Thrill of a lifetime

Or maybe not.

When we arrive in Chicago, we shall have a day and a bit to do our sightseeing. One of the places I definitely want to visit, is Lou Mitchells. I'm hoping that they will be able to squeeze a couple of Limies in for breakfast. And what better way to start your first full day in the Windy City?

For those that don't know, Lou's is a famous Route 66 eatery and has been serving the Chicago population since before the route was created even, from 1923. When I did the route in 2010, I didn't have any layover time, just a couple of hours in the afternoon to visit the Willis Tower, so there was no chance of indulging in some pancakes and corfee at Lou's. This time, we'll hope to rectify that.

Mentioning the Willis Tower, brings me to another visit I'm planning. Like I said, I did the WT before, including standing on the 'Ledge' or skydeck, which is basically a glass box hanging out over the side of the building. I had in mind that Cath, despite her fear of heights, might like to go up the second tallest building in the US but I've recently discovered something different. 360 Chicago is basically the same as Willis, a viewing floor up in the clouds but this one puts a new twist on the Ledge theme, with something called Tilt. What this is, is 8 glass panels, with handles either side, that tilt out hydraulically 30 degrees, thus giving the punters an unforgettable view of the street, a thousand feet below. Now there's no way Cath will do that but if she won't do either the Ledge or Tilt, then we may as well go to the one I haven't already been to, even if it is only the seventh tallest!

The Ledge, Willis Tower

After that, I'm not too sure what we'll be up to. Our hotel overlooks the park and Lake Michigan, so I expect we'll spend some time around there but apart from that, I'm not too sure. I'll maybe check out some Chicago websites and trip advisor, for suggestions or just leave it to Cath. The next day we'll be up early and on the road, once I've picked up the car that is. Course, I should say, up early and on The Route!

Till next time.  

147 days and counting!

Yes, less than 5 months now until we jet off to Chicago.

Since my last post, this being my first of 2015, Mr Branson has changed our flight times once again and I have secured a room booking at another of my first choice hotels. That leaves just The Cactus Inn, Mclean, Texas as the only first choice hotel not confirmed. For some reason they prefer booking to be made only a couple of weeks in advance. Should be interesting, as it took me months to get any response from them at all, either through email or messaging them on Facebook. I do have a backup booked in Amarillo though, in case the Cactus doesn't come off.

Apart from that, it's all been very quiet, with only some minor tweaks made to the route, such as the 'singing' road, near Albuquerque. This is a stretch of road that has grooves cut into the tarmac, that when you run over them at a certain speed, 40 mph, 'sing' out the tune of The Star-Spangled Banner.

I did have concerns over the planned route, at the far end of the tour in California for a while, as last autumn/fall, flash flooding washed away part of the roads around Amboy in the Mojave. Imagine my shock when the route planner suddenly showed a massive (400 mile) detour back up to i40 and around the impasse. That all seems to be cleared up now, so fingers crossed there's no more before we go and especially whilst we are on that stretch of road in September. Apart from that, I read that an old R66 bridge had been closed, the Gasconade River bridge in Missouri. Seems it has been allowed to fall into some state of disrepair and has now become potentially unsafe for traffic. There's even talk of demolishing it, which surely can't be allowed to happen. This is the roads' heritage and should be preserved, not destroyed.

Gasconade River Bridge, now closed to traffic

Ms Dozey has started to compile her list of music for the trip, though I'm not sure she has got past the obvious yet, referencing Tulsa, Amarillo and Winslow! Feel free to post your suggestions.

Lastly, I'm waiting to hear from our sunshine state buddies Dean and Carol, as to whether they will be around when we arrive in Los Angeles. As Dean is the Wild West Tour guide, it's possible they will be on a tour when we arrive in town. We should know by the end of the month.

That's all for now. Till next time.

Keep your motor runnin'