(Route 66 Seligman, Arizona)
While you are making your way along Main Street, don’t forget to take some time off, and take a break. There are plenty of other things to do along the way. Checking weather forecasts for the area you are in, as well as where you plan to stop next, is always a good idea….especially in the spring and summer. Part of Route 66 takes you right through the heart of tornado alley. Knowing ahead of time what lies ahead will probably save you some big headaches, when it comes to the weather. If you happen to be in a motel room, somewhere, it’s always a good idea to flip on the weather channel, or at least check a few solid weather apps on your phone. I highly recommend the NOAA Weather app (free and paid versions), as well as Radarscope ($9.99 one time charge). With the NOAA app, you can type in the name or zip code of your next planned stop, and get a reliable 7 day forecast. It’s also a good idea to check for any hazardous weather conditions for the area, as well. If you happen to have any kind of radio in your vehicle that as a weather band on it, it’s always a good idea to tune into that, too. I can’t stress this enough: always plan ahead and be prepared….I’m pretty sure you don’t like surprises….at least not the severe weather kind. There is at least one motel I know of along Route 66 that has a place to take shelter, in case of a tornado warning. That would be at Boots Court Motel, in Carthage, Missouri. Also, the rest areas along interstate 40 in the Texas panhandle also have tornado shelters (a great idea for that area). Something else you may want to consider for your trip is a membership in an auto club. If you run out of gas, or break down, they will send someone out to assist you. There are other items you will probably also want to pack along for the journey, but that will be in the next post (a decent camera is definitely on that list).
Until then, Hasta La Vista, and yippee ki yay!