Route 66 Adventure: Day 2 – Ice Cream, Cars, and a New Zealand Film in Springfield

Day 2 of our Route 66 adventure began bright and early at 7:00am, as we waved goodbye to the outskirts of Chicago and headed south toward the first of two Springfields on our route. Yes, it’s a bit confusing—there’s more than one Springfield on this trip—but we’ll cross that bridge when we get there. Today, we were chasing the quirky stops that make Route 66 legendary, and let me tell you, it did not disappoint!

Old Joliet Prison: Not Quite "Blues Brothers" Touristy, But Close Enough

Our first stop was the Old Joliet Prison, famous for its role in The Blues Brothers movie (and for housing some rather interesting historical figures). We were too early to get the official tour, but that didn’t stop us from snapping some photos of this imposing place. We even tried to figure out where exactly the famous movie scenes were filmed onsite—no luck, but the place certainly had that eerie vibe, which felt pretty spot-on for a prison!

Rich and Creamy: Ice Cream for Breakfast? Not Quite...

Next up, we cruised over to Rich and Creamy in Joliet. Now, I know what you're thinking—ice cream at 8:00am? That’s a little bold, even for me. But hey, we were there for the photo ops, not the sundaes. So, we snapped some pics of the iconic signs and crossed the street to visit Dick’s on 66—a fantastic Route 66 stop where we got our first glimpse of classic cars and vintage gas pumps. You know, the things that make you feel like you’ve stepped back in time, but in the best way possible.

Wilmington, IL

Braidwood, IL.

Dwight: A Model T Fire Truck and a Texaco Station

After Braidwood, we made our way to Dwight (Dwight, IL Website), where we got our first taste of the Texaco Station—a Route 66 classic. Lia even had the chance to sit in a Model T Ford Fire Truck, which, let’s be honest, is the dream of every car enthusiast. Or at least, I’m pretty sure it is.

Pontiac: Murals, Nostalgia, and Small-Town Charm

From there, it was on to Pontiac, a town I had been eagerly anticipating because of its stunning wall murals. And wow, it did not disappoint! The murals were absolutely amazing, bringing the town square to life. We wandered around, mesmerised by the vibrant art and exploring the charming local shops. It was one of those places that just feels like pure Route 66 magic—small, local, and packed with character.

Funks Grove: Pure Maple Syrup (Or "Sirup," As They Spell It)

Now, if you’ve been following along, you know that one of the great joys of Route 66 is finding local specialties. Enter Funks Grove, where we managed to arrive just in time to snag some pure maple sirup (yes, that’s how they spell it—don’t ask me why). Lia picked up a few bottles for souvenirs, while I decided to indulge in something a little more exciting: Maple and Pecan Ice Cream. It’s official—I’m a fan of maple syrup in any form.

Springfield: Cozy Dogs and Double Movie Fun

By the time we hit Springfield—our final stop for the day—we were ready for some food and a bit of entertainment. First, we checked into our hotel, dropped our bags, and headed straight to the iconic Cozy Dog Drive-In for a quick dinner. If you ever find yourself in Springfield, this place is an absolute must-try. Their signature dish, the Cozy Dog (a corn dog on a stick, because why not?) is a classic Route 66 treat.

Full and happy, we made our way to the Route 66 Drive-In Theatre, where they run double showings of movies on two screens. We settled in to watch “Minecraft”—the perfect movie for our American road trip… except that it was a New Zealand film. Yep, a Kiwi movie in the U.S. of A. 

A Day Well Spent

And that was Day 2! From exploring historic prisons to eating maple ice cream and watching movies in a drive-in, it was another unforgettable day on Route 66. If you’re ever driving down this legendary highway, make sure to take a detour through Pontiac, grab a Cozy Dog in Springfield, and, of course, stop at every quirky roadside attraction you can find. After all, isn’t that what Route 66 is all about?

Catch you tomorrow for more adventures on the Mother Road!

Our Route 66 Adventure: Day 1 – Jeeping Through Chicago and Chowing Down on Chicken

Our Route 66 adventure officially kicks off today, and we’re ready to roll! We were checked out of the hotel by 9am and heading straight to the car rental at the airport to pick up our wheels for the next two weeks.

Atlas Stationers – A Pen Lover's Dream

Our first stop in the city was Atlas Stationers, a pen shop I’ve had on my bucket list for ages. It was thrilling to finally get the chance to pick up a few new pens and inks—though the reveal will have to wait until I get home. Spoiler: there’s some serious pen envy coming your way.

The Bean – More Than Just a Mirror

Next, we headed a few blocks down to visit the famous "Bean" (aka Cloud Gate) in Millennium Park (link: Millennium Park). I’ve been wanting to check it out for ages, and we found some street parking just a block away, right under the iconic "Beginning of Route 66" sign. Perfect spot for a quick photo op!

As we strolled through the park, we stumbled upon an amazing water fountain, and to our surprise, the bricks behind it were actually LED screens that change images—how cool is that, especially under the blazing sun?

The Bean itself? Well, it’s even more impressive up close. I reckon Wellington needs one of these! It’s a beautiful, interactive piece of art, and I could’ve spent hours just watching people and admiring the reflections. Definitely one of my favourite art sculptures I’ve ever seen.

A Local Feast

By this point, we’d worked up an appetite, so we checked out a food truck gathering nearby. Supporting local? Check. We found a lovely spot under some trees in the sun, watching people (and birds) while enjoying a great lunch. It’s the little things that make travel special, isn’t it?

A Stroll Down Memory Lane

From there, we drove through the old neighbourhoods of Chicago where my uncle grew up in the late ‘30s before heading to New Zealand. While we couldn’t get photos of the family homes (thanks, freeway construction!), the neighbourhood still has some of its old charm. It was a surreal experience, getting a sense of the past in a city that’s changed so much over the years.

Historic Pullman – A Slice of History

Next up was Pullman, a beautifully preserved historic district built by George Pullman in the 1880s (link: Pullman Historic District). Originally built as workers' housing for his railroad company, Pullman is now a national historic landmark, offering a glimpse into 19th-century industrial America. Lia went into the visitors' centre for more details while I took a quick 30-minute nap to recharge—jet lag is real, folks.

A Surprising Road Trip Find

After our nap, we made a quick stop at a local Walmart to stock up on road trip snacks, drinks, and tissues (because you never know). To my surprise, they sell even bigger cans of Red Bull here—591ml! I thought I was looking at a can of soup at first.

Route 66 Landmarks: First Stops

Our journey southward started with a couple of classic Route 66 landmarks:

• Castle Car Wash (link: Castle Car Wash) – Built in 1925 and designed as a castle, this spot was also rumored to be a hideout for none other than Al Capone. Yup, he used this place to lay low during his bootlegging days. Fun fact: he allegedly lobbied to have Route 66 paved to speed up the transport of his contraband liquor. So, if you see a castle-shaped car wash on Route 66, you’re definitely in the right place.

• Henry's Drive-In (link: Henry's Drive-In) – A Route 66 classic, Henry's has been serving up Chicago-style hot dogs since 1950. It’s a nostalgic stop, famous for its neon sign and hot dogs topped with fries. (Yes, it's a meal in itself.)

Dinner at Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket

As the day wound down, we headed further south to Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket in Willowbrook, Illinois (link: Dell Rhea’s Chicken Basket). Established in the 1930s, it’s a Route 66 staple known for its legendary fried chicken. After a long day of sightseeing, there’s nothing like biting into crispy fried chicken while soaking in the retro vibe of this iconic spot.

Wrapping Up Day 1

By the time we found our hotel at 5pm, we were ready to unload the Jeep, rest up a bit, and recharge for tomorrow. We grabbed dinner around 7pm, then returned to the hotel to update our journals and blog. Day 1 was a success—stay tuned for more adventures!Now we start to get into some of the Route 66 main stops as we start to head south out of Chicago

WLG - AKL - IAH - ORD

12:00 Thursday, 8th of May

Time to head to Wellington airport for the adventure to begin. My flight isn’t until 3pm, but it’s easier for Mike to take me out during his lunch hour, and hey, I’m on holiday, so I don’t mind a bit of people-watching in the lounge! 😎

Check-in was a breeze, and I love that my luggage tags are all the way through to Chicago—just need to pick up my bag in Houston, clear customs, and check it back in for my United flight to Chicago.

Boarding went as usual. We had everyone on board and were about ready to close the door when an engineering issue with a panel at the back of the aircraft popped up. They said it would be a 30–40-minute wait while they fixed it. Luckily, I was sitting in row 1 by the front door, so I could stand and chat with the crew. The fix ended up taking about an hour. When the engineer came on board to talk to the captain about the panel, he had it under his arm—it was about 30 x 60 cm in size.

6:00pm

I had plenty of buffer time in Auckland for my flight to Houston, so I made my way to international via the bus (it was pouring with rain). Auckland Airport seems to change every time I go through! I popped into Montblanc to check out the pens (nice, and at a good duty-free price) and see what ink they had in stock… which was nothing by the way! They never seem to have any ink, which is very disappointing.

I had about 45 minutes to grab some dinner before heading to Gate 9, as boarding was starting at 7pm.

7:00pm AKL - IAH (Houston)

Boarding was delayed by about 15 minutes… which then turned into 30 minutes. But we all got seated quickly in the end. Then, another delay—this time around 40 minutes—while they got extra cargo on board and topped up the fuel. By the time the door was closed, I was lucky enough to have a spare seat next to me. I was flying in Premium Economy for this leg, so the extra legroom and seat width were a real treat. With the extra seat, it was smooth sailing.

The flight itself was great. I had a couple of really nice meals, and the crew took good care of us. The flight was originally scheduled for 13.5 hours, but the captain managed to shave some time off, and we ended up landing 15 minutes early despite the delays at the beginning.

4:00pm Houston Time, 8th of May

I’ve arrived in Houston! I’ve never flown into this airport before, so it was all pretty new to me. Getting through customs took no time at all—about 15 minutes. Then, I had to wait about 15 minutes for my luggage. After that, I handed it over to United in the arrivals hall and made my way upstairs to go through security for my domestic flight. All in all, it took about 45 minutes, and then I was relaxing in United’s Club Lounge.

I spent a few hours in the lounge, which gave me enough time to start this blog post, call home with an update, and make sure Lia was able to check into the hotel at Chicago Airport that I’d booked for us.

9:00pm Chicago here I come.

Heading to Gate E17 for boarding at 8:45pm. However, by the time I arrived, the gate had been changed to E4, so I had to quickly walk to the other end of the terminal to make sure I didn’t miss my flight. Luckily, they were running a bit late, so there was no stress in making it on time. We took off around 9:40pm, and the flight was pretty quick—only 2.5 hours tonight.

It turns out my luggage was placed on an earlier flight, so it’s already in Chicago waiting for me!

We touched down at 11:50pm, but I had just missed the last shuttle to the hotel. After picking up my luggage, I found an Uber and was checked in and in bed by 12:40am—not too bad at all!

First Day on the Route 66 Adventure: Let the Journey Begin!

Today marks the beginning of an incredible adventure—Route 66, here I come! After months of planning and anticipation, I’m finally heading off to the airport for the first leg of my journey: Wellington > Auckland > Houston > Chicago.

It’s a long haul, but the excitement is already building. As I sit here reflecting on the road ahead, I’m buzzing with thoughts of all the iconic stops, quirky landmarks, and unforgettable experiences waiting for me. From the streets of Chicago to the open roads that take me through the heart of the USA, this journey is bound to be filled with all sorts of stories.

The journey starts with a flight from Wellington to Auckland, followed by a connecting flight to Houston. From there, it’s onwards to the Windy City—yes, from one windy city to another! I think there’s a theme here—Chicago, the iconic starting point of Route 66.

Here’s to new experiences, long drives, and a little bit of wanderlust. The adventure has officially begun, and I can’t wait to share it with you all!

Stay tuned for more updates from the road! 🚗💨

#Route66 #AdventureAwaits #OnTheRoadAgain

Einbeck to Amsterdam

Today we travelled by car to Hanover, leaving about 8am. 

After 2 days of Einbeck being in drizzle / fog, this morning was clearing. It was cold today, minus 2 degrees, the car was iced over and we needed to be careful of ice on the roads, but did not encounter any.

We stopped by a supermarket to get some breakfast at their bakery section, then hit the road.

After a short drive on local roads we were on the Autobahn. It was a beautiful morning crossing the German countryside.

We finally managed to hit 200 km/h which was a struggle for the car and it needed a long time to creep up from 190 to 200. Still, we did it! Now here's what amazes me about Germany. Take a look at the GPS navigation map in the photo below. We are passing through a cloverleaf interchange where cars are coming on the off the autobahn, and yet still the road is engineered such that we can cruise through safely at these speeds. Simply unthinkable in New Zealand. 

We stopped at a clothing store on the way into town, then filled up with petrol, then dropped the rental car.

We had about a 10 minute walk with suitcases to a nearly tram stop. We had somewhat planned how to get to Hanover Central Train station and thought we had this all right, expect the trams were running late and we had no spare time either. Thankfully the tram finally arrived. By the time we navigated out way around the station, and grabbed a quick takeaway lunch, and then found our platform, we only had 10 minutes util the train arrived.

The train rise to Amsterdam was in a first class cabin of six seats. Unfortunately we had a mum with two young kids that were quite rowdy, so we had 4 hours trapped with them, not our favourite train journey.

We got into Amsterdam at 4pm, allowing me time to catch up on blogging before heading out to find some dinner.

We have one full day in Amsterdam tomorrow then we fly home.

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Einbeck and PS Speicher

Today we arose to normality, supermarkets and shops are open! Well, not all, but enough for us to get what we need.

We went out to a supermarket to find some basic essentials like drinks to put in the fridge at the hotel, and find some breakfast in the baking section.

PS Speicher opened at 10am so we parked at the hotel and wandered over there. The exhibit is spread across multiple floors. The lift starts by taking visitors to the top floor then we work our way down. The list even had chairs in it!

The top floor is where transportation began, starting with horses, and learning how a horsepower is measured. Then most of the early transportation is some variation of motorcycle before cars.

We even had an opportunity to sit on a real penny farthing!

The museum progresses through the decades especially mentioning the war and post-war periods where firstly motorcycles were particularly popular and then the rise of consumerism in the 60's when cars became increasing affordable and desirable.

There were also exhibits of other items beside cars for each decade. We found a Commodore 64 here, the second we have seen on this holiday! Also a DeLorean, they did not say if it was used in the Back To The Future movies but if not then this was a very good replica.

They also had a special exhibit about the Easy Rider movie and biker culture. Here they had replicas of the bikes in the movie, one had Peter Fonda's signature on the tank.

It took about 2.5 hours to go through the exhibits. After we were done, we went into the historic Market Square which according to their website is "showing an ensemble of timber-framed houses.... It has its origins as a medieval street market and is today the heart of the city and stage of public life". Here there were Christmas Markets open so we took the opportunity to get lunch here. This would be our last Christmas Markets on this trip.

Next I was booked at PS Speicher Motorrad across town, which has three floors of motorcycles, thousands of them, mostly pre-1950. I spent about an hour looking through the exhibits. It was overwhelming just how many bikes they had. Three floors like this:

A small sample of the weird and wonderful:

As this was our last night in Einbeck, and for that matter Germany, we went back into the Market Square for a nice hearty meal at the Brodhous. What better way to finish Germany than Schnitzel and beer?

Tomorrow we return to Amsterdam and start making our way home.