beatles - perhaps a satire of the Cadillac Ranch?

The Big Texan - Amarillo, TX

Soncy, TX. Texas millionaire Stanley Marsh hired a San Francisco artist firm in 1973. The group acquired ten Cadillacs built from 1948 to 1963 and the cars were buried nose down. In 1997, the Cadillac Ranch was exhumed and replanted two miles down the road.

Vega, TX. The Magnolia Station was built in 1924 on the Ozark Trail, a route predating Route 66.

Adrian, TX

Adrian, TX. The MidPoint Café which was constructed in 1928, ten years before the paving of Route 66. Originaly known as “Zella’s,” which was a one-room eatery with a dirt floor. Later the café was sold to Dub Edmonds and Jess Fincher, who changed its name to “Jesse’s Café.” Though it has changed hands many times over the years, it is one of the few businesses still alive and kicking in Adrian selling Uglt Crust Pies.

Bent Door Cafe - Adrian, TX. Got its name from the bent doors and windows recycled from an WWII Army Air Force Base watch tower.

Glenrio, TX

Road to Endee - NM

Endee, NM

Road to NM

Blue Swallow Motel - Tucumcari, NM

Wilkerson's Gulf - Newkirk, NM

Club Cafe - Santa Rosa, NM

Original Comet Restaurant - Santa Rosa, NM

Comet II - Santa Rosa, NM

Longhorn Ranch ruins - Moriarty, NM

Whiting Brothers - Moriarty, NM

Albuquerque - NM

Pigeon Ranch Ruins, Glorieta - NM

Pecos National Historic Park - NM. Known as the Gettysburg of the West, in 1862 Union forces wiped out a Confederate supply train.

La Bajada Hill, NM

Owl Rock - Mesita, NM

Budville Trading Company - Budville, NM

St Joseph's Church - San Fidel, NM

Whiting Brosthers - San Fidel, NM

Lava beds near McCartys, NM

Grants, NM

Uranium Cafe - Grants, NM

Bandera Volcano and Ice Cave - Grants, NM

Running Indian Mascot on the Bowlins Old Crater Trading Post - Bluewater, NM

Bowlins Old Crater Trading Post - Bluewater, NM

Continental Divide, NM

Whiting Brothers - Continental Divide, NM

Road to Arizona

Painted Desert Trading Post - Navajo, AZ

Painted Desert Trading Post - Navajo, AZ

Painted Desert Trading Post - Navajo, AZ

Painted Desert Trading Post - Navajo, AZ

Dead Wash by the Painted Desert Trading Post - Navajo, AZ

Painted Desert Inn, Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Relic in Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Painted Desert at Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Blue Mesa at Petrified Forest National Park, AZ

Wigwam Motel - Holbrook, AZ

Standin' on the Corner at Winslow, AZ

Roadside zoo ruins, Two Guns, AZ

Two Guns, AZ

Two Guns, AZ

Apache Death Caves - Two Guns, AZ

Twin Arrows, AZ

Red Garter Bed and Bakery, Williams, AZ

Williams, AZ

Pete's Gas Station Museum, Williams, AZ

Rod's Steakhouse, Williams, AZ

Williams, AZ

Desotos Beauty and Barber Shop - Ash Fork, AZ

Delgadillo's Snow Cap - Seligman, AZ

Delgadillo's Snow Cap - Seligman, AZ

Delgadillo's Snow Cap - Seligman, AZ

Route 66 Gift Shop - Seligman, AZ

Seligman, AZ

Route 66 Motel - Seligman, AZ

Historic Route 66 General Store - Seligman, AZ

Historic Route 66 General Store - Seligman, AZ

Roadkill Cafe - Seligman, AZ

Peach Springs, AZ

Passing through - AZ

Hackberry General Store - Hackberry, AZ

Hackberry General Store - Hackberry, AZ

Hackberry General Store - Hackberry, AZ

Hackberry General Store - Hackberry, AZ. PUBLISHED ON THE COVER OF A NATIONAL MAGAZINE!

Route 66 Museum - Kingman, AZ

Cool Springs, AZ

Cool Springs, AZ

Oatman Hotel and Cafe - Oatman, AZ

Ed's Camp - Cool Springs, AZ

Switchbacks on Oatman Highway as seen from Shaffer's Fish Bowl Spring

Sitgreaves Pass, AZ

Oatman Highway, AZ

Oatman Highway, AZ

Oatman Highway, AZ

Oatman Highway, AZ

Oatman Highway, AZ

Whiting Brothers - Yucca, AZ

Yucca Cafe - Yucca, AZ

Golf ball home - Yucca, AZ

Yucca garage - Yucca, AZ

Yucca Motel - Yucca, AZ

Road to California

Welcome Wagon - Needles, CA

Wayside Market - Essex, CA

Chambless, CA

Roadrunner's Retreat Cafe and Station - Chambless (East Amboy), CA

Cadiz Summitt, CA

Infamous Roy's - Amboy, CA

Visions of the past - Bagdad Cafe and Motel - Newberry Springs, CA

San Bernandino Mts in California

Whiting Brothers Gas Station - Newberry Springs, CA

Road to California

Daggett, CA

Casa Del Desierto, Barstow, CA

19c Polly Gas - Helendale, CA

Bottle Tree Ranch - Helendale, CA

Emma Jean's Holland Burger - Oro Grande, CA

San Bernandino Mts, CA

Joshua Tree National Park - Twentynine Palms, CA

Joshua Tree National Park - Twentynine Palms, CA

Joshua Tree National Park - Twentynine Palms, CA