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.

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

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.