Route 66 Day 16: Giant Statues, Historic Museums & The Giants of Route 66!

We are closing in on the final stretch! On Day 16 of our Route 66 Centennial Road Trip, we cruised through the heart of Illinois, uncovering some of the most unique roadside giants and living history in the entire country. Navigating in our 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness, we spent today exploring the quirky, oversized characters that make Route 66 famous, while also having an incredible, in-depth conversation about the preservation of these roadside treasures. In this episode: Lincoln, IL: Checking out The Old Station, The Mill Museum on Route 66, and the Rt 66 Corner Garage. We also stopped at the World's Largest Rail-splitter Covered Wagon and joined the local community for a beautiful Memorial Day celebration at the American Legion. The Giants of the Road: We went big today! From the Paul Bunyan Statue to the Texaco Big Friend giant, these sculptures are true icons. We had the distinct honor of interviewing Joel Baker at the American Giants Museum. You can watch that full, fascinating conversation here: The Giants of Route 66: A Conversation with Joel Baker.    • The Giants of Route 66: A Conversation wit...   Illinois Highlights: Seeing the iconic Tropics Restaurant Neon Sign and the happy Smiley Face Water Tower. We also explored another one of the Route 66 Original Alignments, the vibrant Route 66 Mural at McLean, the whimsical Crazy Presidential Elephant, and another Historic Route 66 Old Bridge. Pontiac, IL: Finishing the day with a tour through the incredible Pontiac Oakland Auto Museum before resting up in beautiful Pontiac, Illinois. We are documenting 100+ iconic landmarks for our upcoming centennial photography book, preserving the architecture, neon, and soul of the road 100 years after its birth. Gear Featured: Vehicle: 2022 Subaru Outback Wilderness Cameras & Optics: Sony Mirrorless System (Sony a7R V / Sony a9 III) Action & Hybrid Capture: DJI Osmo Action 6 / DJI Osmo Action 5 Pro Join the Journey: Hit subscribe to follow our cross-country progress! We are getting so close to the end, but there is still plenty of Route 66 magic left to discover! #Route66 #RoadTrip #IllinoisRoute66 #TheMotherRoad #Route66Centennial #TravelIllinois #PontiacIL #AmericanGiantsMuseum #LincolnIL #PaulBunyanStatue #Route66Giants #RoadsideAttractions #AdventureShark #SubaruOutbackWilderness #SonyAlpha #DJIAction6 #ClassicAmericana #HistoricPreservation #JoelBaker