Route 66 Road Trip Day 2 - Missouri & Kansas

Covering the most ground today on the Mother Road, this is our longest travel day leaving St. Louis, MO en route to Chandler, Oklahoma.

Missouri is a beautiful state to traverse full of green rocky forested terrain, there's so much to do and see here along Route 66. In a future trip I will plan to spend several days getting the full experience (maybe the 100 year anniversary of Route 66 in 2026). Given we were more limited in time this first trek along the Mainstreet of America, we did pack in an array of classic roadside attractions: vintage motels, retro signage, historic eateries, majestic bridges...and a trip to Uranus.

I also wanted to highlight a couple historic places that may not necessarily be associated with Route 66 but certainly nearby and worth a stop, these include ragtime pianist Scott Joplin's home in St. Louis and paying respects at the Joplin Tornado Memorial in Joplin, Missouri.

From there my brother and I entered Kansas where Route 66 cuts through the Southeast corner of the state (a half marathon to be exact). Galena and Baxter Springs are well worth the trip, beautiful midwest towns that embrace the Pixar Cars movie.

From there we continued into Oklahoma as the sun set, driving through the night to our final destination at the historic Lincoln Motel in Chandler, Oklahoma. An epic day along the Mother Road and a journey that I will cherish always.

Route 66 Intro: 0:00
The Whispering Arch of STL Union Station: 0:50
Ragtime King Scott Joplin's Home: 3:23
Chuck Berry Rock 'N Roll Statue: 5:13
Wagon Wheel Motel: 6:57
Giant Rocking Chair: 9:45
Stuckey's Gas Station: 13:19
The Devil's Elbow Bridge: 17:26
Uranus Fudge Factory: 18:30
Munger Moss Motel: 26:41
Original Steak 'n Shake: 29:32
Springfield MO Birthplace of Route 66: 31:47
2011 Joplin Tornado Memorial: 33:20
Welcome to Kansas - Cars Land: 41:01
Rainbow Arch Bridge: 45:52
Lincoln Motel - Chandler, OK: 48:27
Outro Song: 50:15

Opening Song - Route 66 Theme written and performed by me on my Stratocaster guitar

Closing Song - Under the Neon Light written and performed by me on my Stratocaster guitar