The Drive Home: Route 66 Centennial – Amarillo By Morning and thank you George Strait!

Pictures removed but captions remain.

All photos courtesy of the author are not shown. Only the captions.
If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them.-Bob

By William Hall
January 9, 2026
Morning broke in Albuquerque, and the Drive Home VII fleet was in pretty good shape near midpoint on our Route 66 Centennial journey to the Detroit Auto Show. Our 1965 Ford Country Squire’s belt squeak problem has blossomed into the need for a new alternator, new radiator hose, new voltage regulator and a new fuel pump. These tours usually expose some weaknesses in museum cars that don’t see regular use. Nothing to see here. Just old cars doing old car things.

Keep Watching
Final Road Test & Review | 1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z | IROC REHABFinal Road Test & Review | 1987 Chevrolet Camaro IROC-Z | IROC REHAB The owners of Old Santa Fe Trail Beef Jerky stopped by to see us off at the Arrive Hotel in Albuquerque. Photos courtesy of the author who deleted all of them and left the captions, except the lead photo by David Safian.Continuing the tradition of New Mexico hospitality, the owner of the Old Santa Fe Trail Beef Jerky company stopped by the hotel in the morning to outfit us with snacks for the road. Owner Matthew Chavez is a car enthusiast who’s putting together a Chevy V-8 powered trike, a multi-year project that helps him unwind from the stress of running a small business. His factory is located on Central Avenue, which is Route 66 in Albuquerque.


The 300F cruises past the legendary Dog House Drive-In on Central Avenue in Albuquerque. Photo: Jessica RoybalOff to Santa Rosa, New Mexico, and a stop at the Route 66 Auto Museum. Around 30 vehicles are on display, providing gearheads traveling Route 66 their classic car fix. Started by James “Bozo” Cordova, the museum is now a labor of love kept going by his widow Anna, daughter Stacy and sister-in-law Rosemary in his memory. Stop in and see the ladies when in Santa Rosa, and the diverse collection of cars restored by Bozo.


Seeing double? Paul and Virginia Ortega’s ’69 Camaro faces off with The Drive Home’s example.
The next destination was Tucumcari, known for its classic roadside motels and neon signs. We stopped at the legendary Blue Swallow Motel, the inspiration for the Cozy Cone Motel in the movie Cars. Owners Robert and Dawn Federico are transplants from Crystal Lake, Illinois, who’d had it with Midwest snow and moved to the Southwest. “We’re getting ready for the Route 66 Centennial,” said Robert of his famous 12-room motel. “This is our off season, but the work continues. We love to travel ourselves, so we know what travelers expect. We’re painting the rooms and getting ready. It’s going to be crazy, but that’s what we’re here for.”

The Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari has one of the most recognizable neon signs on Route 66.
Heading into Adrian, Texas, we pulled off at the aptly named Dream Maker Station. Owners Jason and Kelly Snyder relocated from Ohio two years ago after seeing the vacant service station for sale during a Route 66 trip. “I told my wife that would be my dream to live on Route 66, and she said, ‘Let’s go then!’” said Jason. The storefront sells souvenirs, while the service bay acts as a shop for Jason, who specializes in finishing ERA Cobra kits and Kar Kraft GT40 MkIV continuation cars for customers around the country. “These last two years have been the best of my life. I wish I’d done this 10 years earlier.”

If you phone ahead, there’s a good chance Jason and Kelly will pull out the barbecue grill for you.
Jason and Kelly Snyder made their dreams come true by purchasing a vacant gas station in Adrian, Texas on Route 66.
No trip on Route 66 is complete without a visit to the Cadillac Ranch, the public art installation of half-buried vintage Cadillacs created by the art collective Ant Farm in 1974. Visitors are encouraged to spray paint the cars, and the decades of built-up paint have blurred the Caddie’s shapes beyond recognition. Nonetheless, it’s a fun bit of interactive art and a chance to stretch your legs, or maybe the legs of the babe riding with you.

Jason works on an ERA Cobra replica in the service bay of his gas station.
Arriving at the hotel in Amarillo, the white 1960 Chrysler 300F suddenly died. A quick diagnosis revealed that the distributor shaft was not turning, apparently sheared. The crew pushed the car into the hotel parking structure, and called back to the LeMay – America’s Car Museum who planned to borrow the dizzy from its sister car, the red 1961 300G seen in previous Drive Home events, and overnight the unit to Tulsa, Oklahoma.

The privateers representing The Drive Home at the Cadillac Ranch.
By Thursday morning, we were a crew divided. A morning trip to NAPA got us the parts to repair the Country Squire in the hotel garage, so the 1991 Fox-body Mustang remained in Amarillo alongside. The Chrysler was loaded onto the trouble trailer, which it will ride until we can receive the distributor.
David Safian works to get the Country Squire on the road, while the 300F broke its distributor shaft in Amarillo.

The rest of the group proceeded to Shamrock, Texas, and past the iconic Conoco Gas Station and U-Drop Inn Café, which now serves as the local Chamber of Commerce and Visitor Center. Some call this restored ‘30s-era station the “Taj Mahal of Texas” for its twin spires. We caught up to some of our Drive Home privateers eating in the café, as the smell of brisket smoking out back was hard to resist.

The GTO at the Slug Bug Ranch in Amarillo.
If Route 66 is the yellow brick road, then the wizard is Harley Russell of Sandhill Curiosity Shop in Erick, Oklahoma. For 40 years, Harley has occupied the former meat market building, filled with Route 66 signage and eccentric artifacts. Harley himself might fall into that latter category, as the 80-year old self-proclaimed redneck loudly whooped and hollered for us to come in and explore his shop (nothing is actually for sale), then pick up a tambourine and accompany him for a rambling rendition of “Get Your Kicks on Route 66,” while washing it down with a shot from a Jack Daniels whiskey bottle.

The historic Conoco station in Shamrock, Texas.
So while Route 66 certainly offers its share of beautiful vistas, interesting architecture and fantastic rusting relics, I think the interesting mix of people – those folks whose sense of adventure drew them to live and work on the Mother Road – are the real story of The Drive Home.

Shamrock is ready for your EV cruise of Route 66.
Jonathon Klinger from the NB Center adds Texas style to the 1934 Buick. Harley Russell plays a spontaneous song for visitors to his Sandhill Curiosity Shop.
300F pilots Doug and Kiki Fox with Harley Russell in Erick, Oklahoma. The Kaseters and the Tullys at Sandhill Curiosity Shop.
Harley Russell cheering on the cars of The Drive Home.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Take Me Back To Tulsa

By William Hall

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January 10, 2026

• 

It’s Day 7 of The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial trek to the Detroit Auto Show, and the Drive Home crew awoke in the comfy beds of Lucille’s Hotel in Weatherford, Texas. Lucille’s is a local brand owned and operated by Rick Koch’s ASAP Energy Inc, a regional convenience store company that took over the hotel when a national chain pulled out, and purchased and restored the historic Lucille’s Gas Station in nearby Hydro once operated by the “Mother of the Mother Road” Lucille Hamons.

Morning in Weatherford, Oklahoma brought a hard-starting Camaro and a new crop of privateers.

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If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them.-Bob

In the parking lot, we met today’s fresh harvest of privateer drivers. James and Wendy Savage arrived in their bright yellow 2023 Chevy Corvette, and Bryan and Sherri Robinson in a red 1984 Porsche 944. Rick and Bonnie Ferguson in their blue 1953 Plymouth would jump in later in the day, swooping in on our six to join the caravan.


Lucille Harmons’ Service Station offered warm hospitality and cold beer to Great Depression-era travelers on Route 66, earning her the moniker “Mother of the Mother Road”.
Off to Pop’s 66 Soda Ranch in Arcadia, Oklahoma, a soda pop museum which masquerades as a filling station, lunch counter and convenience store. Inside there are 800 brands of soda on display, alas not all are available for purchase. A modern-day version of the classic Route 66 lunch counter serves sandwiches, milkshakes and even microbrews. The sleek glass and steel-framed building is a throwback to the idea that good architecture can be applied to the utilitarian, just like the vintage stations that dot the Mother Road. By modern standards, it’s the most beautiful gas station I’ve ever seen.

The Oklahoma Pony Bridge was an engineering marvel when constructed in 1933, and became famous in the movie The Grapes Of Wrath.
About 15 classic cars followed us from Pops to the historic Threatt’s Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma. Built in 1915 and operated by the Threatt family, it was the only African-American owned gas station on Route 66 in the Jim Crow era, providing safe lodging for travelers well before The Negro Motorist Green Book was first published in 1936. Ed Threatt Sr., grandson of the founder, was on site to greet us and recount his memories of growing up on the property, which at times were emotional.
The slick, modern interpretation of the classic Route 66 lunch counter at Pop’s 66 Soda Ranch in Arcadia, Oklahoma.

Onwards to Tulsa, where we stopped at the Buck Adam’s Cosmic Curios, a former service station which offers up some of the best souvenirs on Route 66. The Tulsa classic car community showed up in force and warmed our hearts. So many new friends, and precious little time to soak it all up. It’s hard to believe that on Monday The Drive Home VII will be headed into Michigan and the Detroit Auto Show.

Much of Route 66 through Oklahoma features its original Portland Cement paving and soft curbs, identified by their characteristic soft beige hue.
Meanwhile, we retrieved the Chrysler 300 F from the mechanics at Atlas Auto in Tulsa, who installed a new, stock Chrysler distributor and electronic ignition box, circa 1972 Mopar, into the dual-quad 413 wedge. It’s back up and running well. But now, the new battery added to the Camaro only two days prior was found to be boiling out, a clear sign of an overcharge situation.

The solution was to replace the battery and cables, bypass a defective battery cut-off switch, and refasten the newly installed voltage regulator to ensure a proper ground. The Country Squire also had its driveline fluids checked and topped, and we’re in good shape to begin the weekend push into the Midwest. With a new batch of drive-along privateers, we’re looking forward to making many more friendships along The Mother Road.

This heavily customized 1953 Plymouth of Rick and Bonnie Ferguson had us all guessing when it swooped into our convoy.
The 1965 Country Squire in front of the historic Threatt’s Filling Station in Luther, Oklahoma. Johathon Klinger of the NB Center (center) holds court with the 1934 Buick Model 61 restomod.

A gorgeous Pontiac GTO showed up to welcome The Drive Home VII to Buck’s in Tulsa. Hoods up for a bit of maintenance at Atlas Auto in Tulsa.

 

The Drive Home VII: Kicking Off The Route 66 Centennial Road Trip To The Detroit Auto Show

By William Hall

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January 2, 2026Route 66’s 100th Anniversary celebration officially begins January 3rd with an 11-day, 2,448-mile classic car road trip from Los Angeles to Chicago ending at The Detroit Auto Show, and Hemmings will join the journey.


The Drive Home VII: Route 66 – A Century of Adventure, is a collaboration between America’s Automotive Trust and The Detroit Auto Show, featuring vintage vehicles from the LeMay – America’s Car Museum, The NB Center for American Automotive Heritage, The Creative Workshop and Hagerty. The drive is co-sponsored and officially recognized by the National Route 66 Centennial Commission and the eight Route 66 member states. This will be the first official event commemorating Route 66’s anniversary year.

America’s Automotive Trust and The Detroit Auto Show will celebrate the centennial anniversary of Route 66 with The Drive Home VII: Route 66 – A Century of Adventure. Classic accommodations and hearty road food await the travelers. All photos are NOT provided by author.
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Send an email here: and you will be sent photos by email: Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com

Nine classics – will make for a diverse group of vehicles in this mid-winter trek.

The convoy sets off from Mel’s Drive-In in Santa Monica at 8am Saturday morning, with daily diaries from the road from our embedded journalists. The public is encouraged to drive along with the caravan, which will visit many of the iconic roadside attractions that have made Route 66 so celebrated. The cars will receive a police escort out of town, and will stop at the historic Cucamonga Service Station in Rancho Cucamonga

For other stops of the caravan as they make their way west, check out the official The Drive Home website.
Among the vehicles traveling this year are a restomodded 1952 Chevrolet 3100; a 1969 Chevrolet Camaro (itself a veteran of The Drive Home trips); a 1934 Buick Model 61 Club Sedan that is packing a 1970 GS 455 Stage 1 engine and a 700R4 overdrive automatic; a 1960 Chrysler 300F packing the 375-hp cross-ram/dual-quad 413 big-block; and a 1992 Land Rover Discovery that has been recently restored by The Creative Workshop in Dania Beach, Florida. The trip will be the Discovery’s shakedown cruise!


This isn’t the first time America’s Automotive Trust has braved wintry roads in classic cars. Hemmings has covered the event since its inaugural run in January of 2016, when three cars left America’s Car Museum in Tacoma on an epic and sometimes dicey journey to the Motor City.
The Drive Home VII: Route 66 – A Century Of Adventure will leave Mel’s Drive In in Santa Monica, California January 3rd, 2026 at 8:00 a.m. The public is invited to join the caravan and enjoy the sights of a bygone era along the way to Detroit.

With the Detroit Auto Show’s return to a January timeslot, the Drive Home adjusted accordingly, once again returning classic cars to mid-winter roads. The event always stirs the debate between the preservationists and the “drive them, don’t hide them” crowd for exposing valuable museum pieces to potentially damaging conditions.

Look to see the road-worn classics on display when The Detroit Auto Show opens on January 14th at Huntington Place, which will preview a larger Route 66 Centennial exhibition opening at the LeMay-America’s Car Museum this year.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – The Missouri Waltz Pictoral

By William Hall

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January 12, 2026
On Saturday morning the Drive Home VII crew greeted the sun in downtown Tulsa with the coldest weather yet on our cross-country journey to the Detroit Auto Show, with an even chillier homecoming parade down Woodward Avenue scheduled for Tuesday. Making our way across the Great Plains, we are making friends and adding privateers in our relentless march to Motown.

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If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them.-Bob

Meeting up with us in Tulsa for the ride was Rianna Melton, the owner of a yellow 1976 AMC Gremlin X known on social media as Yertl the Supernational Gremlin. The 232-cu.in. inline-6 powered Gremmie had previously been owned by a production company in British Columbia, where it appeared as a character car in the Daniel Radcliffe 2013 movie Horns before being repainted its current yellow for the CW series Supernatural. Rianna drove 4 hours down from Kansas to hang out and drive Route 66 with us.

The Drive Home VII crew grabbed a quick hotel lobby breakfast before heading out to the Will Rogers Museum in Claremore, Oklahoma, to learn a little bit about the cowboy philosopher and even attempt a few rope tricks. There we ran into Jack and Debi Petitt and their 1966 Chevrolet El Camino, now sporting a crate motor 454, 700R4 automatic transmission and airbag suspension. Jack is a So-Cal transplant to Oklahoma, with the El Camino still wearing Cali plates and a Mercifuls Car Club badge.

Not to be missed on any Route 66 tour is the lovely Coleman Theater in Miami, Oklahoma (pronounced MY-AM-uh if you want to sound local), with its elaborate Spanish Colonial Revival architecture. The lush Louis XV-style interior and original pipe organ transport you back to a time when theater was a grand event, and the Coleman was considered the finest theater between Dallas and Kansas City.

While fueling up in Miami we ran into Mia Walker, all dressed up for her senior picture photoshoot with her mom, Mandy. The ladies asked if they could get a picture with some of the cars, and Mia posed with her favorites while holding a photo of her parents. Sadly, her dad had passed due to colon cancer, and Mandy was emotional that her husband and the father of her child was not there to see this day. Not wanting to catch a young lady in an unflattering photo, Mia and I reviewed the pics and agreed on the one above – with her shining smile and a sudden gust catching her hair, as if her dad was blowing her a kiss.

Runnin’ and gunnin’, we swung by Aaron Perry’s Gearhead Curios in Galena, Kansas, for a peep at the “most-photographed bathroom on all of Route 66.” Legend has it that Aaron’s ex once called him a narcissist, so he went out and acquired a 30-foot statue of himself to prove her right. Gearhead Curios has a great selection of unique t-shirts and Route 66 memorabilia, including full-size, authentic metal Route 66 signs supplied to the shop by the same vendor the highway department uses. Aaron is just one more example of an entrepreneur moving to Route 66, living the dream and making a go of it in this new era of the Mother Road.

Saturday evening, we crossed into the state line and were welcomed by the Chairman of the Federal Route 66 Centennial Commission, Rob Reid, and other car enthusiasts at the Shepard Hills Factory Outlet in Lebanon, Missouri. Once there, we were hosted for a spectacular brisket and rib dinner at Smokin’ Jones BBQ, with accommodations at the historic Manor House Airbnb, provided by Lebanon Tourism.

By Sunday afternoon, The Drive Home VII was headed through downtown St. Louis to the decommissioned Chain of Rocks Bridge. Formerly a two-lane Route 66 auto bridge over the span of the Mighty Miss, it has been converted to a pedestrian greenway. The bridge is unique in that mid-span it takes a 22-degree bend, necessitated by weak bedrock discovered during construction. Today, it is only available to car traffic through special permit, making our crossing indeed special.

One last stop for the night, at the Route 66 Motorhead Bar and Grill in Springfield, Illinois. A sprawling complex filled with Route 66 collectibles, petroliana and classic cars, it is the ultimate man-cave writ large. With great food and hospitality, it’s a must stop in central Illinois. Part of the building is actually constructed over an old iconic Stuckey’s roadside store. One look at the curved ceiling over the bar will instantly determine if you are of a certain age to remember what a pecan log roll tastes like.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Royal Treatment In The Duke City

By William Hall

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January 8, 2026After a restive stay in the historic La Posada hotel, the drivers of The Drive Home VII scraped the ice off their windshields in chilly Winslow and headed east to the iconic Wigwam Motel in Holbrook, Arizona, before wending our way along Route 66 to the Detroit Auto Show.
A cold morning start greeted our drivers in Winslow.

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If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them.-Bob

Moving along Route 66, we’re encouraged by all the acts of preservation and pride we’re seeing. New roofs. Restored neon signs. There’s still plenty of cool ruins, but there seems to be a resurgent enthusiasm leading up to the Mother Road’s centennial celebration this year that has people hoping for a true renaissance.
A quick visit to the famous Wigwam Hotel in Holbrook.

Lunch was at the famous El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico. If you’ve been through Gallup, you’ve driven past the El Rancho, and shame on you if you’ve never stopped. The vaulted reception area with its massive stone hearth (and still displaying a towering Christmas tree) was a step back in time to the grandeur of Route 66.
The El Rancho Hotel in Gallup, New Mexico.It was Gallup’s mayor, The Honorable Marc DePauli, whose grandfather constructed that magnificent fireplace. The mayor, along with Councilwoman Linda Garcia, stopped by to greet the crew while Albuquerque news station KRQE conducted interviews.


Best buddies Jimmy “The Hammer” Zanetti and Dennis Copyak with his 409-powered Impala SS.Outside, the 1969 Camaro refused to start, prompting a remarkably-quick battery change from a parts store down the block. The delay was a chance to catch up with our “privateers” – those independent drivers who are loosely shadowing our group on this journey – some of whom were having their own interesting narratives with car repair.


Don “Movie Star” Johnson keeping coolant in the Galaxie.Longtime road trip buddies Dennis Copyak, Jimmy Zanetti, and Don and Lea Johnson read about the The Drive Home VII and decided it was for them. They’ve been with us since the beginning, and every time we think they’ve turned around and gone home they pop back up on the road with irrepressible smiles and laughter. Will they make it all the way to Detroit? “The only thing we have on our calendar is medical appointments,” said Dennis with a self-deprecating laugh.


The cockpit of Dennis Copyak’s Impala SS is all business.That Dennis can still laugh is remarkable. Two days prior to our Santa Monica launch, he was driving his 1964 Impala SS 409 4-speed from his home in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and suffered a catastrophic failure in his differential, blowing a hole in the carrier and losing all the gear lube. Against all odds, the crew at Le Bus and Top Tech Motors in Rock Springs sprung into action, fitting a complete new rear end to the car in record time. Less than 24 hours later, he rolled into Mel’s Drive-In in Santa Monica and began this incredible journey with us.


The Impala required major surgery just 48 hours prior to the start of The Drive Home.Jimmy “The Hammer” Zanetti, so named because of his earlier assistance with a blunt instrument on my ‘52 Chevy’s stuck starter Bendix, is driving along with his 1965 Chevy El Camino, also a 409 4-speed. It was Jimmy who gave that red Impala SS to his best buddy Dennis as a birthday present, wrapped in a big white ribbon. We should all have friends so close.


An all-new rear axle was sourced and fitted to get the Impala back on the road.
Don “Movie Star” Johnson and his wife Lea are driving the 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL Convertible that served as their wedding car. Don’s father was the original owner, and you can still see where Don’s groomsmen wrote “Just Married” on the hood in shaving cream. The car is unrestored and original, right down to the expansion tank dump tube which likes to mark its spot after long highway pulls.

The Rough Riders looking happy at Mel’s Drive-In at the Drive Home kickoff.
That sleek white Porsche 911 you’ve seen lurking in the photos is driven by Arnon and JoJo Kaseter, of Lynnwood, Washinton. They’ve been having their own high-spirited fun; checking in with us once or twice a day, running their parallel but separate adventure on the Mother Road. The same is true with Rob and Misty LeBlanc, empty-nesters who flew out to Los Angeles, rented a white BMW sedan and are making their way back to St. Louis with us. The father-daughter team of Geoff and Madison Tully of Los Angeles are enjoying their 2005 50th Anniversary Edition Ford Thunderbird, one of only 1,500 commemorative editions produced.

Copyak’s Impala made it safely to Albuquerque for the welcoming parade downtown.

A few miles outside Albuquerque, around 25 classic cars were waiting to escort the drivers and cars of The Drive Home VII into their city. “Somebody had to come out and meet you,” said a lady in a blue 1968 Pontiac GTO, as if just citing proper etiquette. Cars from the Solo Riders, The Drifters and Ranflitas car clubs rode with us down Central Avenue to our mid-century designed hotel The Arrive, where a street party broke out. Even regular HMN commentor “BigRedRivi” was there, providing a friendly face to the username on the Hemmings digital forums. The rolling welcome was a genuine surprise, and a heartwarming act of hospitality by the vibrant ABQ classic car community.

The marquee at the Arrive Hotel in Albuquerque greeted America’s Automotive Trust.

A street party broke out in front of the hotel thanks to ABQ car clubs. Hemmings commentor “BigRedRivi” making the scene at the Arrive Hotel.
ejsieber 4 days ago Outstanding Bill! Sure wish we could have kept going, this is indeed great enjoying The Drive Home vicariously. In Kingman I noticed on Bill Copyak's windshield a couple of recent Peppermill HAN VIP stickers and I'm sure we've seen each other there; my wife & I have attended HAN in Reno with our High School 1969 Judge for the last twenty years.

Keep on driving!

JoeEssid 4 days ago You missed a great steak house in Holbrook, Butterfield Stage Co. we had a convertible Mustang for two weeks in that part of AZ and stopped at both Winslow (Brown Mug Cafe!) and Holbrook.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Drive Days 1 And 2

By William Hall


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January 5, 2026

Whoever sang “It Never Rains in Southern California” apparently never took a classic car trip in January. The Drive Home VII: Route 66 – A Century of Adventure began Friday in Santa Monica, where marine mist quickly turned to heavy rain, making an early challenge for our nine classic vehicles.

Only a block away from the historic Santa Monica pier and the western terminus of the storied Mother Road, the drivers gathered at the cozy Hotel Carmel. Owned and operated by the Kuhmetz family since 1946, it’s just the right amount of retro to set the mood for our centennial road trip. With secure off-street parking, it’s a great base camp for any classic car enthusiast to start or finish a Route 66 journey.

Early mist met the 1934 Buick restomod from the NB Center.

All photos courtesy of the author are not shown. Only the captions.
If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them.-Bob

Santa Monica is a town that sits at the forefront of mobility, with Waymo self-driving cars and Coco autonomous delivery vehicles shuttling ramen noodles to your door. It’s a glimpse of the future in familiar surroundings, and it provides an interesting juxtaposition against our vintage modes of transportation.

Friday evening we were the honored guests of the Santa Monica Business District and its director Jeremy Ferguson, who arranged a public reception at the town’s outdoor ice-skating rink just a few blocks away. Jeremy and his crew were great, welcoming us with a DJ spinning music, Adirondack chairs surrounding a fire pit, a coffee barista and Drive Home-branded canned mocktails from Thirst Trap beverage company. Meanwhile, families enjoyed ogling the cars before donning skates for a twirl around the rink.
The Stage 1 455-cu.in. engine in the ’34 Buick wears the iconic “Star Wars” air cleaner.

It was also our first good look at the vehicles that will make the cross-country trek to the opening of The Detroit Auto Show on January 14th.

It’s where I first met up with the 1952 Chevy 3100 Pickup truck that I’ll be piloting. While stock appearing, it’s actually a handsome resto-mod sporting a Chevy LS 350 motor. The iconic 5-window “Advanced-Design” GM cab and bed is mounted on a 1985 Chevy S-10 chassis, utilizing independent front suspension and power disc brakes along with updated amenities like air conditioning and power steering.

The distinctive gold and purple livery is a nod to the University of Washington Huskies by alum Sam Baker, who donated the truck to the LeMay – America’s Car Museum.
Enthusiasts take a seat in the NB Center’s 1934 Buick Model 61.
Also joining us is a very stock and proper 1967 Pontiac GTO from the Hagerty collection. Armed with the four-barrel Pontiac 400 V8 and a console-shifted Turbo 350 automatic transmission, it’s the car I’d most like to have some seat time in.

Lest we bury the lead, the most striking of the bunch is the 1934 Buick Model 61 Club Sedan, which on the surface appears to be a concours-correct restoration of Buick’s junior statesman, but underneath the skin lies a custom chassis with a 3.90 Ford 9” rear end and a 1970 Buick 455 Stage 1 mated to a 700R4 transmission. The car was built in-house by the craftsmen at the NB Center for American Automotive Heritage in Allentown, PA.

Spectator turnout at the historic Rancho Cucamonga Service Station was gratifying.

“It was a parts car,” said Keith Flickinger, the NB Center Curator and Chief Operating Officer. “No engine, no transmission. So Mr. Bulgari suggested we make it into a resto-mod.” Like the NB Center’s Hellcat-powered 1955 Chrysler C-300 which made The Drive Home a few years ago, the term resto-mod does not properly describe the depth to which this Buick has been reimagined and executed. To say it’s constructed to a jeweler’s precision is not exaggeration.


The rain stopped long enough for a sunrise photo shoot and speeches from dignitaries on the historic Santa Monica pier, long held to be the spiritual end of America’s most fabled highway. Parked right up in front was our queen bee, the white 1960 Chrysler 300F. There is a sense of magic to this place, and though we are running Route 66 in “reverse,” it does not dim the wonder that travelers must have felt upon finally seeing it.

Many a longroof has traveled Route 66 in the last hundred years.

On the way out, Keith Flickinger goosed the throttle on the big Series 60 Buick, briefly spinning the tires on the pier’s immortal wood timbers, and I thought it was somehow symbolic and appropriate. Ok. Here we go. Game on.

The first stop was only a few miles away at the equally legendary Mel’s Drive-In, which I’m told technically occupies the last parcel of land on Route 66. It’s also a convenient place for a great breakfast and to meet up with some of the privateer drivers that have chosen to follow along with our group, creating their own caravan within our caravan.
Preservationist Anthony Gonzalez works to save the Mother Road’s architectural gems.

One such privateer is Arnon Kaseter of Lynnwood, WA, who made the drive down from the Pacific Northwest in his 2015 Porsche 911 C4. Paul Gommel and his dog Lambo from Walnut Creek, CA, came in his Nissan 350. Geoff and Madison Tully of Los Angeles are taking a father-daughter road trip in their 2005 Ford Thunderbird.

Jimmy Zanetti and Dennis Copyak from Wyoming are driving their 1965 Chevrolet El Camino, and have already pitched in with some roadside assistance. Don and Lea Johnson are driving the 1964 Ford Galaxie 500 XL that they were married in. Rob and Misty LeBlanc rented a BMW to drive home to their home in Columbia, IL. And none other than legendary car constructor Steve Saleen drove a portion of the route with us in a 2025 Saleen S302 White Label convertible.

The Johnson’s 1964 Ford Galaxie gets a top off of coolant.

After breakfast, we headed inland to the Historic Rancho Cucamonga gas station, and met with Anthony Gonzalez, one of the many passionate preservationists working to retain Route 66’s historic structures. The local car community showed up to support our drivers, and their warm reception dried our waterlogged spirits.

Alas, rain hastened our departure, and climbing the hill to the Inland Empire it became torrential. But the skies cleared over lovely Barstow, with hopes that the stormfront would not follow us east and turn to snow.

The brakes of the Chrysler 300F get checked out at the iconic Wigwam Hotel.

A sticky Bendix has been giving the Chevrolet some intermittent starting issues. The dynamic duo under the lights in Barstow.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Up And Over Flagstaff

By Bryan McTaggart...Resident Delinquent. Fan of the unloved machines, backroad tire-fryers and the patron saint of automotive lost causes.


& William Hall

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Updated
January 6, 2026
The car enthusiasts of Kingman, Arizona, never clock out. Whether up late at the local pizza joint or rising early to greet a bunch of cross-country travelers such as our Drive Home crew, their enthusiasm and hospitality know no bounds.


The Pharoahs Car Club of Kingman, Arizona turned out Monday morning to cheer on the Drive Home crew.

lead photo, by David Safian.
All photos courtesy of the author are not shown. Only the captions.
If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them to you.-Bob

Despite our groggy start for our Cars & Coffee event, it was all smiles from the staff and volunteers at the Kingman Visitors Center, aka the Route 66 Museum, located in the town’s historic brick Powerhouse. The Pharoahs Car Club showed up in full force, ensuring we left with great memories of this mecca for car enthusiasts.

Any gearhead approaching retirement should consider Kingman for its mild weather, easy living, and vibrant classic car scene. A car guy or gal could never get bored here.

The 1952 Chevy 3100 in a classic Western setting on the Hualapai Reservation.

From one proud community to another, we set out east towards Peach Springs, Arizona, on the southern tip of the Hualapai Reservation. Here is one of Route 66’s architectural diamonds in the rough, the Osterman Service Station. Built in 1929 by Swedish immigrant John Osterman, it was an early Shell service station that served travelers for decades before falling into neglect.

Now owned by the Hualapai Tribe, it’s been placed on the list of “America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places” by the National Trust for Historic Preservation, in hopes of increasing awareness and potential future uses.

The Osterman Service Station has been declared by the Governor of Arizona as “…an important piece of Americana.” Restoring the station will continue the redevelopment of Peach Springs.

Our last few days on the road have been a bit rushed, which made our first sit-down lunch of the tour that much more special. Goldie’s Route 66 Diner in Williams, Arizona, did not disappoint; delivering friendly service, tasty food and a quintessential American diner experience. I can wholeheartedly recommend the breaded pork chops, though all my fellow travelers seemed satisfied as well.


One of the many murals in the town of Seligman, Arizona.Lest I tempt fate, we haven’t had any mechanical maladies to report yet, save for a squeaky alternator belt on the 1965 Ford Country Squire. There may be more to update in the morning, after our ride-along mechanics Curt and Andy have looked at it.


A late addition to our route took us to the Lowell Observatory high above Flagstaff, for an all-too-brief tour of the facility and a chance to look at a rare 1911 Stevens-Duryea Model Y, a car once owned by observatory founder Percival Lowell. The observatory is credited with discovering the planet Pluto, and an amusing anecdote is that while nearly everyone else has downgraded that distant celestial body to dwarf planet status, the State of Arizona still recognizes Pluto as a planet.



Nobody celebrates Route 66 kitch like Seligman, AZ.Leaving Lowell, we were treated to a police escort through rush hour traffic back to I-40 by the friendly and professional Flagstaff Police Department. The smooth exodus avoided the stoplight stall possibilities that some of our old, carbureted cars were threatening at Flagstaff’s 7,000-foot elevation.


Lunch stop at Goldie’s in Williams, Arizona.Our observatory visit was coordinated by Alan Winninger of Route66Centennial, another organization poised to promote communities along the Route 66 corridor. This part of Arizona really embraces the historic highway, with nearly every business proudly identifying with the Mother Road in one form or another. It’s an exciting time for these towns on the Route as they enter this centennial anniversary year with a calendar full of special events and economic opportunities.

If you’ve ever thought of driving Route 66, this is the year to do it.

The 1911 Stevens-Duryea Model Y owned by the Lowell Observatory was one of Flagstaff’s first cars. Once the radiator is re-soldered, the car will run again.

Entering Winslow for the night, we kept true to The Eagles advice to stand on the corner and take it easy, with a wonderful stay at the historic La Posada hotel. We hope the sound of our own wheels won’t drive us crazy in the remaining week of traveling Route 66, and onwards to the Detroit Auto Show.

The Drive Home crew, standing on that corner in Winslow, Arizona.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Taking In The Sights Of The Mojave In Arizona

By William Hall

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January 5, 2026

Clear skies and the smell of fresh desert creosote greeted us Sunday morning in Barstow, CA, as we fueled up the caravan and made our way out to Amboy and the legendary Roy’s Motel and Café. It was the second travel day of The Drive Home VII: Rt. 66 – A Centennial of Adventure, and we were happy to log some miles on the authentic two-lane Mother Road, free from the interstate.

Route 66 returns to a two-lane configuration near Siberia, California.

All photos courtesy of the author are not shown. Only the captions.
If you want a link to the pictures, email to Bobfixesitup@yahoo.com I will email them to you.-Bob

Roy’s Motel and Café is neither – there is currently no food or lodging – but rather a once-and-future desert oasis which served Route 66 travelers skirting the southern end of the Mojave National Preserve. It is a cultural landmark and modern-era ghost town which still has a magnetic pull to those who dream of romantic travel, whether by land or air.


The GM muscle car contingent continues to grow. In addition to the GTO and Camaro, Eric and Coral Seiber’s 1966 Pontiac LeMans has joined the caravan.

A small group of Route 66 fans saw our itinerary and were waiting to greet us, including the pilots of two single-engined aircraft traveling from Montana. We chatted with them about our cross-country road trip before both aircraft started up, taxied down the road, and took off on the small airstrip behind the building.

Coincidentally, one of the pilots was – like us – also heading to the Detroit Auto Show as a vendor.

The tour takes their place on the flight line of Roy’s Motel and Café in Amboy, California.
Roy’s facility manager Kenneth Large hopes to return both the café and cabins to operation, but faces a daunting problem: water. According to Ken, a 2000’s era law makes it illegal to serve the public potable water transported by truck, and he’s hopeful a workaround will see the first of the historic rental cabins reopened later this year.

It’s top-down time for Pat and Julie Riley’s 1969 Mercury Cougar.

Just east of Amboy, Route 66 is closed for construction, so we hopped back on to I-40 and continued to the mining ghost town of Oatman, AZ. Now an enclave for artists and shopkeepers, the town is overrun by wild burros who keep the tourists entertained. Here we picked up another privateer couple joining our group, Eric and Coral Sieber of Lake Havasu City, AZ in their 1966 Pontiac LeMans.

Perhaps the most challenging stretch of the old Route 66 is the Oatman Highway over Sitgreaves Pass, which is marked by hairpin turns, cutbacks and magnificent views. The road is limited to 40-foot trailers or less, but our skilled chase-truck driver Kurt handled it with aplomb.

The Chrysler 300F is a mid-century marvel of design.

Just on the other side of the pass sits Cool Springs Station, purportedly the inspiration for Radiator Springs in the Pixar movie franchise Cars. Here, Rob Arends from Apache Junction, AZ, joined the convoy in his red 1967 Plymouth Barracuda.

From there it was a quick hop into Kingman, and a hosted welcome dinner from the Pharoahs Car Club, just one of the many car clubs in this car-crazy town. We look forward to meeting more of them, and you, at Monday morning’s Cars & Coffee event at the Route 66 Arch at the Arizona Route 66 Museum.
There is a similar Arch in Grants, New Mexico.

Taxiing for takeoff at Roy’s.

Mules mob the McLaren in Oatman. The Sieber’s LeMans at Cool Springs Station.

Rob Arends and his 1967 Plymouth Barracuda. Some crusty critters at Cool Springs. Can you identify them?

Madison from father-daughter team Tully Thunderbird.

The Pharoahs Car Club hosted The Drive Home team for dinner in downtown Kingman, Arizona.

 

The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Sunrise Over Indiana

By William Hall

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January 14, 2026
The last leg of the Drive Home VII cross-country road trip left the Magnificent Mile in Chicago before dawn, hoping to jump out ahead of commuter traffic and make our rendezvous in Birmingham, Michigan, for a caravan down Woodward Avenue to Huntington Place and the Detroit Auto Show.
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Once again, the 1965 Ford Country Squire wagon was giving us some grief. Overnight, the car seems to have lost reverse gear. Fiddling with the linkage and checking the fluid proved inconclusive, and we decided to “creatively park” the car on fuel stops on our run to the Motor City. But by mid-morning, the forward gears were exhibiting some slipping so we decided to load it on the trouble truck, preserving it for the final run down Woodward.

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Now, it should be noted that despite the maladies plaguing some the museum cars, the other vehicles of The Drive Home VII – the 1991 Ford Mustang 5.0, the 1934 Buick Model 61 Resto-mod, the 1992 Land Rover Discovery, 1967 Pontiac GTO, the 1969 Mercury Cougar, and our privateer 2005 Ford Thunderbird – have all made the trip glitch-free. Which provides irrefutable evidence that indeed, with a little vetting, you can enjoy your own classic car the length of Route 66 and have a safe, trouble-free and unforgettable experience.
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While we’re dispelling myths, let’s talk about the weather and the road salt. We saw neither on this mid-January trip except for a persistent rain in California (of all places) and a bit of drizzle today. We’re actually grateful for a little slop, as the plan is to display the cars at the Detroit Auto Show in their road-used, dirty condition – a stark contrast to the shiny new vehicles on the show floor. Except our classics really didn’t get that dirty after all.
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The point of which is to say, don’t be afraid to use your classic car. Live the dream. Lengthen your driving season. What are you saving it for? For someone else to enjoy?

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Life is short. Drive the car.

Expanding on the dreams-deferred topic, what’s stopping you from retiring to a small town with a moderate climate along Route 66 and repurposing an old gas station? Remote work and the internet have made that fantasy possible. I keep thinking of The Synder’s at Dream Maker Station in Adrian, Texas, and Jason’s lasting words, “I should have done this ten years ago…”
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One hour out of Birmingham, our caravan is starting to scatter. What was a cross-country conga line has become the Gumball Rally, as our cars charge side-by-side down I-94, eager to arrive in the Motor City. Riding shotgun in the 1969 Camaro SS, the perfectly-spaced gearing thrumming along at a 70mph/3100rpm sweet spot, the car is composed and confident. But the drivers must remain vigilant on this last leg of rainy urban traffic. As we know, most shark attacks happen near shore.
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For just about the first time on our trip, we arrived early to Big Rock Italian Chophouse in Birmingham, Michigan. And what a place to arrive early to! Upstairs in the cigar lounge we were hosted with a quick snack of sliders and fries to get us through on the drive down Woodward Avenue. BRIC is a must-see dining experience when in Detroit, and we could have happily stayed all night.
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Alas, we still have unfinished business. We unloaded the 1965 Ford Country Squire in the parking lot and staged for the final push down Woodward. A Birmingham Police squad car served as escort, and under the lights of the local television news cameras we were off. I drew the short straw to drive the struggling station wagon the 22 miles to Huntington Place.
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About a third of the way, the transmission started slipping so badly it could barely make it out of an underpass. I quickly pulled over to the side, flipped the keys to our trouble truck drivers Curt and Andy, and jumped into The Creative Workshop’s Land Rover Defender that had been following behind.
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Ever try to catch up with a police-led caravan? Nevertheless, driver Jason Wenig used all his skills to get us back in the queue as the cars entered the circle drive outside Huntington Place.
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After all the terrain we’ve covered over the last 2,732 miles to Detroit, it’s surreal to pull the cars onto the carpeted mezzanine of Huntington Place, where they will be available for viewing at the north end of the concours for the entire run of the show.
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While I can’t give you any photos from inside the show floor until the opening, I can say with confidence that there is something for everyone in this bigger and better Detroit Auto Show. There is a very good reason The Detroit Auto Show takes place in January: to give car guys and gals a reason to get excited about driving in the middle of winter. And if you look closely while there, you’ll see the six dusty classics from The Drive Home VII on display that did exactly that for us. The other ones are....well that's another story......
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The Drive Home VII: Route 66 Centennial – Sweet Home Chicago

By William Hall

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January 13, 202

The Drive Home VII crew awoke in The Land Of Lincoln with all the cars running well, storming to the end of Route 66 at Navy Pier in Chicago and putting a cap on our 10-day trek that took us from sea to shining “sea.” While the Windy City marks the official end of the Mother Road, the Drive Home will continue Tuesday to the Detroit Auto Show and a hero’s welcome parade down Woodward Avenue, with the public invited to caravan along. Meet-up is at Big Rock restaurant in Birmingham at 2:00 pm.

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First, a quick stop in Atlanta, Illinois, and the American Giants Museum. Fashioned after a vintage Texaco station to complement the museum’s crown jewel, a 25-ft. restored Texaco Big Friend station attendant, the tiny museum effectively tells the big story of a unique time in outdoor advertising.
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In the case of the Big Friend, it was a failed campaign. Originally planned for mobile displays to rotate to different Texaco stations, the logistics of hauling and erecting the sculptures proved unfeasible. Citizens began writing editorials about the proliferation of the giants, with one woman complaining, “…it looks into my living room!” When Texaco pulled the plug on the campaign, only 300 of the planned 3,000 had been produced. Company agents then conducted a seek-and-destroy mission, and today only six of the behemoths survive.
--------------------------------------------- Now, on to Pontiac, Illinois, and one of my favorite stops on Route 66. I’ve already fantasized about owning the 1967 Pontiac GTO on this trip, and I’m sure our visit to the Pontiac-Oakland Museum will put me over the edge. The museum also has the distinction of being the only place our event has visited twice, back on the original Drive Home in 2016. The standout hospitality of the museum and the town made it a priority to return on this 10th anniversary of the Drive Home.
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This visit was no different, with Pontiac-Oakland Museum director Tim Dye, the Eastern Route 66 Centennial Ambassador Jessica Anderson, and Pontiac’s Mayor, the Honorable Kelly Eckhoff all turning out to greet us. And also there was Noel Hastalis, who a decade ago drove down to meet The Drive Home crew in Bloomington with his own Alaskan White 1960 Chrysler 300F, braving January roads when it was more controversial than it is today.

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Onwards to Chicago and the end (or beginning) of Route 66 on the corner of Adams and Michigan. Across from the cement lions of the Chicago Institute of Art stands a small marker, indicating one end of the world’s most storied road. Even here, among the bustle of downtown Chicago, our classic cars draw admiring looks and comments. Phone cameras come out, and people stop and point. Curious commuters and office workers stop their routines, and for just a moment dream of a life on the open highway.
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While this is the penultimate night of the Drive Home VII trek, it does give us a sense of surreal accomplishment for having completed the whole of the Mother Road. Officials greeted us at Navy Pier, and it was a time to reflect on our fantastic adventure across America and the friendships we’ve forged along the way. But the journey is not over yet. Tomorrow we’ll drive to Motor City to celebrate the cars that got us here....After I bang the wife for a while. Damn. Red heads are all they say they are and I love that little girl.
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