Joliet's Kicks on 66

If you ever plan to motor west,
Travel my way, take the highway that is best.
Get your kicks on Route sixty-six.

--Bobby Troup

After our brief excursion to childhood, we continue cruising The Strip through Berwyn, blithely missing the turn for Route 66 at Harlem Avenue. Instead of continuing straight into Lyons, Route 66 makes a dogleg at the very busy intersection of Ogden and Harlem avenues, merging briefly with Illinois 43 before turning southwest onto Joliet Road. We know this now after several missteps. How did anyone ever make it to California?

We finally enter Lyons, where California Auto Service is a hopeful harbinger of our ultimate destination. In ultra-industrial McCook, the old Skyline Motel languishes in disrepair, but time-honored McCook Bohemian-American Family Restaurant still looks lively; Steak N Egger now occupies the site of Snuffy's Restaurant, a former 66 icon. The Route takes us by the enormous McCook Quarry, fortunately not via the original route, now abandoned, which spanned the 650-acre limestone pit. We drive by the insta-classic Willow Hills Restaurant & Pancake House next to 66 Tire & Auto in Countryside, then through Indian Head Park, past the old Wolf's Head Inn. In Willowbrook, we pass Del Rhea's Chicken Basket, a 66 mainstay at mile marker 274 since 1938. 

Approaching the first fork in the road

Winding through the suburbs on Joliet Road, Route 66 shows its age. The Route traces the earliest known road connecting Chicago and St. Louis, which was originally a well-worn Native American trail, then a stagecoach road that was renamed "Pontiac Trail" in 1915. Route 66 follows much of the Pontiac Trail, stitching together as many towns and cities as possible on its ziggedy-zaggedy way to St. Louis. 

At Darien, Route 66 merges with I-55 for a few miles. The need for speed straightens out this stretch of the route for commuters between Illinois' two state capitals, Chicago and Springfield. We have a choice: Do we want to remain on I-55, the newest alignment of Route 66, which will whisk us lickety-split to Springfield; or do we want to take Exit 268 onto the 1926 alignment of Route 66, a two-laner that will take us through all of the small towns bypassed by the freeway? 

Looks like we won't make Springfield by nightfall.

Exit 268 takes us into Bolingbrook, past Montana Charlie's Flea Market and large industrial parks. In Romeoville, we drive by White Fence Farm (famous for its chicken dishes since the 1920s), Mongo McMichael's banquet facility, Historic Route 66 Plaza, and Eggman's Omelets. Road construction and heavy traffic make for very slow going, giving us a sense of what Route 66 would have been like during the peak travel months before I-55 provided a faster alternative route.

The congested suburban roadway finally gives way to more open countryside. We pass Historic Fitzpatrick House and Gaylord Building Historic site. In the distance, we can see the I&M Canal, which helped establish Chicago as the transportation hub of the United States in the 1800s; now the canal only flows into history as a National Historic Landmark. We admire the bucolic grassland of Prairie Bluff Preserve. Adjacent to the preserve, Stateville Prison sulks on the hillside just outside of Joliet.

When we finally reach Joliet, it’s already 3:00 p.m., and we have traveled only 63 miles! It’s definitely time for ice cream, so we stop at Rich & Creamy on the edge of town for a soft-serve cone. Thanks, Tom! The cone is just as delicious as you said it would be in the guidebook. Typical of the ice cream stores that used to dot Route 66 in its heyday, Rich & Creamy is a popular spot, especially after being restored to its original retro appearance--with the exception of The Blues Brothers, Jake and Elwood, dancing on the rooftop!

As we enjoy our cones, we stroll through adjacent Route 66 Park to stretch our legs, admire the eclectic selection of public art, and browse the informational exhibits and kiosks that highlight Route 66 attractions throughout the city, including murals, sculptures, mosaics, antique replica gas pumps, and classic architecture, such as the "Jewel of Joliet." Obviously, Joliet's city leaders understand the national significance of Route 66 and have carefully planned for the thousands of travelers just like us from throughout the United States and the world who make driving Route 66 their ultimate destination.

The kiosks plot a journey through the city, beginning here at Route 66 Park, continuing with a stop at the Route 66 Experience in the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center in downtown, and concluding with a list of reasons to stay in town: a first-run show at the elegantly restored Rialto Square Theatre; a tour of Union Station or the stately Victorian Jacob Henry Mansion; or perhaps a motorsport event at the Chicagoland Speedway or Route 66 Raceway.

On our way to the Route 66 Welcome Center, we have to stop at Dick’s Towing down the street for a photo op.  The old cars, 66 signs, and auto parts littering the yard make Dick's look more like a museum or sculpture garden than a working business. Is that Dick waving from the front window? Looks like a nice guy. The vintage Packard and Chevrolet are reminders of the good old days when Route 66 was a busy highway that supplied plenty of business for garages with tow trucks. A hand-lettered sign on the 1950 Pontiac Silver Streak perched on the rooftop reads "California or bust." Yes, indeed!

We park downtown and walk to the Route 66 Welcome Center. On the way, we encounter our first Illinois Route 66 Scenic Byway Experience Hub, a 9-foot kiosk with interpretive panels that tell the story of Route 66 in the region and provide information about local attractions and how to find them. Did you know that Joliet played a role in the 1980 movie classic The Blues Brothers? The adventure begins when "Joliet" Jake is released from the Joliet Prison and is picked up by his brother, Elwood, who was named for the next town to the south. No wonder there are so many Blues Brothers sculptures around town. With the press of a button, we hear Bobby Troup sing his song "Route 66." Of course, we get our kicks by singing along. What a cool kiosk!

Located at the crossroads of Route 66 and Lincoln Highway, the Joliet Area Historical Museum and Route 66 Welcome Center is definitely worth the visit. Here, Route 66 is immortalized as the Main Street of America in stories, songs, art, and collectibles. Burma-Shave signs and Roadside Giants remind visitors of how the Mother Road was and continues to be a powerful driver of commercialized American culture and an engine of economic opportunity fueled by the American Dream. 

The Route 66 Experience offers free, interactive exhibits for children and adults alike. We act more like adolescents, sitting back and watching a movie at the mock drive-in theater; jumping in the Corvette and ordering a meal at the mock drive-in diner; and settling into a room at the mock Route 66 Motel and watching an episode of Rt. 66 on a real, old-fashioned television. We especially enjoy visiting the gift shop, which stocks a wide array of faboo 66 merchandise. As we pay for our purchases, we ask the friendly clerk to share some of her favorite 66 adventures. (Hint: We can hardly wait to visit Funks Grove and Devils Elbow.) On our way out the door, we stock up on free pamphlets and brochures that describe what's ahead on The Route. 

We would love to spend the night in Joliet and experience more Kicks on 66, but we still have 2,383 miles of highway ahead of us!

Reluctantly, we leave Joliet in the rear-view mirror, passing the Chicago Speedway and Route 66 Raceway. What's that unidentified flying object in the parking lot of 66 Food and Fuel? It's The Blues Brothers’ Plymouth cop cruiser hoisted on a pole with Elwood at the wheel and Jake riding shotgun in perpetuity! Yep.

We drive under the I-80 overpass, crawling along in heavy truck traffic again. We pass another quarry, then miles of cornfields on both sides of the road until we reach Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery nestled in the grassland on the outskirts of Elwood. We drive by the Sukup silos of Prairie Creek Terminal Services and Grain Company, which mark the skyline of tiny Marshland, then past Jim German's Vegetables roadside stand. Flocks of sheep graze in the roadside pastures.

Hard to believe that Chicago's skyscrapers rise into the clouds just beyond the horizon line.