Return to Videos

Fletch's Highlights of Shannons Route 66 Tour - Part 1: Classic Restos - Series 42

24.1K Views
By Shannons - Published on 02 October 2019

Fletch fresh from the Shannons Route 66 Tour, takes us on the Old Mother Road, the main street of America - Route 66. Starting in Chicago, heading west to Los Angles California, a journey of 2,448 miles. 

First stop is on the outskirts of Chicago, the Klairmont Collections a mega classic car collection with over 300 award-winning cars. Another whistlestop is outside a prison in Illinois made famous in the Blues Brothers movie, if you didn't already know Fletch is a Blues Brothers tragic.

On the road, Fletch stops and reflects on the various old alignments as they were called, that are sometimes in very close proximity to the current highway.

There's a diner or two along the way to St Louis and The Union Station. Built back in 1894 from Indiana Limestone for $6.5 million and contains 36 railway tracks under its roof. The Station has now been converted to the beautiful St Louis Union Station Hotel with  567 rooms, retaining many original features of the historic building.

Other tours highlights include the Meramec Caverns, discovered in 1933 but date back to the 1700s with 26 miles of underground caves. Some famous American folklore characters like Jessie James frequented the caves and used it as a hideout back in 1874. 

'Gay Parita' in Paris Springs, Missouri, is known for its gas station, rebuilt by local icon Gary Turner, to reflect Route 66 in its prime. Well worth a stop to see just how it was back then. 

Onto Oklahoma and the old alignments are getting a bit narrow in parts, just 9 feet wide due to cost-cutting. Two highlights include the Seaba Station Motorcycle Museum a 1920's gas station and the unmissable Oklahoma Route 66 Museum in Clinton. The Route 66 Museum provides a documented history of the life and times of the people who travelled the road and those who built it. 

Then there's Harley, who they call a real American Redneck. He's a little scary, but quite the entertainer and another tour highlight at the Sandhill Curiosity Shop.

All tour highlights recounted by Fletch, as only he can tell it. 

More to come in Part 2.