The excitement waiting for the day to collect the car was immense - the whole reason for this trip was to cruise across the USA in a huge American SUV. Booked through Expedia with Hertz I was pretty sure there would be no issues, and have to say the Hertz customer service chat line is pretty good. My first question to the guy at the counter was "what car do we have?" His response of "Ford Expedition" made me happy - although I was hoping for a Tahoe or a Yukon - but the Expedition is perfect.
The spec is good too - obviously a seven seater, we immediately folded the back row down to give us huge luggage space (and it has acres), the second row has two captains chairs that are perfect for keeping passengers comfy. Plenty of AC options, USB connectivity, cup holders and stowage compartments - it is so much bigger than my Formentor... but we were all set!
Driving through Chicago was simple - but I had obvious nervousness as you would expect. Huge car, foreign roads, different rules on the road - but even though Chicago was mentally busy, driving though was a doddle. The rules at stop signs (where the first arriving has priority) is a synch, although I would say the road signs do take some getting used to.
However very soon we were out of the city and heading down Route 66 - all that planning and here we were, actually on the road. I was pleased with that planning, and have to admit I was a bit geeky in the planning by writing a turn by turn itinerary - which Lynn was "navigating" with - ably supporting the drive into the unknown! This itinerary indicates all of the places, sites and points of interest we wanted to see - and Lynn managed this superbly. However, only last month I had downloaded and signed up for the app Route 66 Navigation - which is allegedly the only nav app that follows Route 66. Well worth the £34 for its use - especially as it works with CarPlay too.
What I soon realised however is I had been a little over exuberant with what I expected to achieve in a day. Between Chicago and Springfield there are loads of places to stop that it is just impossible to see them all. Even after a quick stop for an ice cream at the Rich & Creamy kiosk (significant for the Blues Brothers fans) and a longer stop & tour at Joliet Prison (venue for the first couple of seasons of Prison Break) we were well into the day and looking at a late arrival at Springfield.
So we had to alter plans on the move - quite easy to do... it is annoying obviously but the whole point of a road trip is to be able to change plans right?
Had our first (and I hope only) run in with the law enforcement shortly after - we ventured over to the Route 66 Speedway and Chicago NASCAR tracks - only to be intercepted by a security geezer demanding to know our reason for being on private property. Pleading ignorance seemed the right thing to do considering (incidentally it seems anyone who has a "Security Badge" can openly carry a firearm!!) and while he thought we were just simple Brits, we skid-addled down the highway!
Some fantastic stops followed - photos below.
Finally it was onto our hotel for the night - Courtyard by Marriott in Springfield. Hotel was a strong 8/10 - cheap.ideally located for Target across the road, and a recommended Mexican Restaurant next door, which incidentally failed in not having any steak!! We were shattered so binned the idea of going to the Drive In Cinema - opting for a couple of beers and bed!
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The only trouble with the 'Expedition' is ....you won't want to give it back at the end!