There is an item on my bucket list that my family and I have partially completed, a drive from Chicago to Santa Monica along the famous Mother Road, Route 66. Last Spring we drove half of the route on our Cars inspired trip to Disneyland…
We were only supposed to go about 500 miles today, but as you will discover when you read to the end we ended up going much further than planned…
We said goodbye to the Blue Swallow Hotel early, wanting to stop in Albuquerque for breakfast at the Famous Frontier Cafe across from the campus of the University of New Mexico.
My husband grew up in Albuquerque and the owners of the Frontier, the Rainosek’s, are family friends. 
No stop to Albuquerque is complete without a Frontier Cinnamon Roll, some homemade tortillas and my personal favorite, green chile stew.
We will save the 66 Diner, which serves American comfort food to hungry travelers of Route 66,
in Albuquerque for another day whose chrome and stainless steel Streamline Moderne decor and 1950s-inspired waitresses uniforms serves as inspiration served as inspiration for Flos V-8 Diner in Carsland.
Our next stop was just across the New Mexico-Arizona border at Chief Yellowhorse Trading Post (which was closed).
It was easy to see what part of Cars and Carsland was inspired from this location…
At the same exit for Chief Yellow Horse, you will find 2 other locations that inspired both Cars and Carsland…
Take a look at the cliffs and it is easy to picture this location in the movie right behind the Cozy Cone. And across the highway at the same exit you will find the inspiration for Fillmore’s Taste-In.
The Cars character, Fillmore is also based “unofficially” on an actual person, Bob Waldmire.
He is “unofficially” Fillmore because he refused to lend his name for the film. Waldmire lived a hippie lifestyle, driving up and down Route 66 in his VW microbus (complete with a solar panel for supplemental power), and selling his intricate artwork. You can see his microbus at the Illinois Route 66 Hall of Fame and Museum in Pontiac.
Our next stop was in Holbrook, Arizona home of the Wigwam Motel…
My “boys” had a great time exploring all of the old cars parked around the motel. Can you guess the how the Wigwam Motel inspired both the movie and Carsland?
Continuing down I-40/Route 66 we came to the exit for the Jack Rabbit Trading Post (which of course was closed) but we still had fun locating the next inspiration for Cars and Carsland…
We then continued on to Winslow, Arizona (Are you already singing along?)…
While it is not an inspiration for Cars, Winslow is just one of those places you have to stop at for a photo opp… standing on the corner and singing! We would drive another 90 miles to Williams, Arizona where we planned to spend the night…only to arrive and discover that I made reservations for the next week at the hotel and there was no room in the inn. Oops…
Taking it all in stride we decided to head for the California boarder and spend the night in Kingman, Arizona in order to get an early start on our next day and arrive at Disneyland in time for the fireworks. I am glad, I messed up the reservation because we were rewarded with a beautiful sunset that evening.
Stay tuned for Part 5: Oatman, Arizona
Now I know that it is not technically a “running” present but I have playing around with the idea of spending an entire summer walking the El Camino in Spain when I get runDisney out of my blood. I am so excited to read this book and start making notes for that adventure.
While I was totally spoiled this Christmas, I was also blessed with a family that supports this midlife run crisis that I am in the midst of…
I was helping a friend the other day come up with a plan for which park they were going to visit each day when she informed me that Epcot was really just for adults and they were going to skip Epcot. I was kind of stunned by her statement, because in my mind nothing could be further from the truth and skipping an entire park made me sad. If you asked my oldest son when he was 9 what his favorite park was, he would have told you “Epcot,” in fact now at 17 he still would tell you Epcot. After I picked my chin up off the floor, I began to dispel that widely accepted Epcot myth that “kids will be bored by Epcot” and that “parents of small children should skip this theme park altogether.” Epcot is a great place for the entire family…
Go Under the Sea in the Living Seas Pavilion-You will find a world class aquarium here and until 2005 it was the world’s largest saltwater tank, home to more than 6,000 sea creatures.
chance to meet someone from another country. Cast members will embellish the back with the child’s name in their language or a fun symbol of their country
So, when is my favorite time to go to Walt Disney World? I absolutely love traveling the end of October/beginning of November for several reasons. First, the weather is a pleasant mid 80s cool enough to enjoy the parks and the resort pool. It is absolutely beautiful during this time of the year. You get to experience the best of both the Fall and Christmas Seasons. If you time it just right you can attend the last of the Mickey’s No So Scary Halloween parties and the Fall decorations, then watch the magical transformation to the Christmas season and see the snow fall on Main Street during Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party. In addition, that means runDIsney’s Wine & Dine 
Half Marathon Weekend will be taking place along with Epcot’s Food & Wine Festival. So many fun things to see and do! Also, crowd levels are generally moderate in size this time of the year, which makes dining and FastPass+ reservations easier to make, plus easier to handle during the day in the parks.
My Life in Ears 