America's "Main Street" - Historic Old Route 66 - heads west on its way to California. Much of the road parallels the railroad and phone poles are often a sign of the original path - there are often several different "alignments" in and through towns as years passed. Route 66 was originally commissioned in 1926 and ran from Chicago to Los Angeles...It was made even more famous by the 1960s television series Route 66 with George Maharis and Martin Milner...

As most, but not all maps have eliminated Historic Route 66, the state of Illinois has erected markings like the one above to direct travelers along the various alignments...

The "Jewel of Joliet"- the Rialto, on North Chicago Street, was built in 1926 and has more than 100 hand-cut crystal chandeliers and light fixtures! Restored in 1980, it offers a stunning reflection of Greek, Roman and Byzantine architecture and tours are offered

On the side of a building near the Rialto in downtown Joliet...

The "Gemini Giant" alongside the Launching Pad Drive-In - serving good food since the 50s - in Wilmington, IL

The Polk-a-Dot Drive-in in Braidwood, opened in 1956...A classic road stop!

Above two images: inside and outside the Polk-a-Dot

Typical old-town scene along 66...this one on North Water Street in Wilmington, IL. Kaveney's opened in May of 1938, with a soda fountain added the following October...

In Gardner, the historic Two-Cell Jail. We had the fortune of running into 66 author John Weiss and some friends as we arrived at the jail - such a stroke of luck (see photos below). He further personalized our guidebook and gave us a tour of the street car diner below, which is rarely open!

Above two images: Restored by the Route 66 Preservation Committee, the street car diner used to reside in back of the Riviera - a 1928 roadhouse in Braceville that burned down not too long ago. The diner - a former Kankakee streetcar - was saved and moved to its present location next to the Two Cell Jail in Gardner and restored...Note the "blue plate special!" Thanks for the personal tour, John (he has the keys to everything)!

John Weiss, author of Traveling the New, Historic Route 66 of Illinois

Dennis, John and Donna with the guide to 66 in Illinois. John is also Chairman of the Illinois Route 66 Preservation Committee and a member of the Route 66 Association of Illinois...

Back in Joliet, the Rich & Creamy on Broadway, complete with the Blues Brothers on top - lit in neon at night! These stands were and still are typical of those that dotted 66 in its heyday...

In the park next to the Rich & Creamy. Just down the road is the old Joliet Prison, made famous by the television series Prison Break (season one) and the Blues Brothers movie. It operated from 1858 to 2002...

In Dwight, the 1933 Ambler-Becker Texaco Station, at the junction of Routes 66 and 17, has been lovingly restored and is often open as a 66 visitor center. It dispensed fuel for 66 years and is also on the National Register...

Above and below: The Old Route 66 Family Restaurant in Dwight, on the opposite corner to the Texaco station, still serving great food...

Old 66 ambles off past Illinois farmland on a lovely late spring day!

Wind turbines by the hundreds dot the landscape, forming "wind farms,"where the old road meets new technology...Today Illinois is home to over 2500 megawatts of wind generation capacity - enough to power nearly 1,000,000 homes with clean, emissions-free electricity...

No longer in use, original 66 pavement - like a ghost road -  often parallels the newer sections of the Mother Road (see image below). Rather than simply letting these stretches degrade out of existence, Illinois is in the process of converting almost 300 miles of old pavement into walking and biking trails, thus preserving Old 66 for all time...Way to go, Illinois!!!

And the road goes on...

Please continue your journey on Page 2.

All images c. 2012, Dennis A. Hubbs, D&D Travel Services, LLC