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Wilson's Great Escapes - A Traveller's musings, 2 Ilford Road, Frenchs Forest (2026)

05/06/2025

Route 66 final day - Las Vegas, Nevada to Santa Monica Pier, California 493 Klms (306 smiles).
Well the final day’s arrived and it’s been an absolute blast. The 4731 Klms (2940 miles) travelled went more quickly and easily than you would think.

Having interesting destinations to travel to along the way is clearly the reason why. Another key factor is the ability to share the driving duties. Doing this solo would be hard, and frankly not as much fun. We’ve had many a laugh, and that to me was the main objective.

I highly recommend anyone to experience Route 66. It harkens back to a simpler time. Yes there are cheesy and commercial aspects, but that to me only adds to the experience. That daft Blue Whale for example. A totally naff structure that promised little, and indeed delivered. But it’s part of the loosely associated parts of the whole journey.

Regarding the journey, you will find that there are multiple options for which particular Route 66 ‘interesting thing’ you can visit along the way to your next destination. You really can personalise the experience. If you’re particularly interested in the indigenous part of American history, there are many opportunities to visit various native sites. Likewise if museums are your thing, jeez Louise - you’re in heaven. Cowboy history? There in spades. Are you fascinated with the possibility of seeing a leaning water tower? Well gird your loins… Can’t get enough toilet humour, well wander into Uranus.

It’ll take a while for the experience to bed down into my memory, but I know I’ve gained much from the experience.

At the start of this particular blog I wondered if my expectations would be realised based on my earlier experiences as a naive 21 year old. They certainly have. The thing that’s cut through is the people. No matter where we’ve been - people have been invariably friendly and helpful. Yes and I’m including New York here. So many examples come to mind.

We’ve got a few days free to check out Los Angeles, before heading back. I’m sure we’ll have a blast here too!

02/06/2025

Route 66 Days 9-11 Williams, Arizona to Las Vegas, Nevada. 354 Klms (220 smiles)

Another day another state, next is Nevada. We’re staying for three nights (2 full days) in Las Vegas.

The trip there was pretty straight forward. We found about a 100 kilometres stretch of the old Route 66 to travel on. It was as straight as a die. At about 40C you could see the heat mirage hovering over the road ahead of us. Not a place to break down.

We stopped at a place called Seligman for a break and it was the largest collection of Route 66 roadhouses that we’d come across. Of course it was a tourist trap, but it looked pretty good nonetheless. Lots of old cars to check out and some great paraphernalia.

Onwards then to the Hoover Dam. A must see and it was as impressive as I’d imagined. It was oppressively hot, so it was literally a park, climb stairs, look at meaningfully for a minute (okay, 2), snappy snaps and back to the car.

Vegas beckoned. To be honest not a place I’d ever pined to visit, but it’s part of the journey. We stayed at the Sahara Casino and Hotel. It’s a massive complex, with the ground level a series of eateries, and gambling opportunities. The room was fine, although with a somewhat bo****lo like decor.

First full day was spent checking out the town. We did the open top bus thing. It’s the easiest way to get a feel for the geography. Of course we passed the myriad famous Vegas landmarks: Treasure Island, Bellagio fountains, Eiffel Tower, Empire state, Venetian Grand Canal, Luxor Pyramid, MGM Grand Lion etc etc. To be honest all of these landmarks are best seen in the evening. The neon is impressive, and it shows the place in its best light.

Next day was spent checking out the strip. We used the monorail to get there and back. Walking wasn’t really an option with the high temps. We caught live show at Planet Hollywood and saw an excellent Billy Joel and Elton John tribute show. A very polished and well performed act. Apparently the guy was selected for the act from several thousand by Billy Joel himself. High praise indeed.

Next day we head to our final destination as part of this Route 66 journey. Santa Monica Pier!

28/05/2025

Route 66 days 7 & 8 - Holbrook, Arizona to Williams, Arizona 198 klms (123 smiles).
Short journey today, and a two day stay in Williams, Arizona. It’s close to the Grand Canyon and that’s something worth spending more time on. Our first day was spent checking out the town of Williams. It’s a lovely small town with enough to keep you interested. A few small museums and a great selection of bars and restaurants. We also checked out Bearizona. This a wildlife park packed with local fauna (lots of bears). You drive your vehicle through the park and see the animals doing their thing. We were pretty lucky as not only were the bears out and about, but so were the Bison. They were brilliant to see up close.
The second day (today) is all about the Grand Canyon. It’s an easy hour drive north of our location. I wasn’t prepared for the sheer scale of the canyon. Unbelievably vast both widthways and in depth. Sheer cliffs of many colours were everywhere you looked. The layered stratification almost made it look man-made. Words and pictures won’t do it justice, but what an unforgettable experience. We spent about 6 hours there and only skimmed the surface. The bus transport between sites is superbly organised. Every 10 minutes. We went as far north as we could and walked about 90 minutes south, checking out various photo opportunities as we walked. Jumped on a bus and continued in another area. Lots of people, but that wasn’t a problem.
It’s all about Vegas tomorrow….

27/05/2025

Route 66 Day 6 - Albuquerque, New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona 200 klms (124 smiles).
Our shortest daily drive today, so we decided to extend the drive to include a Meteor Crater. This impressive crater was originally thought to be the result of a volcano, but in 1910 it was discovered to have derived from a 300,000 tonne meteor about 50,000 years ago. Pretty impressive and well worth the trip.
We akso checked out a petrified forest, which are essentially fossilised trees. You could spend sone serious time here, but we’d seen enough after an hour or so.
Where to now, we’ll obviously Glenn Frey’s corner in Winslow, Arizona! If you know the song, you’ll get it.
Thereafter we headed to Holbrook. Not much there, but a handy location for our journey tomorrow.

27/05/2025

Route 66 Day 5 - Amarillo, Texas to Albuquerque, New Mexico 461 klms (287 smiles).
A beautiful sunny day for the drive. We’re well into our driving routine now. A couple of hours each and we swap out. It’s not a hard drive, but obviously you need your wits about you. There are so many trucks.
Food is tricky on this journey. I’m starting to feel like Morgan Spurlock. Remember the guy who lived on MacDonalds for 30 days? It’s just something to deal with to be honest if you’re doing Route 66.
So where to visit during this leg? Well, the Cadillac Ranch is an absolute no-brainer. Next the mid-point of our trip, a place called Adrian. I can’t not hear Rocky calling his wife’s name “Adriaaan”. I know. It’s just me.
Onwards to Albuquerque it is, and what a lovely place it is. The Mexican influence is obvious. Adobe houses, more Hispanics than we’d seen previously and of course the latino food choices. There was a lovely vibe in the town centre. Live music, families picnicking. Warm evening. Perfection. We found somewhere nice to eat and headed back to our digs on completion.

26/05/2025

Route 66 Day 4 - Oklahoma City, Oklahoma to Amarillo, Texas 244 klms (392 smiles)
We headed out of the city after the Cowboy museum, for the reasonably short journey to Amarillo. Of course we played ‘Is this the way to Amarillo?’ on the way😉
Another air and space museum beckoned, and as if drawn by a tractor beam we entered. It’s always interesting and yes, we’re predictable blokes. Astronaut Thomas Stafford was the key focus, as an Oklahoma boy.
Onwards we went, and yes another museum was visited. This one had a heritage focus. I won’t be unkind here, at least overtly. I’ll post a coupke of pics, and you be the judge.
Amarillo presented us with the first opportunity to go full carnivore and of course we were in. The Big Texan Steak Ranch and Brewery no less. More Stetsons than you could poke a stick at. It was a pukka place. Great food, great beer and an atmosphere you can’t manufacture.

26/05/2025

Route 66 Day 3 - Springfield, Missouri to Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 468 klms (291 smiles)
A lengthy, but straightforward drive to Oklahoma City. A Quick Look at the Route 66 app (of which there are many) suggests a few things to check out. It’s slim pickings in terms of something interesting. We thought we’d check out the Blue Whale of Catoosa. It’s right near Tulsa (another song title - 24 hours from Tulsa!). Our expectations were modest, but they were excessive it seems. I don’t mean to be unkind, but…
Anyway, we arrived at our destination on noticeably better roads in Oklahoma. That said, they included the first tolls we’d encountered on our journey. I guess you can see where the money’s gone at least.
The following morning we visited the National Cowboy Museum. This really was fascinating. Once again, it’s another example of how well the US does museums. Really interesting and engaging. And at a reasonable price.
Oklahoma City has a pretty good vibe. I liked it.

25/05/2025

Route 66 Day 2 - St Louis to Springfield 347 klms (216 miles)
If you’re going to do Route 66, the soundtrack matters. You’re already trapped in your car bubble, so having sound that matches what you’re seeing is a good thing I reckon. So for me, Motown and a mix of country rock and other appropriate timeless classics makes sense.

Funnily enough many of these tracks refer to travelling, adding to the vibe - e.g Midnight train to Georgia, Ventura Highway, Hotel California, Last train to Clarksville, Long Train Runnin’, Is this the way to Amarillo?, Bright side of the road and On the road again (Canned heat version) and so many others.

Anyway. From the sublime to the much less sublime… So if you’re a small town, and you’re trying to stand out from the hundreds of other towns on Route 66 what can you do? Well, in the case of a small town called Uranus, you embrace the non-American pronunciation ‘Yer Anus’, and a whole world of double-entendres (okay, single-entendre’s) open up in front of you.

Well it worked on us! We felt drawn to visit the Uranus Fudge Factory. On walking into this Aladdin’s cave of delightfull crassness we were welcomed by all staff with a loud ‘Welcome to Uranus!’. This happened whenever someone walked in. It was busy, so yes, it happened every 30 odd seconds. Funny as. There were signs, magnets, mugs, t shirts - you name it you could pick Uranus amongst the paraphernalia. Juvenile? Absolutely, but I admire the ingenuity and industry. I’ve included pics of some of their wares.

There’s not a lot to see in Springfield, Missouri. So we thought we’d check out Ozark. We loved the tv series, let’s see what there is to see. Well it turns out - not a lot actually. We located a central area that looked a bit interesting, but on closer inspection realised it wasn’t. A bit of bunting draped over a gazebo and not much else.

So Plan B it was. Beer. We found a bar with the world’s stickiest floor and tables to match. Two beers later we’re headed back to our digs.

Big day tomorrow. Off to Oklahoma!

24/05/2025

Route 66 - Chicago to St Louis 480Km (297 miles)
And finally we're off! First order of the day was negotiating our way out of Chicago and and honing our defensive driving skills. If you're a fan of looking at your phone (in your lap) and/or spontaneously changing lanes without care - you're in heaven...
The first thing to check out was the Bluesmobile at Joliet. A couple of snappy snaps, and the purchase of some roadhouse food (?) and we were on our way off again. Next stop the Lincoln Tomb, a significant tribute to the man himself.
We hit some tricky storms on the way to St Louis, but we arrived safely at our digs.
St Louis was a pleasant surprise. A smart and clean city. Lots of space. The highlight of course was the Gateway Arch. I didn’t know much about this arch. To be honest I can’t help associating it with the movie National Lampoon’s Vacation. As they cross the mighty Mississippi in the family truckster and sight the archway.
It’s huge. So huge there’s an internal escalator/lift mechanism to take you to the top. At a very reasonable $17USD it was certainly good value. It’s almost 200m tall, so a decent height. From ground level you can appreciate the sheer scale and craftsmanship. Definitely a trip highlight.
So, onto Springfield, Missouri tomorrow. Ozark is nearby😊

23/05/2025

Chicago (extra bit)

I almost forgot to mention a couple of other interesting things we covered in the Windy city. The Navy pier is worth a visit, and despite the name, there’s very little of Navy to see there. It’s just a pleasant walk and you get a great view of the cityscape. Also, we visited the Griffen Museum where they house a captured U boat (U505). Captured off West Africa in 1944 and towed over to the US. What an impressive exhibit!

22/05/2025

Pennsylvania - Philadelphia - Chicago (or if you like, Amish/Rocky/Wind).
The burning question you didn’t know you had is, what’s the difference between an Amish person and a Mennonite? Well wonder no more fellow traveller. In essence, the Amish eschew technology, such as driving and operating tech, whilst the Mennonites are able to utilise these tools. Although only up to a point. Fun fact, the Amish are the fastest growing demographic in the US. Up to 400,000 apparently, with those identifying as a plank coming a close second. No contraception, and in the case of the Amish, no access to Netflix will tend to do that I guess.

We got to Philly on a pretty wet and thunderous day which was unfortunate, although it did brighten up. I loved the vibe of the place though. Slightly grungy, and unapologetically blue collar. We found Reading Markets, an ideal place to eat and drink. Our mission - to find somewhere that served the famed Philly cheesesteak, and a beverage or three. Great success, on both counts. I probably wouldn’t make a bee-line to have another cheesesteak, but it was fine. The Black Cherry cider on the other hand is the devils work. Thank god I can’t get it in Sydney. C’est magnifique.

Of course no visit to Philly can neglect to visit the Rocky statue at the top of the famed steps where that iconic scene was filmed. I suggested to my fellow journeymen that I believed it mandatory to run up the steps, just like the movie. Quelle horreur! Golf Foxtrot…

The Windy city is where this phase of our time in the US concludes. I’d heard good things about the place, and i wasn’t disappointed. Nice people and an energetic vibe. Checked out the big mirrored jelly bean thing (not called that). I really wanted to get to eat at Mr Beef, the cafe that inspired The Bear tv series, but sadly ran out of time. I suspect the cheesesteak was still to work its way out of my system - so, c’est la vie.

Well, cue the beginning of our journey across the country on Route 66. Starting in Chicago and culminating in Santa Monica. 4,200 klm, or a long way in old money (miles).

Wilson's Great Escapes - A Traveller's musings

05/06/2025

02/06/2025

28/05/2025

27/05/2025

27/05/2025

26/05/2025

26/05/2025

25/05/2025

24/05/2025

23/05/2025

22/05/2025

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