Live And Let’s Drive: A Road Trip From LA To Chicago On Historic Route 66

Welcome to my next trip report, which will be a bit unique…a Route 66 road trip across the United States instead of my usual airplane journey. We took a family vacation retracing the old Route 66 from Los Angeles to Chicago and had a smashingly good time.

Route 66 Road Trip: Across The Fruited Plain

I had to transport a car from LA to Chicago and rather than simply ship it, I thought it would be fun to show Heidi and the kids that there is more to the United States than Los Angeles or California. Heidi has lived in LA for a decade now but has never really gone beyond California outside of brief trips for funerals or work. It was time to change that.

Since we were traveling with Augustine, 8, and Claire Marie, 4, we took it rather easy. There were a couple of very long travel days, but it was a surprisingly refreshing journey. The easy pace allowed me to work each day as well. And mission accomplished: Heidi now has a much greater appreciation for the United States (an unfortunately for me, a greater desire–even before the fires–to leave Los Angeles).

I’m going to do this road trip day by day:

Day One: Relaxing In Scottsdale, Arizona 
Day Two: A Beautiful Journey To New Mexico Via Petrified Forest National Park
Day Three: A Tranquil Rest In Santa Ana Pueblo
Day Four: Historic Tucumcari Enroute To Oklahoma City
Day Five: A Cultural Awakening In Oklahoma City
Day Six: The Amazing Crystal Bridges Museum In Bentonville, Arkansas
Day Seven: The 12th Day Of Christmas At St Louis Arch

Then I will go back and highlight the hotels we stayed at in more detail:

Andaz Scottsdale
Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa – New Mexico
Fordson Hotel Oklahoma City (Hyatt Unbound Collection)
Hyatt House Bentonville / Rogers, Arkansas
Hyatt Regency St. Louis
Hyatt Regency Deerfield, Illinois

Four hours to Chicago? How about seven days?! This trip was a lot more fun than I thought. After that, I have many lingering trip reports from 2024 that I hope to get done quickly…I want to keep trip reports moving in 2025.

Let me know if there is anything you’d like me to focus on as I share about this journey.