text: Route 66, Illinois | a daily dose of fiber
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  Posted on May 27, 2012 by debmoyes
  On Saturday we did something we've been meaning to do – explore some of the Illinois section of Route 66. It's quite the deal and advertised a good bit. The reason for (finally) doing this was that we had a friend to entertain who has a new job in Chicagoland and is living in a motel. He worked with Peter long ago in Massachusetts and then in Pennsylvania and then we met up with he and his family again in Tokyo! And I haven't seen him since we all left there 13 years ago…
  But I digress. Route 66 begins in Illinois, south of the city and so that's where we began too. The road was built in the 1920's and was named Route 66 in 1926, also the year Illinois paved their whole section. It was a fun drive with lots of time to talk and catch up. There were some great kitch-y things along the way. Here's one: the Gemini Giant advertising the Launching Pad Diner!
  I grew up near Route 1 in Langhorne PA and some of what we saw makes me think of that famous road. We ate burgers and shakes at Dot's Drive-In which was full of locals as well as tourists enjoying the Wurlitzer!
  And eyeing The (saucy) Dot!
  Us older folks remember when gas stations were attractive and unique buildings. This one reminded me of the gas station in the town I grew up in, which has also been preserved.
  The pumps in front of that gas station are super old, but I do remember seeing pumps like this one in out-of-the-way places when I was little. And Sky Chief was a big brand.
  The big slogan was:
  Our last stop was in Pontiac, Illinois. There was a museum there, filled with all sorts of memorabilia. I will leave you with this funny picture – Pontiac had little cars all over town which had been decorated. I loved this one of Abe taking a spin in front of the county courthouse. What you probably can't see is that his hair in streaming in the wind! {Have a fun weekend!}
  Posted in Road Trip	| Tagged road trip, Route 6 Illinois
  2 thoughts on "Route 66, Illinois"
  I recently heard an interview with George Meharis (now 83) who co-stared in the Route 66 TV series which I used to watch. I've put the series in my current Netflix queue!