It was the ultimate road trip exploring the people, places and stories that have made America's most famous highway an icon for the last century. This week, ABC7 takes a look at the journey through the heart of Illinois, from Livingston County to Logan County.
The first stop was Ambler's Texaco in Dwight, where a beautifully restored 1933 service station serves as a reminder of Route 66's heyday. Once a place where travelers topped off their tanks, it's now where they fill up on history.
"This is just the way it was," village volunteer Bill Flott said. "Everybody comes here. They come here with a smile on your face."
Next was Pontiac, where Ryan visited Route 66 artist Bob Waldmire's final mural. After Waldmire died from cancer in 2009, friends and family picked up their paintbrushes and completed the massive work, turning it into one of the town's most meaningful landmarks.
"It's the route from Santa Monica to Chicago," former Pontiac Mayor Bob Russell said. "Bob was, for sure, one of the leaders of the Route 66 movement."
Russell also opened the doors to the Pontiac Oakland Auto Museum, where classic cars and decades of automotive history keep the spirit of the legendary brand alive.
"Tim was such a big Pontiac guy that he said somebody has got to save the Pontiac story, and I guess it's going to be me," Russell said of museum founder Tim Dye.
In McLean County, Chiaverini stepped back in time.
In Towande lives one of the last remaining stretches of the original 1926 Route 66. At only 16 feet wide, it's easy to appreciate how different a road trip must have felt nearly a century ago, especially after the sun went down.
The final stop in central Illinois was the American Giants Museum in Atlanta, where towering fiberglass roadside figures, better known as Muffler Men, stand as colorful reminders of a time when businesses competed for attention with giant smiles, oversized hands and unforgettable photo ops.
Every stretch of Route 66 has its own personality, and central Illinois is no exception. Between the preserved history, larger than life attractions and the people dedicated to keeping the Mother Road alive, it proved that sometimes the best part of a road trip isn't the destination. It's everything you discover along the way.
"Pier To Pier: Celebrating 100 Years of Route 66" is sponsored by Hyundai.