66 ways to enjoy a weekend road trip...

It's a challenge, but I know it is possible...#1. Get an ingenious idea.
(plan to take your MIL on a road trip for her 66th birthday - like my hubby did!)#2. Plan ahead.
(We side tripped the night before to see where the REAL starting point is.)

#3. Encounter a scavenger hunt along the way.
(How is it there is only an END sign on the Chicago end? You mean I have to go to California to see the BEGIN sign?)

#4. Rise and Shine EARLY.
(We were on the road at 6 am!)

#5. Realize there will be bumps in the road.
(Part of Route 66 has been paved over by major highways like I-55 in Illinois and I-44 in Missouri.)

#6. Antiques and vintage pieces abound on road trips.
(So cool when you make sure to NOTE them all!)

#7. If you make enough stops, you are guaranteed to make some new friends.
(Some characters are more FRIENDLIER than others!)

#8. If you are lucky, you might cross paths with some famous faces.
(Too bad Momma didn't have her old scrapbook for him to sign!)

#9. Enjoy trying out new things.
(Brandan may have never seen the movie, but sure picked up these Blues Bros. style rather quickly.)

#10. Colors are so much cooler when they are retro!
(We were amazed at the care and preservation of so many old places along the route.)

#11. Stop. Stop. Stop.
(It might make the trip take double the time, but when you see things up close you will definitely remember it all the more!)

#12. Find cool, new foods!

(Almost as old as the route, Cozy Dogs is the HOME of the first corn dog!)#13. Even if it is not your typical fare, try it out.
(I've never seen Momma eat a corn dog before, but she liked it and smiled the entire time!)#14. Slow down and enjoy the experience.
(Some of us take this advice better than others.)

#15. The trip is never too long, as long as you are with people you love and you are headed in the right direction.
(Quoted directly from the mouth of my husband!)

#16. Anxiousness to see the next thing and the next thing and the next thing isn't only held in the heart of a child.
(Although being 11 and 9 on this trip would have been cool!)

#17. Make sure to have MORE than one map, just in case there is a crook in the road you didn't expect!
(We had turn by turn guides, GPS via iPhone, and an internet directory helping us out along the way.)

#18. Two wrong turns doesn't necessarily make a right!
(But we lucked out and never got "too" lost! The route 66 signs are in really good shape along the way, but there are a few iffy ones!)

#19. Weather plays an important role.
(The bright blues skies made this trip SO much more fun!)

#20. Traveling Route 66 any faster that 66 mph is NOT a good thing.
(You don't want to fly by an upcoming "photo op" or STOP sign!)

#21. Cornfield, cornfield, cornfield...TRAIN TRACKS! is a cool game to play in southern Illinois.
(Think Duck, duck, duck GOOSE! You got to entertain the kids, you know!)

#22. "Are we there YET?"
(No, we will add 22 more reasons tomorrow...when I get around to adding some ST. LOUIS pictures to this BLOG!!!)
Stay Tuned!