"Gettin' Our Kicks on Route 66" Road Trip

The AZ abode needed a new car.  After searching for one in Arizona with no luck, we found the perfect set of wheels in Illinois, which meant it had to be driven to AZ.  I wasn’t thrilled about driving 2.5 days out west in January, but took my own advice about gratitude and turned lemons into lemonade.  The new van wasn’t the only thing going to Arizona, Dad was going as well, to spend the remainder of the winter in warmth and sunshine.  I felt grateful to still have my dad to accompany me on a 2.5 day road trip.  

The route we chose to take was basically the Old Route 66 from Chicago to LA, although we hopped off near Holbrook, AZ near the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest.  Day 1 of our trip was spent traveling from  Illinois to Oklahoma City where we found the 76 degree January weather to be a welcoming contrast to the 36 degrees we had left behind.  (They were having a warm day.)  By the end of day 2 we had landed in Gallup, NM breathing in fresh, clean, cold mountain air.  Although I am not a fan of cold and snow, the 17 degrees was a small price to pay for the beautiful view of the Zuni Mountains near Gallup to which we woke up.  With only a few hours left until we reached our Mesa, AZ destination, we would be driving from 17 degrees in the mountains to 70 degrees in the desert, snow to sand.  

Our decision to go through the Painted Desert and Petrified Forest (Petrified Forest National Park) on our way to Mesa was a good one.  It was absolutely gorgeous!  My next memory book will be filled with photos I took of this spectacular National Park.  When the grandkids get older, I hope to visit again and take them on some of the hiking trails.  (I’m keeping a list of must-sees and must-dos for future Mimi camps in AZ!)  If you are ever taking the Route 66 Road Trip or are in the Holbrook, AZ area, the Petrified Forest National Park is a must-see!  

Leaving the Petrified Forest National Park, we ventured down the Sierra Ancha through the Tonto National Forest and absolutely breathtaking tall pines covered in snow.  The beautiful drive down this snowcapped mountain would land us in a warm desert in less than 3 hours.  Watch out for Elk!

Our Route 66 road trip out west was spent primarily on Interstates 55, 44 and 40 through Illinois, Missouri, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico and Arizona, which were once Route 66.  If you have the time, take a few days and take the Route 66 Road Trip, hopping off once and a while to see the many natural or manmade attractions along the route.