Route 66 Tour – United States

Interested in traveling Route 66? This is your chance!  You may want to take the entire trip from Chicago to Santa Monica, or join us for part of the trip in your region, meeting up for a lunch or dinner as we pass through your club’s area, or helping out in another way such as recommendations, mechanical assistance, etc.

Here are details for you to consider:

We will meet in Chicago for dinner and trip review on Monday, September 22^nd.  This is timed specifically to accommodate those who may want to go to the MAFFI Model A Days at the Gilmore Museum in Hickory Corners, MI on the 19^th and 20^th.  We’ll leave out Tuesday morning on our adventure.

The trip is planned for three weeks, arriving in Santa Monica on Monday, October 13^th.   This will average about 120 miles per day, allowing lots of time to see the interesting and historical sites along the way.  Also, by averaging just 3-4 hours a day on the road, this provides a cushion in case we experience a delay for any reason.  “Roadside tutorials” can appear any time!

We have motel/hotel stops planned to fit the trip well – many with historical significance.  Once you are a committed member of the trip, we’ll provide all the details and phone numbers so you can make your reservations.  Below is a summary list of the dates and overnights, along with the mileage between stops.  Be sure to check out https://national66.org/ and it would be a good idea to ask Santa for a copy of https://national66.org/products/ez66-guide.  Our detailed route and many stops are driven by this guide.

I expect that we will have a range of “A” experience in our group, from limited mechanical to decades of experience.  We’ll stick together and help each other out as needed.

If you’re planning on making the trip, please make sure your A is ready for it.  We’ll go at a variety of speeds, but you should be confident that you could go 45-50 mph consistently and reliably when needed.  It will also be very helpful to have a CB radio with you.

For budgeting purposes, figure an average of $200 per night, with actual numbers ranging from $99 to several hundred dollars.  The highest rates will be in Chicago, Santa Fe, and the Santa Monica area.  Use your own guess, but you might think in terms of an average of $100/day/couple for food.  Add another $500-600 for fuel, and any good guess ($0-$50?/day) for admissions, souvenirs, etc. and that should put a sample base budget in the $7,000 range.  Then figure the return costs, which in our case will be guessing $2,000-ish to ship our car back, plus another $200(+?) for a one way ticket.  Overall we’re looking at about a $10,000 trip.

I have talked to several options for enclosed return possibilities.  It’s a bit early to talk in detail, and some of you may have experience with one or more haulers, so we’ll work on that next year.

Based on experience and recommendations, and wanting to avoid overwhelming local restaurants and motels, we’re looking at a target maximum of 12 cars. That’s my opinion and those committing early may want to set a different number.

In order to establish a group with solid numbers to begin communicating together on the details (and get excited for the fun!) I’m asking for a non-refundable deposit of $100 per car.  I won’t keep it, as we’ll use it toward our final night’s celebration dinner!

If you’re a solid YES! already, please shoot me a reply with information about you, your experience, and your car.  You can send your $100 via PayPal to rob@kirkpatrick.net or mail a check to my address below.  If you’re wanting to plan a meet-up based on the itinerary, please reply.  I’ve already had several conversations about this, and we truly look forward to making new A Club friends along the way.  Please also reply if you have questions or comments, or just want to stay in the loop.

Rob Kirkpatrick

Planned Route: