Chicago Chicago what a town

Chicago, Chicago my kind of town.

Friends the end or start of Route 66 is Chicago.

As the song goes" if your plan to travel West take the highway thats the best, get your kicks on route 66.

It goes from Chicago to LA 2000 miles all the way".

So we were back to front.

Chicago is one of the most exciting cities It has class, world famous buildings. restaurants and night life. It has a vibrant night life. And President Obama and his wife Michelle call it home.

It had the worlds tallest building the Sears Tower renamed the Wills Tower but people call it the Sears. They have built balconies on the 110th floor with glass floors and seamless glass walls. So you step into space - cool.

For our friend Margaret A and Voitek.

We tried to visit the Chicago Board of Trade CBOT. Unfortunately because of the terrorist attacks the exchange is closed to ordinary people so we just wandered. The building is magnificent. genuine 1930s. (The CBOT is the most important commodities exchange for the western world).

The city has a ripe criminalf history . Guess what? The Mayor is in trouble again

Our trip is over with old 66 finished. It must be there is a sign on Jackson Boulevard to prove it.

We are leaving on a bus for Indianapolis for the Indy 500 race.

The race is scheduled for 1.00am Sunday 30th.

The old Brickyard Indianapolis Indiana USA.

Then we catch the flying Kangaroo out of New York and fly home.

Image 1.Pam and cleaning sign

Image 2 CBOT building in the centre of financial district

image 3 end of Old Route 66

Welcome to Route 66

Traveling is about seeing new places, pointing a camera at strange objects and photographing scenes that turn out to be too far away

Traveling is about getting away and buying things you willl never use and stuff that means nothing to any body else but you and you wonder why! But it expands your knowledge of people and places putting things into perspective. The songs you hear somehow mean more. The images you see in magazines and TV jump out at you.

I think it makes life exciting and adds spice. Do you agree?

And so it was for Pam and I when we stumbled quite accidentally on the idea of going on an American road trip, just cross that great continent on old Route 66.

It goes from Chicago to Santa Monica in California.

Traverses 8 states, rivers, plains, mountains, canyons, deserts. Crossing Indian reservations National forests, Tribal Parks and wheat fields before it ends a distance of 2448 miles.

You may ask why not take the 2 lane fast expressways with no lights, no towns, you can have fast food on all exits, hotels/motels with hot coffee, air conditioning, cable TV and take one with you now sir. After the first few hours it becomes ordinary rather like the test pattern on your old TV, Or watching a dull film on free to air.

For us there must be people in the picture. We want to meet and see people in their every day life. We want to see the kids going to school, waiting for the big yellow buses by the side of the road. Then figuring out which school they were going to.

We can count churches and check out the amazing names they call their faith or the places the houses of worship are built.

America is an amazing country with her natural beauty and amazing scenery! With fertile lands full of crops.

Throughout our journey we marveled at the people. They are so proud of their homes, so proud of their children. We had long conversations with truly wonderful people who are hurting with indignation about wars, banks, environmental degradation and the oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico.

We travelled from West to East. The traditional way is from East to West through the mighty Jefferson Memorial arch in St Louis Missouri. It makes no difference which way you travel, old Route 66 is a road cut by its big brother freeways. It is littered with stop signs, cross roads, rail crossings sometimes seemingly going the wrong way. It is easy to know when you are on 66 buildings beside the road are out of the 50s.

66 can be running as a frontage road or a lonely road that wonders around in the country but invariably 66 ends up smack in the middle of each town. 66 wound through the towns and the towns needed 66.

The towns are bereft of funds as 66 has left them and the buildings and signs are left as they were.

66 is slow and laborious. It is not unusual to get lost and to have to back track to find 66 again. But given all this 66 is America. Traveling the highway is marvelous.

We loved the challenge of old 66. The people we met were hospitable and honest. Thye were all so interested in our country Australia and our views on their problems.

Pam and I encourage anyone who has romance, sense of adventure, enjoys great scenery and just loves meeting characters to

"If you get hip to this kindly tip, and decide to take that California trip, get your kicks on Route 66".

Oh and the food is bloody good too. I for one am going on a diet exercise regime pronto.

Image 1. Mural Pontiac ILL

Image 2. the Old Road Illinois

Image 3. El Rancho Hotel and Bar Gallup New Mexico (Hollywood hangout in the 40s)

Image 4. Jefferson Memorial Arch Road to the West St Louis Missouri

Image 5. Pam with Chicken Taco shell in New Mexico

Image 6. Cadillac Farm Amarillo Texas

Image 7. Our Convertible Sebring on the road Illinois

Oklahoma City Bombing Memorial Visit

At 09.02 19 April 1995

Alfred P Murrah Federal Building

NW 6th Street and Robinson Avenue

Oklahoma City Oklahoma USA

The building was used as a Federal government agency building, housing agencies, child minding service and the YMCA.

A truck was driven beneath the building loaded with explosives and detonated. The perpetrators were Timothy McVeigh and Terry Nichols.

McVeigh was convicted and executed.

Nichols was convicted and lives in jail for life.

The result was 168 dead including children. 150 injured. This does not include the psychological terror or trauma.

We visited the site and came away with a changed attitude to the whole security thing.

The question is: "Why carry out these horrific acts to innocent people?"

Images

1. Pam and Cindy the helpful guard who wanted to know all about Australia and told us all about the monument and the city of Oklahoma and Route 66.

3. The memorial waters

4. Chairs for the people who will never return. The chairs are suspended on glass. (I felt the bird on the chair was a soul).

On Route 66 in Oklahoma City.

Cruisin America - Grand Canyon to Monument Valley

The Grand Canyon is so huge it makes the mind boggle. Our aim was to make at least some distance to Monument Valley Tribal Park after a brief look at Grand Canyon.

Truth is it is such a huge wonder that our day did not do it justice.

The evening found us in Tuba City Arizona

in the Hopi Indian Reservation in the Navajo indian State. We booked a room in an NGO hotel.

The service was good and we got a kick out of supporting the Indians.

We have found that:

• Americans are hospitable
• the food is good value
• they all have an accent not like us at all
• the country around the corners of the four states is unlike any we have ever seen
• The corner states are
• Utah, Arizona, Colorado, New Mexico

• Monument Valley is awesome
• The country to the North of the valley is also awesome
• the roads are really good
• speed limit is 65mph in our terms 110kph
• Colorado where this is being written is true to John Denver "Rocky Mountain High".

Visiting Mesa Verde National Park tomorrow

The site Pueblo Indian cliff dwellings from 1100AD till early 1300AD still intact and sacred grounds.

Then back to the Mother road "Route 66" rejoining it at Gallup New Mexico.

We are "Cruisin America" in a convertible with the Sat. music cranked up.

Pure Rock n Roll.

Getting our kicks on Route 66

This blogger is having brekkie at the route 66 Westside Lilo's Cafe in Seligman Arizona. Short stack with eggs over easy.

Hopping it to the grand canyon to day and maybe Monument Valley.

For the purists this is the heart of Route 66 and the place is full of bikes. This is the preferred way to travel the Route 66 not in a Convertible with V6 under the bonnet yeahow.

Pam is great and reading the maps real good.

Thanks for now "Getting our kicks on

Route 66"

"Elvis Lives" Married again in Las vegas

Elvis is alive and well.

we took our vows again on the 13 May 2010

Vegas Nevada the US of A.

Viva Las Vegas.

thanks to all our friends for your cheers.

Malcolm Williams and Pam Williams (nee Wells)

On honeymoon on the ride

of all road trips route 66

Las Vegas or is it Margaritaville?

Las Vegas in the state of Nevada in the US of A is to us, One big hoot. It is the home of margaritas. The pinnacle of entertainment. The best eating houses. It is like the biggest theme park in the world.

You get what you ask for they say and this place puts th

at in a nutshell. Cheap is cheap and expensive is expensive. High rollers, Mum and Dads, dudes, girls, bar girls and boys, taxi drivers, larrikins,

nasties, pimps, call girls, prostitutes and pond life are all in full view all day and definitely after dark. The place hots up about 8.00pm and most of the restaurants close at 10.30pm. I suspect to drive the punters into the casinos that have food and bars with bands that belt out all sorts of rhythm and blues, rock, soul,

dueling pianos, solo singers and shows that go all night.

This blogger spotted a curfew sign on the road out of the strip. Dunno what it was about but will check it out for you in case you come this way and get caught out after dark (:

Now Vegas, 'the advertising says' is the home of Margaritas.

(a Margarita is a cocktail made of fresh lemon juice, demi sec liquor and tequila served in a glass ri

nged with salt. The fluid is sucked through the salt and therein a strange numbness ensues known as intoxication).

The point of this blogger writing this is Pam my new bride (after our

Graceland wedding in Vegas after 44.5 years of nuptial bliss) loves the stuff to distraction, AND we have found this beverage in places most have never heard of Irkutsk, Bagan, Malacca to mention a few. The better known locations are Bejing, Saigon, Shanghai, London, Vancouver and of course the most expensive drink ever purchased and drunk would definitely go to Copenhagen where it costs the same as a slab of fourex in Australia. So you do understand that Pam is a connoisseur of this particular beverage and it is a must have. Yes she is a fanatic.

This blogger has reason to write because they say this is the home and birth place of the Margarita [all say ahhh] and they have named several bars after that cocktail and even a casino/hotel called Margaritaville. The place has a huge menu of the different variations, colours, flavours

of the famous fluid. They even have gone so far in their amazedness to make different co

ntainers for the converted to suck the stuff and the place is packed 'wooowee!!'. The Mexican hooch is served in guitars, pails, long yard glasses and who knows what else if you have been to Vegas you may have seen them (must have been under a rock if you didn't).

But we found much to my new bride's (of 44.5 years) joy [and if she is happy believe me so am I!]

The first bar that Margaritas were served in Las Vegas. And Danny Hussong worked at the Casino. He misunderstood an order from an actress called MargaritaCansino who became famous

as Rita Hayworth. (: (if you believe then welcome to Vegas)

Viva Las Vegas the craziest place on earth. We have been to a Girlie extravaganza, 'Cher' at Caesars Palace, a magnificent production of 'The Lion King' and an 'Elvis Lives' show.

Been there done that and wanna come back soon.

Lucie Hannah Robinson

Born 9.41am 8 May 2010 Brisbane Australia

Lucie

French-Czech name.

Pronounced Lu - SEE.

Proud Mum and Dad

Richie - Kellie Robinson

Just call us Nanna & Poppie.

on the Road now in Las Vegas the city of sin. Look our for the next Blog.