For any of you so inspired to take your own trip, I've found some great websites that have helped in my research that you'll want to check out if you're planning your own trip sometime in the future.
Historic Route 66 has great turn-by-turn directions along the route and (if you don't mind occasional ads) is a great, free site of information.
Wikitravel's brief guide provides good advice for those preparing for a trip with a little history thrown in. Of course, this is community edited, but has some good tips!
Amazon has some great books for traveling on the Mother Road as well - some titles to check out might be:
Route 66 Adventure Handbook by Drew Knowles. This was my most-used preparation guide for the trip. It has great tips for what NOT to see as much as what there is to see - tourist traps, great roadside attractions, and what to find off the beaten path.
Here It Is! The Route 66 Map Series by Jim Ross and Jerry McClanahan. You can see these being used for our planning in the pictures from the first post! When the planning began for this trip, these were recommended as the definitive planner. The maps have great information presented visually along the route. There is a map for each state along the Route from Illinois to California - so you'll never get too overwhelmed!
There are many more canonical tomes out there for Route 66 - some of the best ways to find them are to search your local library or talk with a good travel agent.
If you want a little historical perspective, do check out John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath. Written about the time of the Dust Bowl and travels across the United States, this novel is a staple of literature and will give you a great view into the history of the Mother Road.
That's all for now, friends - be sure to check back here often when we have some great eating and tourist finds from our preparations. Until then, the countdown continues!!
