June 2026

NM, OK, KS, MO, IL, and WA

We spent a week in Albuquerque with Josh's family and friends before continuing on Route 66. We made stops in Amarillo, TX, Oklahoma City, OK, Tulsa, OK, Baxter Springs, KS, and multiple towns in IL. Highlights in Oklahoma were the Stafford Air & Space Museum in Weatherford, OK. This museum had extensive information and models on planes and spacecrafts. The Threatt Filling Station, the first Black owned gas station in Oklahoma and a safe haven for people of color traveling Route 66, was moving to see. We were able to meet and talk with the grandson's owner, Ed. Hailey wished we weren't working that day since we stopped in between calls for a few minutes. It would've been great to chat longer with Ed. We enjoyed Tall Chief Cove Campground where there were free showers and the campground was easily walkable. We appreciated Tulsa and learning about Black Wall Street at the Greenwood Rising Black Wall St. History Center.  We were only in Kansas for a short period of time - not even a full day - but this section of Route 66 was very welcoming and had a number of attractions in a short area. One of the attractions was Gearhead Curios, a gift shop that had shirts, artwork, souvenirs, and an iconic restroom (where an oil funnel is used as a urinal).   

Missouri offered more than we expected. The towns had a lot of charm. We stumbled upon the origins of Bigfoot the original Monster Truck in Pacific, MO, and got to see one of the Bigfoots up close. In St Louis we were able to take the tram to the top of the Gateway Arch and tour the Anhauser Busch facility. In Springfield we were able to take a tour of Lincoln's home and see the Lincoln Tomb.  Hailey was able to do a quick visit of the Lincoln Presidential Library & Museum. 

We made it to Chicago on Saturday, June 20th and completed our Route 66 journey. We were able to find street parking in downtown Chicago which was no small feat. It was a rainy and drizzly day while we walked around the city but we didn't mind. We were able to see the Cloud Gate sculpture up close. The last time we were in Chicago (in October 2023), there was construction and maintenance at Millennium Park so we weren't able to see the sculpture up close and without chain link fencing. 

We stayed at Camp Bullfrog Lake outside of Chicago for a couple of nights before relocating to a Hipcamp in Lynwood, IL. It was a blueberry farm where the hosts were gracious and welcoming. Hailey had connected with the owners near the beginning of the year and explained that we needed to fly out of Chicago to attend a friend's wedding in Seattle and were looking for a safe place to park the van and find a dog sitter for Lucky. The owners were happy to keep an eye on the van and welcomed Lucky into their home. Lucky received lots of attention and had a great time running around the farm and wading in the pond while we were back in WA. 

The trip to Seattle was quick. We flew out on Wednesday, June 24th, attended the wedding on Saturday, June 27th, and flew back to Chicago on Monday, June 29th. The Ubers from the Hipcamp to Chicago O'Hare took over an hour each way and ranged from $70-$100. It wasn't too bad considering we weren't able to safely park the van in Chicago city limits. 

When we returned to Chicago we spent one night at the Hipcamp and the remaining couple of days in June at Camp Bullfrog Lake. Unfortunately, the day we returned to Chicago (June 29th) was the start of a heatwave. Temperatures were in the 90s for several consecutive days. The weather was almost unbearable for us. We stayed sheltered in the van. Thankfully we had shore power so we were able to run our air conditioning unit nonstop. We stayed cool and safe, but it was uncomfortable since we couldn't venture far outside of the van until late in the evening.