As we enjoyed the stunning drive of Hwy 95 through lush green hills and sweeping valleys between Boise to Lewiston, we also found ourselves enjoying the history lessons along the roadside.

There are many Historical Markers along this stretch of highway and a lot of history to share. We could not stop and read them all, but we did enjoy a few and followed up online for the rest.

We stopped at the Historical Marker by White Bird Pass and noticed a spiraling road off in the distance.. turned out it was the old Hwy 95, aka The Spiral Hwy.

Scattered along the highway we noticed mine shafts close to the road. They were blocked off and warning signs were posted,  this introduced us to a bit of the history of the area and that it was once known for mining, the rest we had to learn online.

Riggins is now the “playground for the adventurous” but it was rich in history long before today’s generations discovered it.

The gorgeous drive along Hwy 95 in Idaho was a wonderful lesson in history. As you take in the stunning view of White Bird and the valley below, you also get a lesson of the history and the battle that once took place here.

I cWe started this RV journey in February of 2021, with two maiden journeys under our belt, we , hit the road full-time in August of 2021. We have been on the road full-time, for only a short nine months. We have driven over 20,000 miles since our journey started. And we have stayed in over fifty RV parks, Harvest Hosts, state parks, and national campgrounds in the last fifteen months.

We settled down in November, December, and January for the winter months, staying in three different RV parks for 30 days at a time, with a few short stops in between.

On February 9, we left our last winter campground and we have been on the road ever since. For medical reasons we needed to return to Washington state by May so we have been slowly working our way from the southeast coast to the northwest coast.

When we first hit the road, travel anxiety took its foot hold, after all, it had been three months since we had “really” traveled. We felt like newbies again. Once we got back into the routine, travel days became a little easier and being on the road is now just a way of life, again.

Since we left the east coast in February…we have been to twenty-one RV parks and one host site. We visited - South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama, Mississippi, Arkansas, Tennessee, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, California, Nevada, and Utah.

When we first started our cross-country journey, we had learned our lesson about traveling hard and long days, travel fatigue set in almost immediately, so this time was to be different. We kept our travel days light, traveling around 100-175 miles. We stayed in a location for at least a few days, sometimes a week. Yet, mid-way through and about the time we hit Arizona, travel fatigue hit, again, and I started to notice that everything was blending together. I often found myself referring to my calendar to check where we were last? What was that name of that RV park we stayed at? Was it really only just a few days ago that we were at ????

I found I could not always remember some things - like the name of a park. This is not like me and it was unsettling to say the least. As I have aged memories seem harder to hang onto, to be expected I suppose. But this wasn’t just memories fading away, it was that everything we have been doing just started to blend together, like one really long memory. Memories that were just only a week old, started to feel like a lifetime ago. Life was moving too quickly. And it was always a rush onto the next memory-making adventure.

I have met RVers who full-time and move at least once a week, sometimes twice a week, and have been doing this for years, I wondered - do the places they visit and the memories they made start to blend together too?

On the road, life still happens and there are still deadlines to be met. Staying in one location for a lengthy amount of time is not always feasible, and not always desirable. After all, we hit the road to see the places we have always dreamed of. To experience life in a way we didn’t when staying in one spot. And to answer a longing once buried inside.

It may all sometimes blend together, but I can at least say I can say I was there, even if it was only last week.

Betty Jo (the Airstream) enjoyed the stay at a variety of RV parks along Route 66 from Marshfield, MO to Needles, CA. Each of them were conveniently located off of HWY 40.

Route 66 was a dream of a ride. Touring through America, catching bits of Americana Nostalgia and the excitement of today’s Route 66, it has been a true pleasure and an amazing experience.

RVing full-time allows us some freedom and flexibility to choose a route, heading back from the east coast to the west coast, Route 66 was the only route that called to us and I am so grateful we listened.

We left Charleston on February 17th, still close to winter weather we decided to start our Route 66 just east of St. Louis with a beginning goal date of March 8th. Watching the weather closely, we chose a route from Charleston to Pacific, Missouri that provided a shorter route from point a to point b. The route took us to towns we would normally not have chosen, yet, we enjoyed immensely.

Since we were still in the off-season for mainstream RVers and the weather was unpredictable, we planned our stops and the length of our stay around the weather, planning about a week out at a time. I had made a list (yes, I am list maker) of RV parks along the route, with their phone numbers, starring my preferred RV parks. Check out our blog post for a list of the RV parks we stayed at, with a short review.

Our tour of Route 66 ended in Needles, California on April  25th. There are so many highlights to our Ultimate Road trip and hundreds of photos, it will be hard to choose, but I will give it a shot. We also made a few side trips, which I highlighted in my post about our Grand Detours.

Most importantly, it will be the memories we will treasure.

So many wonderful highlights in Missouri, you can read about most of them in our post "Building Excitement."

Cars on the Route, the inspiration for the movie CARS! And where you can stand in three states at once - Kansas, Missouri, Oklahoma

They really promote the route in Oklahoma and each town tries to stay somewhat authentic. It was a fun and easy-going ride, through small towns and bits of countryside, some of it weaving through the larger towns like Oklahoma City and Tulsa where you can still can find history mixed with urban development.    Read more in our post - Oklahoma is OK.

Texas Route 66 was colorful and just like they state, they do everything BIG! Read our post - Moody Route 66.

Most of our time was spent in Albuquerque, where Route 66 is Alive and Glittering with NEON Lights.  Tucumcari also had great NEON lights,  do the route at night, it's pretty short.
Read our post - Where the Past and Present Merge

Arizonia has so much to offer Route 66 travelers. The road itself is not intact, each community has pieces of it, so the best way to travel the route is Hwy 40, but what pieces they do have are worth the stop. Read our post on Standing on the Corner.

On Route 66, there are locations that are a must for travelers. A must-see. A must-do. A must-visit. The Corner in Winslow, AZ, is one of those must-do locations.

We arrived at our RV Park, Meteor Crater RV, shortly after 1:00 pm. It was a short drive, around 148 miles. The wind had finally died down, so cruising Hwy 40 was easy and light. It amazes me how the scenery can change quickly just by crossing a state line. Gallup, New Mexico, was a small town surrounded by hills, then traversing into Arizona, the landscape changed to show off the Arizona red rocks and rolling landscape.

We started our Route 66 journey in Fanning, MO. Each stop along the route has been special and unique in its own way, but it was Winslow, AZ,  I was most looking forward too. Maybe it was from growing up on The Eagles' music and listening to the song “Takin’ An Easy?" Maybe, it was years of hearing about The Corner? No matter the reason, it was the place I was most looking forward too.

I did not know what to expect? I have found most of the locations on the route do not match my exceptions — some exceed them, others not so much. Winslow not only exceeded, it surpassed the images I had seen online. Once you arrive in downtown Winslow, The Corner is hard to miss. Just look for the LARGE Route 66 symbol on the street and the crowds of people standing on the corner with their cameras. When it comes to this small town, the LARGE Route 66 symbol gives the impression of Larger than life. And to this day, Winslow is still one of the most impressive locations on the route.

I jumped out of the truck and parked myself on the corner, waiting patiently for my husband to do the get-your-vehicle-photo-with-the-LARGE-Route-66-symbol. We were fortunate that traffic had lightened up.

He then parked so we could explore. The downtown itself is not very large, making it an easy town to walk. Since, it was evening, most of the shops were closed. We did The Corner selfie, then found a delicious place to enjoy dinner, the RelicRoad Brewing Company. We met a couple, also full-time RVing in their schoolie bus, and spent an hour comparing notes.

This must-stop location is a must-do and a favored tradition on Route 66. It is one of the highlights when taking the Ultimate Road Trip on The Mother Road. Enjoy!