Today is a very special day.
IT’S MY MOM’S BIRTHDAY!!!
I think we’ve established how awesome my parents are… their old cars, cute babies, and creatively named vehicles. They are part-way responsible for my fascination with VW Buses and definitely to blame for my fondness of road-trips (see below).
In case you want further proof of their coolness, guess where they are right now. Go ahead. Guess. … I’ll wait…
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Any ideas? Nope? Well, they are currently in Joplin, Missouri. Why? Because they are spending two weeks driving the old Route 66! How neat is that!?!
The Route: A is the starting point. B is their current location. C is where they need to end up.
This has been a long standing fantasy for my mom, and so, in honor of her birthday this year, they’re making her dream come true. They flew to Chicago last Friday, bought a new car on Saturday (they needed one and used this trip as an excuse to make it happen) and have spent the last 5 days getting their kicks on Route 66.
I don’t know much more than that right now. They are having too much fun to keep me regularly updated. But they have sent me a couple of notable VW Bus pictures I just had to share.
Look at what they found in a Route 66 Museum!
Bob Waldmire, a well-known Route 66 artist, drove this 1972 Bus as a mobile museum for informing travelers about the great history of the road.
And, apparently, this VW was the model for the character “Fillmore” in the Pixar movie “Cars.”
Road trips, VW Buses and Route 66… Americana in a nutshell. Feeling nostalgic yet?
They have 8 more days on the road, but I know their adventures will be endless. They rock.
To my wonderful parents, I hope you are having a fabulous time! Safe travels. I love you, miss you and think of you often. Can’t wait to greet you on the Santa Monica pier in a week.
To my amazing mom, Happy Happy Birthday! I hope I can be as cool as you when I grow up. All my love to you on your special day!
What do you think? Are my parents cool or what? Have you ever driven Route 66? Any classic road-trip fantasies you’d like to share?
thebustache 
Wonderful news!!!
I drove on parts of 66 last year without intending to and it was such a pleasant surprise. Check out photos on my VW’s facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-YesWeCan-CamperVan/203679777444
Once there go to photos, click on photos again and you should see all albums. There is one called Route 66.
There’s even one taken at the end of Santa Monica Pier – http://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=464371462444&set=a.412037037444.185323.203679777444&type=3&theater
Carole! Those pictures are great! I’m excited to take a picture with my parents on the pier this weekend. Maybe we’ll bring Bustache, and give him a taste of the Route… :-(D
Great post! I think your parents should name their car Leeloo. You may have to Google it if you aren’t a big nerd like me. :) – I always wanted an Element. I think this is the last year they are being made…kind of sad. A quirky vehicle not unlike a modern bus!
A few years ago when I lived in Chicago I was going to drive the whole Route 66. I printed out the complete route, which small highways and frontage roads it is now, etc. Maybe I still will someday…
If you look at the back of Bob Waldmire’s bus, you get the main inspiration for Fillmore I think. The stickers on the back of his bus are almost identical to Fillmore’s…or pretty close. I want to go see that bus someday. I think it’s in Pontiac, IL, right? Bob Waldmire seemed like a pretty cool dude.
Leeloo is genius. I love it! The 5th element… I think that is one of the first DVDs I ever owned. :-(D And thanks so much for the info on Bob Waldmire and his bus. That makes so much more sense… I mean, I know all buses kind of look a like, but it was hard for me to see the inspiration. You are right, it is in Pontiac, IL. The more I read about Bob, the more I like him.
I think the 5th Element is one of my first DVD purchases also. Love that movie! Multi-pass! I read somewhere that Pixar actually wanted to call the bus Waldmire, and Bob wouldn’t allow them to do it. He was a vegetarian (or maybe vegan, can’t remember), and he didn’t want his name used on something that would end up in a toy in Happy Meals that had meat in them. Pretty cool dude!