This story was updated because an earlier version included an inaccuracy.
Kevin and Lisa Merrill of Apple Valley are preparing to lead a caravan of RVers on a “Route 66 Centennial” road trip adventure from Chicago to Santa Monica.
Beginning April 1, the Merrills, along with their four dachshunds, affectionately known as the “Weenie Herd,” will spearhead the 13-rig tour in the couple’s 43-foot-long Newmar Dutch Star RV, the couple’s permanent home on wheels.
55-day road trip
“It’ll be a 55-day leisurely trip with 24 other people who love the open road and Route 66,” Lisa told the Daily Press. “We’ll make 17 multi-day stops at RV parks, with plenty of time to check out local venues.”
Many of those venues will include museums, restaurants, old gas stations, roadside attractions and other sites associated with the Mother Road, which was officially commissioned on Nov. 11, 1926.
The RV caravan will travel 100 to 300 miles per day along the nearly 2,400-mile route, said Kevin, a veteran who served in Navy in the late ‘80s.
Route 66 traverses eight states, including Illinois, Missouri, Kansas, Oklahoma, Texas, New Mexico, Arizona and California.
The group’s RV road adventure will end around Memorial Day, according to the Merrills, who will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary this year.
Before becoming Special Event hosts for the trip, the Merrills were required to attend the online “Newmar Academy,” which taught them the nuts and bolts of hosting an RV road trip.
“We learned things like planning, budgeting, maintenance, navigation, and emergency preparedness,” Lisa said. “It was an eight-week course and well worth it.”
Kevin said with food, supplies and traveling costs, including their RV’s six miles per gallon range, the price tag of the trip is nearly $16,000.
Lisa winked as she replied, “But we need to remember that we’re not counting miles per gallon but smiles per gallon.”
Route 66 hot spots
The Merrills shared some of their favorite hot spots along Route 66, including some in Springfield, Illinois, a place they called “The crown jewel of Route 66 attractions.”
“The people of Springfield take pride in having Route 66 come through their city,” Kevin said. “The signs, buildings, decor and roadside attractions are bigger than life and very well preserved.”
The Springfield Convention & Visitors Bureau listed dozens of Route 66 venues, such as the Twin Drive-In, the Lauterbach Giant statue, Cozy Dog Drive-In, Mahan’s Filling Station, Route 66 Motorheads Museum and more.
The couple also mentioned other favorite Route 66 cities such as Tulsa, Oklahoma and St. Louis, Missouri. They will also make Arizona stops in Oatman, Williams and Winslow.
“Only 13.2 miles of Route 66 run through Kansas, but there is this one unique bathroom stop that you have to see,” Kevin said. “It’s kind of retro, and they used a lot of imagination to put this bathroom together.”
Lisa showed the Daily Press a photo of the “unique bathroom” inside the Gearhead Curios shop connected to an old Texaco station in Galena, Kansas. The photo showed bathroom walls paneled with diamond plate aluminum, a C-clamp toilet paper roll holder, Model A Ford parts for a stall divider and a gas-pedal urinal flusher.
The Merrills also listed some favorite Route 66 spots in California, including the Historic Cucamonga Service Station in Rancho Cucamonga, Elmer Long’s Bottle Ranch in Oro Grande and the California Route 66 Museum in Victorville.
From Arkansas to California
Natives of Arkansas, the Merrills are no strangers to road trips, having visited nearly 30 states and traveling portions of Route 66 numerous times with their dogs Rusty, Ellie, Hendrix and senior canine Sadie, the “diva” of the group.
The Merrill’s previous travel itinerary included the couple’s involvement with Rotary International, especially Kevin’s role as Rotary district governor.
The couple became full-time RVers about six years ago, when their daughter, son-in-law and grandchildren moved from Arkansas to the High Desert.
After visiting their family in Victorville, the Merrills purchased their first RV, a 36-foot Type A diesel pusher.
In 2020, the couple bought the Newmar. A year later, they sold their home, while remotely managing their auto repair shop.
In 2024, the Merrills sold their shop and settled down in the High Desert, while helping their daughter’s business and watching their grandchildren. They also continue to travel solo, or with fellow Jeep owners and RVers.
“After selling our home and business, we love the minimalist lifestyle,” Kevin said. “It’s very liberating.”
Discovering the past
Officially established by Congress in the 1920s, Route 66 first consisted of existing highways and roadways that were paved or partially paved. Some roads were made of graded dirt, gravel, bricks, or wood planks. The highway was fully paved by 1938.
For decades, economic opportunities sprang up for many merchants along the highway, as they opened businesses and took in revenue from travelers from across the country.
Many of those businesses began to dwindle and eventually fade away after President Dwight D. Eisenhower signed the Federal-Aid Highway Act of 1956, creating the Interstate Highway System, which drew traffic away from Route 66.
Today, Route 66 is traveled by U.S. residents and international tourists, who long to discover reminders of the nation’s past and the influence the automobile had during the glory days of the highway.
The National Park Service says there are more than 250 buildings, bridges, road alignments and other sites along Route 66 that are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Daily Press reporter Rene Ray De La Cruz may be reached at RDeLaCruz@VVDailyPress.com. Follow him on X @DP_ReneDeLaCruz
This article originally appeared on Victorville Daily Press: Route 66 Centennial RV caravan led by Apple Valley travel pros
Reporting by Rene Ray De La Cruz, Victorville Daily Press / Victorville Daily Press
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