Route 66 Road Trip - Superchargers?

[wws]

The Shamrock Tx Supercharger is a must visit. It is at the site of the famous U-Drop Inn and Conoco station. (Also the inspiration for Ramones House of Body Art in the movie "Cars".)

When in St Louis, be sure to spend some time at the National Museum of Transportation.

 

[Ampster]

The Shamrock Tx Supercharger is a must visit. It is at the site of the famous U-Drop Inn and Conoco station. (Also the inspiration for Ramones House of Body Art in the movie

Yes, we were there a few weeks ago. Good food too!

 

[latca]

Yeah, I have mine in ABRP, but just like your's, it's missing St. Louis, not going to do the run until that SuC opens.

-Randy

Wow would you be able to post your ABRP share link? I would love save that to my account as well.

 

[israndy]

Never done this before, but here goes:

Route 66 Trip

Let me know that that worked. Still waiting on the St. Louis Supercharger

 

[wws]

There is a "Route 66 Electric Car Club" group on Facebook - in case anyone is interested.

As far as EV driving on historic highways go, I would be remiss not to also mention the "Lincoln Highway Electric Motorists" FB group. (@Lanny)

 

[wws]

There is also the electric vehicle museum in Kingman: https://hevf.org/

 

[Lanny]

The official online map of the coast-to-coast Lincoln Highway now has the electric vehicle chargers along the route identified.

Click the box "Electric vehicle chargers" under the LEGEND menu to turn on the layer. Official Map of the Lincoln Highway - Lincoln Highway Association

 

[latca]

Never done this before, but here goes:

Route 66 Trip

Let me know that that worked. Still waiting on the St. Louis Supercharger

Thanks! Works great.

 

[israndy]

I have noticed that Tesla seems to leave chargers they will someday be building on the map and then let years go by (I'm looking at you Sonora, CA) so perhaps it is stupid to wait for St. Louis

Who knows when we'll all be back on the road touching new Superchargers. I am dreaming of the day (this is day 5 on lockdown talking)

 

[reddy]

I have noticed that Tesla seems to leave chargers they will someday be building on the map and then let years go by (I'm looking at you Sonora, CA) so perhaps it is stupid to wait for St. Louis

View attachment 523983

Who knows when we'll all be back on the road touching new Superchargers. I am dreaming of the day (this is day 5 on lockdown talking)

View attachment 523982

My office is literally on the old Route 66 in Amarillo. My comment on your map is that you are bypassing Tucumcari, NM.

Tucumcari has been able to maintain a lot of the old Route 66 charm , and has a wonderful boulevard of old Rt 66 motels , some even with the neon signs. This is only about 4 blocks from the supercharger.

Your route is stopping in Santa Rosa, NM instead. All you will see there is the Holiday Inn Express and a Dairy Queen.

If you need to stop overnight, Amarillo has lots and lots of restaurants and hotels. Tucumcari has a smaller selection, but has preserved that old Rt 66 charm better than almost anywhere.

 

[wws]

I have noticed that Tesla seems to leave chargers they will someday be building on the map and then let years go by (I'm looking at you Sonora, CA) so perhaps it is stupid to wait for St. Louis

Well now that you have a CHAdeMO adapter, you could just use it in St Louis. There seem to be several of them inside the city limits. If it were me, I'd still use the Supercharger in St Charles though.

One of my sons and I did most of Route 66 a few years ago - from Chicago to Barstow. We had a guide book, and tried to follow the original two-lane roads as much as possible. But we didn't literally visit every last foot of road. Sometimes we needed to make up some time, so had to hop on the Interstate. And in some places the Interstate is literally on top of the old road. It was a fun trip with lots to see and do. Spent a day in each state, but could have easily spent two or three days in each. I'd like to do it again - next time in the Tesla.

 

[wws]

As an aside, looking at plugshare, Tesla is still the only EV that could do the entire length of Route 66 using only DC charging. For non-Teslas, there is still a fairly large gap between Albuquerque and Amarillo - with a "under construction" site in Tucumcari that will eventually fill the gap. There is also a HUGE gap between Victorville, CA and Flagstaff, AZ. It will help when one of the "under construction" Barstow sites comes on line. But sites are still needed like in Needles and Kingman.

 

[arcus]

Tucumcari has been able to maintain a lot of the old Route 66 charm , and has a wonderful boulevard of old Rt 66 motels , some even with the neon signs. This is only about 4 blocks from the supercharger.

Your route is stopping in Santa Rosa, NM instead. All you will see there is the Holiday Inn Express and a Dairy Queen.

If you need to stop overnight, Amarillo has lots and lots of restaurants and hotels. Tucumcari has a smaller selection, but has preserved that old Rt 66 charm better than almost anywhere.

I would strongly recommend to stay in Tucumcari for the night. Plan accordingly and drive around during sunset. Some great opportunities for pictures with all neon lights on. Spoiler alert: California, here we come! (Road trip 2018 – part 1)

 

[israndy]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do need to do more to make the trip great than just hit the Superchargers from the song, although that was the original trip's premise. I do see RoadTrippers.com has a bunch of people that have planned trips along the old route. I will do more research.

I think my original inspiration was finding the site:

Historic U.S. Route 66 Travel Guide and Trip Planner, tips for driving the Mother Road, photos, maps, roadside attractions, things to see, hotels and cities along the route

 

[wws]

Thanks for all the suggestions. I do need to do more to make the trip great than just hit the Superchargers from the song, although that was the original trip's premise. I do see RoadTrippers.com has a bunch of people that have planned trips along the old route. I will do more research.

I think my original inspiration was finding the site:

Historic U.S. Route 66 Travel Guide and Trip Planner, tips for driving the Mother Road, photos, maps, roadside attractions, things to see, hotels and cities along the route

For your drive, I'd recommend starting off with a copy of Jerry McClanahans EZ66 (https://www.amazon.com/Route-66-EZ66-GUIDE-Travelers/dp/0988924617). It is an essential reference with very detailed maps for driving the road. It is also spiral bound - which makes it easy to use while driving. Then there are lots of other guidebooks, history books, web sites, the facebook group, and so on to give more details, advise, and perspectives.

I used Knowles' Route 66 Adventure Handbook. It is ok, and has some good prose. But the maps are kind of hard to follow in places. Next time I will bring EZ66. (Note: I used the 4th edition of Knowles' book. I see there is now a 5th edition that apparently has a lot of improvements.)

 

[cpa]

I would strongly recommend to stay in Tucumcari for the night. Plan accordingly and drive around during sunset. Some great opportunities for pictures with all neon lights on. Spoiler alert: California, here we come! (Road trip 2018 – part 1)

My son and I stayed at the Blue Swallow Motel in Tucumcari last May. There are destination chargers adjacent to the property. Fun and funky throwback motel. Tiny rooms with tinier bathrooms, but each unit has a garage. Also, each unit has outdoor furniture by the door to spend some time outside with fellow travelers while imbibing a delicious beverage.

What was disappointing was the lack of good restaurants. Dinner was iffy at a so-called fancy restaurant on the west side of town. Breakfast was much better at a diner about two blocks east of the motel on the south side of the street. (I do not recall the names of the establishments.)

 

[reddy]

What was disappointing was the lack of good restaurants. Dinner was iffy at a so-called fancy restaurant on the west side of town. Breakfast was much better at a diner about two blocks east of the motel on the south side of the street. (I do not recall the names of the establishments.)

You missed the "Golden Dragon" on Route 66. It was featured in the Netflix documentary The Search for General Tso.

GOLDEN DRAGON CHINESE RESTRANT

The Search for General Tso (2014) - IMDb

 

[reddy]

If you consider stopping in Winslow, Arizona and look for girls in a flat bed Ford, a great hotel is the La Posada. It was a Harvey Railroad hotel, and probably the best preserved of them. It's on Rt 66 and has a Tesla destination charger.

Home - La Posada Hotel

 

[cpa]

You missed the "Golden Dragon" on Route 66. It was featured in the Netflix documentary The Search for General Tso.

GOLDEN DRAGON CHINESE RESTRANT

The Search for General Tso (2014) - IMDb

I saw the restaurant; unfortunately Chinese food is not high on my list of palatable comestibles.

 

[K3Man]

Don’t forget Cadillac Ranch, just outside of Amarillo.

• Cadillac Ranch - Wikipedia

It’s not too far from the SpC In Amarillo.