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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