When we were kids in the backyard
Playing astronauts and rock stars
No one told us to stop it
Called us unrealistic
Then suddenly you’re eighteen
Go to college for your Plan B
What you want is too risky
Live for weekends and whiskey

We all got these big ideas
One day they’re replaced with fears
How did we get here?

Darlin’ don’t quit your daydream
It’s your life that you’re making
It ain’t big enough if it doesn’t scare the hell out of you
If it makes you nervous
It’s probably worth it
Why save it for sleep when you could be
Living your daydream

Thirty-one waiting tables
She has the voice of an angel
Out of money and power
She only sings in the shower
All these things we say we’ll get to
Shot down by the reasons not to

Darlin’ don’t quit your daydream
It’s your life that you’re making
It ain’t big enough if it doesn’t scare the hell out of you
If it makes you nervous
It’s probably worth it
Why save it for sleep when you could be
Living your daydream

So scared of failure that we fail to try
Turnin’ around before the finish line
Gotta fall for a minute before you can fly

So daydream
It’s your life that you’re making
It ain’t big enough if it doesn’t scare the hell out of you
If it makes you nervous
It’s probably worth it
Why save it for sleep when you could be
Living your daydream

Why save it for sleep when you should be
Living your daydream

Songwriter is the amazing Lily Meola

Our road trip from east to west took us 2 weeks… but only 4 hours to fly back east! And here we are, back in good old South Carolina. It’s summer time, it’s hot & humid. We kind of forgot how that feels like (and no, we didn’t miss the humidity…).

„Hello, Y’all!“

Back “home” after 6 years. So many good memories coming back to our minds… that steak cooking class, Starbucks iced lemon loaf as a treat, learning how to make cake pops, parties at our house, hanging out at the pool with friends on weekends, my convertible Pontiac solstice (heat strokes included) and the fast & furious Camaro, being stopped by the sheriffs for speeding so many times (I’m still paranoid today), shopping and always paying less than expected (I still haven’t understood that concept yet), ribs, so tender they fall off the bone…

Seeing friends & colleagues and it feels like we never have left. So good to have seen y’all again! Driving by our old house (it’s still there, someone else is now living there, obviously). Finding old restaurants & plenty new ones. Sweating in the hot summer heat (37C degrees). Enjoying the A/C cooled buildings. It’s humid. Missed being called “honey” or “sweetheart “. Closing old bank accounts. Trying to get along with the southern accent, checking if favorite stores are still there… so many good memories!

3 days was not enough time, wish we could have stayed longer… missing y’all already!

Goodbye Greenville, Goodbye, America!

Taking back home many many awesome memories as well as beef jerky, chili spice, souvenirs for the family, the good old Levi’s jeans & a Hawaiian shirt and many other goodies 🇺🇸

Drive west onto Colorado Ave. until it ends at Santa Monica Pier. Then walk straight out on the pier…

Wow! Wow! Wow! We made it! We finished >4000km on the mother road and arrived at the end: Santa Monica, California. (Ehm, yes, there’s people out there who walked Route66 from LA to Chicago in 65 days… well… ok… wow!)

Route66: an American icon. The mother road was opened in 1926!

We started at Lake Michigan and we finished >4000km later at the pacific coast. We met many wonderful people along the road who all shared their story with us. A couple who celebrated their 42nd wedding anniversary. A family from Colorado in the Chicago train welcoming us to the States. A chatty barkeeper. Even chattier guests at the bar. The friendliest motel owners. Many Americans who traveled to Germany before happily sharing their story with us. Seeing good old friends along the way. A cool retired chef who worked in France before and shared delicious recipes with us. The hot air balloon pilot who lived in Germany before. The boss of an old diner who couldn’t believe to have us & an Italian couple as customers. Locals sharing recommendations with us. Eating Mexican next to a Japanese couple. That’s our experience. People talk. Worldwide. That’s what makes traveling so wonderful.

The end of an era: Dwight D. Eisenhower, future president of the United States, was not impressed with the efficiency of the Route66. While he was leading Allied troops into Germany during WW II, Eisenhower became enamored with the German Autobahn highway network, reinforcing his belief that America needed a better and more efficient road system. Super highways, with divided lanes, limited access and no stop signs were first built along Route66 in California and Illinois.

Ever since the birth of classic American roadways, small towns and their unique stops along the way have contributed to the iconic status of these old interstate corridors. Roadside communities hold on to treasured locations that define the culture of classic Americana. Thanks guys for keeping it up and making it a real adventure for us!

We fell in love with the mother road, the classic cars & motorcycles, the old gas stations, the food served in neon-lit diners, the ghost towns, the music, the story from a time which passed already many many years ago. It’s a journey through the heart of the country where the meals are homemade and the neon still glows that still kicks 35 years after being officially decommissioned.

Route66 – the symbol of a simpler America. We could have stayed twice as long, so much more to see and do… but we need a reason to come back, right?

Well, we have also seen places and hoped the car wouldn’t breakdown… That’s also part of the experience.

Thanks to my travel companion & husband for driving us safely & being so patient for many many many photo stops. So thankful that we were able & capable to make this trip together. One year ago it didn’t look like it.

Route 66 song from Nat King Cole

If you ever plan to motor west

Travel my way

Take the highway that’s the best

Get your kicks on Route 66

It winds from Chicago to LA

More than two thousand miles all the way

Get your kicks on Route 66

Now you go through St. Louis

Joplin, Missouri

And Oklahoma City looks mighty pretty

You’ll see Amarillo

Gallup, New Mexico

Flagstaff, Arizona

Don’t forget Winona

Kingman, Barstow, San Bernardino

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip

When you make that California trip

Get your kicks on Route 66

Won’t you get hip to this timely tip

When you make that California trip

Get your kicks on Route 66

Get your kicks on Route 66

Get your kicks on Route 66

We had a blast! The USA makes it easy to fall over and over in love with!

Phoenix, AZ – London Bridge, AZ – Palm Springs, CA – Barstow, CA – Santa Monica, CA

Leaving hot Phoenix & rolling on towards West.

Finding England in the middle of the desert. Last stop in Arizona: the London Bridge at Lake Havasu. And the story goes like this: an American loved the London bridge in London/UK so much that he purchased it in 1968, and transported it to the USA for use. Unbelievable but true.

Obligatory border control: no fruits or veggies allowed into California. Check passed. We are in California! Yeah!

California is different than the other states: a little more liberal, a little less religious, and a little more worried about the environment. California is representing quite a few cultures of the world: every 4th person living here was born outside the USA. And where else could the terminator be the elected governor? California, the focus of the American dream & the target of Route66.

A quarter of California is desert. And that’s how we came in: 350km without gas station or mobile service and hardly any traffic. Just a straight highway through the sandy desert. It’s great to see houses & humans again after some time. We got extreme heat warnings in the day. It „cools“ a little down in the night to 32C degrees. Haha. We enjoyed listening to the natural sounds of the desert landscape. At first a bit scary but also very relaxing, the star gazing is amazing out here.

We arrived at a place where it hasn’t rained in 2 years!!! Hummingbirds flying around. Road runners crossing just in front of us. Lizards sunbathing. Coyotes around at night. If snakes come too close, their head is being cut off. Arghhhh. Slightly terrifying. The dessert is wild & alive!

Surrounded by Joshua trees.

It’s still very hot here with 46C degrees… it’s that kind of hot when you still sweat despite A/C running in the car… it’s time to leave the dessert. We are ready for the pacific coast. Yeah!

Passing a lot of trucks transporting onions. Coke trucks. A lot of Teslas. Cars with long CB radio antennas. The last kilometers on Route66…

Another town which died after the silver rush was over and turned into a ghost town.

Passing by an airplane graveyard & a biker saloon. Checking the gas needle before starting another adventurous ride on the Angel Crest Highway. 80 miles. Wohoo. We love those winding roads. 7381ft altitude and nice temperatures. Finally, it’s cooling down.

The Hollywood Sign, a landmark of the Santa Monica Mountains in Los Angeles, was made of 14m tall and 110m long letters in 1923!

Traffic gets a little crazier. 6 lanes leading us into the second largest city in the USA: Hello Los Angeles!

Wow! Wow! Wow! We made it! We finished >4000km on the mother road and arrived at the end: Santa Monica, California.

Cheers!

We arrived at the pacific. Temperatures are better now: 26C in the daytime… it almost feels cold. Haha.

Time to relax for a couple of days at Venice Beach before heading to South Carolina (by airplane. Lol). See ya!

Albuquerque, NM – nowhere, NM – Holbrook, AZ – Flagstaff, AZ – Prescott Valley, AZ – Phoenix, AZ

Waking up next to the Rio Grande in Albuquerque. A quick dip in the pool at 9am at 25C degrees.

Cruising through the desert along canyons and passing by dust devils. The landscape is breathtaking. Before we are leaving New Mexico a little more serious off-roading on pre-1937 Route66… it feels once more like being in the middle of nowhere: especially, when the only road is all of a sudden blocked by dirt. Bummer.

A little deeper in the desert, more off-road and trying to avoid going through Native American villages… uff, made it. We are seeing asphalt again. Back on track.

Seeing many trains with hundreds of wagons & containers being pulled by 4 or more locomotives, carrying all kind of things from west to east.

Passing lava fields, the Red Rock State Park and the Continental divide.

Next stop: Arizona. More Wild West and the Navajo country.

The Painted Desert & Petrified Forest is the only national park in the country with a portion of Route66 within its boundaries.

Sleeping in a Tipi, a hotel chain set up in the 30s. Incidentally, the rooms are shaped like tipis, not wigwams.

A quick stop in Flagstaff before leaving the classic Route66 for visiting our dear friends, who moved to Arizona.

At 7,000 ft (2100m) elevation Flagstaff is the highest city in Arizona and experiences all four seasons. Flagstaff gets around 100 inches of snow per year, making it one of the snowiest cities in America. We drove alle the way up to snowball, one of the famous ski resorts. Nice, green & refreshing up there.

Expect the unexpected… What a scenic curvy drive. Amazing! We haven’t seen that much green in days… cannot get enough of it. Those views!

Twice today above 7000 ft. So many beautiful hair pin curves. First up, later down. Wow! Dreaming of sitting on a motorbike… excellent curves and good practice.

Seeing our friends after a very long time again. Having dinner in a saloon who’s “pleasing Americas toughest customers” (including us. Lol) on the Whiskey Road. Super delicious and such a fun night.

Tracing my German great aunt Ilse who immigrated in the 60s to the USA and lived in Prescott, Arizona. She already knew many years ago that driving 40mi for the best steak is absolutely worth it. It’s in the genes. Haha.

Moving south by adding another off-Route66 destination: Phoenix. It’s getting hot in here. 4am: 33C degrees. 3pm: 46C degrees. That’s the first time I’m grabbing ice for my coke in the hotel!

We are less than 500km away from the Mexican border.

The west is wild! We are wowed by Arizona’s landscape. Incredible and hard to believe it’s true what we have been seeing in the past couple of days! Those colors… orange, brown, green, and the daily blue sky… it’s unreal!

Day 12 on our road trip and we are loving it. We’ve done about ~3500km and another time shift. We are now on Pacific time. That’s one hour more adventure. Yeah!

Rolling on to California, getting closer to our final destination of our rod trip.

Amarillo, TX – Tucumcari, NM – Santa Fe, NM – Albuquerque, NM

Bushland & Wilderado are the last villages in Texas. The name says it… not much going on here, even the mobile phone signal is gone…

The end of Route66. Entering the interstates across the gras – only possible in the land of the free.

Reaching exit 0 on the interstates: Glenrio. Population: 0. Zero! The last people left the village in the 80s. It’s a ghost town, directly on the state line between Texas & New Mexico.

No mobile phone connection. A quarter tank of gas and one liter of drinking water – let’s go off-road.

Those were some of the best 19miles on Route66 so far. Dusty and Wohooooo! In case of a car break down… we would have been out of luck or walk some miles to get help. No risk, no fun. We made it.

We arrived in the desert. The country seems empty, the sky is blue, the land endless, almost scary if there wasn’t the highway looking like a straight line and leading the way to go. And when you got stings from cactus first under your shoes and later on your foot (and fingers)… you know you arrived in the desert. Ouch!

Hello New Mexico! We gained one hour, the time zone changed from central to mountain time. About time for lunch.

Tucumcari is celebrating the mother road like no other town: the Route66 goes right through, and you can find many restaurants, hotels, gas stations, who all remind you of where you are. Or how about a drive-in tattoo?

The most famous neon sign:

Chilling in front of our motel (from 1939!!!) listening to 50s/60s/70s music. Life is awesome.

Rolling on to Albuquerque, also called „Q“. But not before another awesome “mile marker favorites” for breakfast.

Just not sure what to think of sitting next to a man with 2 guns, one on each side… also that is the land of the free.

Hard decisions to make today: taking the older Route66 (pre 1937) via SantaFe, the capital of New Mexico. After many miles on a very straight highway we were climbing up to 2000 meters altitude.

Passing by Las Vegas, NM, the little brother of the casino Las Vegas, Nevada.

34C degrees. Bush fires causing road closure and big traffic jams…

Santa Fe, our new favorite town, we would move immediately… the architecture a mix out of Mexican & Mediterranean, very nice people, snow & skiing in winter.

The turquoise trail to Madrid is as amazing.

Another night in a retro motel from 1937 including outdoor pool and bar service. Yeah!

Wow! We are in love with the Wild West. That’s definitely our new favorite part of Route66.

Let’s go more wild & West. Rolling on to Arizona!

Elk City, OK – Amarillo, TX

Good morning, America!

Last bar in Oklahoma, and Texans come for drinking (dry state).

Howdy!

We arrived in Texas, first town: Shamrock ☘️ the name was given by Irish immigrants. Obviously.

Texas is the second biggest US state (after Alaska).

We have the pleasure to drive 300km along Route66 in Texas via the „panhandle“, the north of Texas. The landscape is changing.

Texas, full of cliches? Cowboys & oil, rancher & republicans, rattlesnakes, Dallas & family Bush.

Don’t mess with Texas (a slogan for a campaign aimed at reducing littering on Texas roadways by the Texas Department of Transportation). Let’s spray graffiti on Cadillacs instead.

Let’s have steak & don’t get confused with the ounces… the steak challenge: Can you eat a 72 ounce (~2kg) steak incl. sides within 60 minutes? If you make it, it’s for free. If not, you pay $80! Well, we shared a 36 ounce T-Bone steak. Sooooo delicious!

Let’s talk about cowboys.

Lonely men who drink coffee or whiskey and smoking Marlboro like in the advertising in 1954 living in peace and freedom? Well, reality looked a little different. It was hard work watching up to 5000 cows 10-12 hours daily, rain or shine, badly paid. A cowboys career started already with 12. The only thing which hasn’t changed until today: the outfit.

The Grand Canyon of Texas. The second largest canyon in the country lies in the heart of the Texas Panhandle.

Bye bye, Texas!

We managed driving already half way of Route66… excited for the 2nd half.

Springfield, MS – Kansas – Tulsa, OK – Elk City, OK

We are passing on to an area where everything is about weather & tornadoes. You can even book a „tornado adventure tour“… Alternatively you could just watch the film twister, a much safer option.

Joplin – a town, famous for 2 things: Bonnie & Clyde were hiding here in 1930 and sadly the south of the town was destroyed in 2011 by a tornado with wind speed of 402km/hrs. Wow!

Finding the way along Route66 has become more difficult. It feels a bit like rallying. But hey, no problem, team Deutschland Rally is on. We keep finding the route signs.

19km on Route66 through Kansas! Yeah! Another state checked. Lol.

Bye Kansas, hello Oklahoma!

Mexican lunch in Oklahoma: Molcajete in Miami.

The Turleys are everywhere! Even in Oklahoma.

Time for more nostalgia: watching „Top Gun“ in one of the few left old Autokinos from 1951. We also found zebra popcorn ♥️

Oklahoma is flat & wide, green & wet and the more west you go the less villages you find. Its nickname: the dust bowl!

It’s raining. A very good opportunity for shopping: first outlet since arrival (I cannot believe that we bought nothing…). Instead we had lunch. Still our favorite and the very best burger. It tasted as delicious as we remember.

We are leaving the mid west of the USA & rolling into Texas. Wohoo. Cowboys, here we come!

Chicago, Il – Springfield, Il – St. Louis, MO – Springfield, MO

Leaving the big city of Chicago behind. We found the entry of Route66. Yeah!

Countryside. Green lush fields. Cows & horses. Relaxed driving. Lots of Harley’s and Oldtimers. Beautiful weather. Temperatures getting higher. Sundae ice cream for lunch.

We get lost and we get back on the historic Route66. Not to get confused with different options out of different years…

We passed Springfield or “the land of Lincoln” – the capital city of Illinois. Illinois designated “Land of Lincoln” as the official state slogan in 1955. Regarded as a great symbol of democracy, Abraham Lincoln was the sixteenth president of the United States (1852) and is honored for his noble vision, statesmanship, humanity, and political skill.

Happy St. Memorials Day! The reason why we had sushi for dinner (the only restaurant with available seats): St. Louis rolls! ♥️

By the way, the USA counts >40 Springfields: the home of the Simpsons (they never defined which one though) & Brad Pitt was born in Springfield, MO. Happy birthday!

A bit about Amish people living in Illinois: apparently they don’t drive cars but horse carriages. They don’t use electricity or phones and tailor their own clothes and dresses like 300 years ago. Men are wearing black hats and beards. We didn’t see any since they are living about 100mi south of Route66.

Hello, St. Louis! I always wanted to be here because of Louise from St. Louis (sex and the city).

The city is beautiful and home to the baseball. St. Louis nickname is „the Gateway to the West“.

In 2006, St. Louis made it no.1 as the most dangerous city in the USA. One year later that status changed to Detroit. Nevertheless, the murder rate is here 3 times higher than in LA (dear mums, don’t worry, we made it and moved on…).

The 630-foot Gateway Arch is the centerpiece of downtown St. Louis— backing up to the Mississippi River and overlooking the Old Courthouse. After we’re done ogling the massive man-made monument from afar, we got transported by tram to the top for a panoramic view that stretches for up to 30-miles. Wow!

The ride up in the little 5-person pod (that looks like something from the future) takes about 4 minutes. From the top we peeked out of the thin rectangle windows to get the spectacular view below.

Cruising on the big river – the Mississippi.

It’s getting hot in here… Hot is when you stop blow drying your hair. Hot is when you appreciate A/C in the night. Hot is when you prio the shade. Hot is when you sweat even you don’t move.

Windows open. Wind in the hair. Cruising along…

A proper BBQ is when even the baked beans are mixed with meat… not for vegetarians.

Happy Memorial Day!

Moving on to Oklahoma next 🖖

The Historic Route 66 is the most famous road in America. The road, which stretches from Chicago to LA in a broad, meandering curve, has been called America’s “Mother Road”.

16 days time to find & drive along the legendary Route66.

We are planning to cross the USA from Chicago all the way to Los Angeles. A road trip of 4000km, passing 3 time zones, 8 states, several climate zones and landscapes.

Route 66 is no longer part of the US highway system, so many parts of it have fallen into disrepair or are basically just dirt roads or routes aren’t even on the maps anymore. So, we are prepared: a special Route 66 map, and we are willing to do some off-roading. Let’s go!

A trip along many different cultures, the past, present and the future, comedy and tragedy filled with stories and history. A road with movies, cowboys and Native Americans, tornados and deserts.

We are looking forward to old motels, endless highways, Art Deco diners, ice-cold cokes & re-fills, Walmarts and burgers. Lol.

Route66: one word and one number = freedom, peace, endless emptiness, amazing landscape, hells angels and police sirens.