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Route 66, start to finish


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Hey gang! September 9th, we're leaving Chicago and driving Route 66 from start to finish.

 

Geocaching will not be the main focus of our trip. MandolinGirl and I are traveling with another musician, and a writer and a videographer, making a documentary of the life, culture, and music of Route 66. But, we're going to squeeze in some time to cache in each state along the way.

 

So, that said...what are some of the "must get" caches along the way that y'all might recommend?

 

By the way, a caching friend of mine, MagicStan, left Chicago on Monday and is caching his way all along the the mother road. Last night he was in Illinois, just outside of St Louis. I'm pretty darn excited about this trip!

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Kingman AZ - GCGTY0 White Cliffs Wagon Trail Cache - bringing attention to the history of this trail before it was Route 66. My wife and I were transported back in time here... To walk on top of the grooves cut into stone by the wagon wheels of the first pioneers going west through this area is simply incredible - and of course, we'd never have found the place without the cache placement to draw our attention. With some crafty camera work it'd be a grand place for you to play a bit as well - kind of a cut winding its way down the sandstone cliff face - terrific late afternoon light.

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Kingman AZ - GCGTY0 White Cliffs Wagon Trail Cache - bringing attention to the history of this trail before it was Route 66. My wife and I were transported back in time here... To walk on top of the grooves cut into stone by the wagon wheels of the first pioneers going west through this area is simply incredible - and of course, we'd never have found the place without the cache placement to draw our attention. With some crafty camera work it'd be a grand place for you to play a bit as well - kind of a cut winding its way down the sandstone cliff face - terrific late afternoon light.

 

I found a couple of virtual caches on Rt 66 recently in California. GCGGJ4 is at the California Route 66 Museum and GCGJ53 is at the site of the first McDonalds and it also houses a museum as well.

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Kingman AZ - GCGTY0 White Cliffs Wagon Trail Cache - bringing attention to the history of this trail before it was Route 66. My wife and I were transported back in time here... To walk on top of the grooves cut into stone by the wagon wheels of the first pioneers going west through this area is simply incredible - and of course, we'd never have found the place without the cache placement to draw our attention. With some crafty camera work it'd be a grand place for you to play a bit as well - kind of a cut winding its way down the sandstone cliff face - terrific late afternoon light.

 

And that cache has a Route 66-Arizona Bookmark List, too.

 

For that matter, check the rest of the public bookmark lists for Route 66: http://www.geocaching.com/my/userroutes.aspx

Edited by knowschad
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In addition to great caches along the route, check out the POI Factory (http://www.poi-factory.com). I'm fairly sure the Food TV show "Diners, Drive-Ins, and Dives" has featured several eateries along the way. I'd suggest the one in Baxter Springs, KS, which is near GC106NY - Rainbow Bridge Cache. Not so much a "must do" cache, but certainly a "must stop" restaraunt!

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Hey gang! September 9th, we're leaving Chicago and driving Route 66 from start to finish.

 

Geocaching will not be the main focus of our trip. MandolinGirl and I are traveling with another musician, and a writer and a videographer, making a documentary of the life, culture, and music of Route 66. But, we're going to squeeze in some time to cache in each state along the way.

 

So, that said...what are some of the "must get" caches along the way that y'all might recommend?

 

By the way, a caching friend of mine, MagicStan, left Chicago on Monday and is caching his way all along the the mother road. Last night he was in Illinois, just outside of St Louis. I'm pretty darn excited about this trip!

 

Over the last few years I've found myself along I-40 and the old US-66 quite a few times. My list below is not complete and does not try to list every Route 66 cache that I've done, but these are the ones that are memorable. I'm not good for recommendations along the entire route, just the stretch from Oklahoma City to Albuquerque and a little bit west of there.

 

Oklahoma - Provine Station - GCY1GQ

This is a fantastic old building. Nice to see it preserved.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...78-9c963758cd09

 

Oklahoma - The Grotto on Route 66 - GCMDEJ

This is a picturesque and quiet spot just off the road. The cache seems to be missing now, and from what I understand the specific area where the cache is located is strewn with trash. Still, the surrounding area should still be picturesque.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...9a-02b253d3c945

 

Texas - Cadillac Ranch - GCG71X

The well known landmark with a number of Cadillacs buried in the ground is along your route

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...89-09bdc662956e

 

Texas - Bug Ranch - GCDB98

Someone has a sense of humor. While you can find Cadillac Ranch on the west side of Amarillo, on the east side you can find where someone has buried a line of VW beetles in the same fashion:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6d-f9ddca3457cb

 

Texas - big black marble - GCGXBZ

Downtown Amarillo - This may be a couple of blocks off of Route 66, but this virtual is worth the stop.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...8b-df48d3df4761

 

Texas - Vega Magnolia Station Returns - GCPZH1

Another nice old building.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...6c-c2860f34a9b1

 

Texas - Meet ya halfway - GCJ2P2

The town of Adrian TX claims to be the halfway point on the old Route 66. Maybe you can measure your own mileage and let us know if this claim works out for you.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...15-081dac485e79

 

New Mexico - Deep Blue cache - GC93C1

In Santa Rosa NM, and a few blocks south of Route 66. Stop by and see this amazing natural spring in the high dessert.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...b4-20db6f0ca393

 

New Mexico - Our Lady of the Tree - GCG6FV

A virtual located in Old Town Albuquerque. This is probably a few blocks off of Route 66, but this historic section of Albuquerque certainly was around when US-66 passed through here.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...c0-517489908f9c

 

And finally:

Arizona - Standin on the corner ... - GC64F7

Here is a virtual that is Standin' on a Corner in Winslow Arizona, and it's right along the Mother Road. This should apeal to the musicians in your group as well.

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...15-ff86910aed36

 

Other things:

 

Cowboy Singer once had a series of Mother Road caches in Western Oklahoma. These have been adopted out now, here is a link to one of them, and you should be able to find the others:

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_detai...5e-e4ab0f96c214

 

Cache Across America - Oklahoma is along Route 66. Even if you don't plan on completing the series, as long as you're passing by...

 

In New Mexico, Route 66 travelled along different paths at different points in it's history. Before about 1936 the highway passed through Santa Fe, while afterwards the highway doesn't diverge northward but instead continues westward on a track that parallels (by and large) I-40. Someone please correct me if 1936 is not the proper cutoff year for when the road was changed. If you take the Northern route through Santa Fe, drop me a note and I'll give you some cache recommendations there (there are some good ones).

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Tell Lightening McQueen hello for me as you pass through Radiator Springs.

 

Funny you should say that ...

Be sure to stop by this waymark

 

WM27K2 : Conoco Tower and U-Drop Inn - "Cars" - Shamrock, TX

 

This beautifully restored Conoco gas station is the very one that inspired the gas station in Cars.

The city of Shamrock is essentially Radiator Springs given that I-40 bypassed downtown.

 

I also recommend these in Texas along the way :

 

GC124D1 : Devil's Rope and Route 66

GCG71X : Cadillac Ranch

 

-Keith (Indigo Parrish)

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